Helen McEntee's position as Minister for Justice was questioned by the public, as well as safety issues around Dublin and the emergence of the far-right.
Documents from the Department of Justice show members of the public were critical of the response to the riots in Dublin on November 23rd, following the stabbing of five people in Parnell square hours earlier.
In the correspondence seen by Breakingnews.ie, Ms McEntee, who survived a no-confidence motion in the Dáil two weeks later, was questioned about her position.
A person who emailed the Department of Justice said: "In light of this incident and others in recent times it is clear your position and that of the Garda Commissioner is no longer tenable.
"Neither you nor Drew Harris are capable of keeping our children safe ...as a citizen of this country and your employer I demand your resignation with immediate effect."
Safety in Dublin
Ms McEntee's statement in the summer in which she said Dublin was safe was also under the spotlight, with one person saying in an email: "You are failing miserably with regard to Public Safety on O’Connell Street in Dublin City Centre.
"Your recent walkabout on Talbot Street announcing that it was perfectly safe was an insult to our intelligence. You are presiding
over a system where law‐abiding citizens would not even think of crossing O’Connell Bridge is outrageous."
Another person also referred back to these comments, in which they said: "It is nothing short of appalling, that you, as Government Minister for Law and Order have been found wanting again. So much for your statements some months ago about our city centre being safe. "
Safety issues in Dublin were a theme in emails on the Dublin riots, as there was criticism of the response to young gangs in the city.
One person pointed out how they have grown since Covid, in which they said: "I have lived in the Smithfield Market area since 2016 and there has been a definite shift in the atmosphere since Covid times, where the size of these underage gangs roaming the streets has been growing, their unpredictability and recklessness worsening, and general sense that they are above the law cementing.
"It is these gangs of inner city young lads who make me afraid to walk home at night, not foreigners. It is they who add a tense and unpredictable energy to the air of the inner city."
Safety issues were raised by a woman who has a son in college in Dublin and fears for his safety. In the email, she said: "Dublin is a violent, dangerous place to which my son has to go for university. I grew up in and around Dublin, so I know what safe and unsafe mean.
"We are so concerned for his safety not just from today's incident, but for all the reasons that make Dublin critically unsafe."
Far right
The alleged far-right figures who have been accused of increasing tensions in the riots in Dublin were raised with Ms McEntee.
The response to far-right figures were criticised. One person said: "The far-right are a small enough but significant group of bad faith actors have been allowed to stir up hate, fear and distrust in this country for the past number of years unchecked.
"They came to prominence during lockdown, you have all been warned about them before and you did nothing,"
The actions of alleged far-right figures were condemned.
Another person said: "I am writing this email as I watch our capital city burning to a crisp by the same tyrants that spread hate and violence on a daily basis in every town and city in our country, and apparently they do this in the name of patriotism?
"We both know that they have no care for our country nor those poor innocents who were attacked today."
Another person also took issue with the gardaí response to these figures, in which they said: "The Garda Commissioner mentioned in his statement today many of the figures involved in stirring up these events on social media are "well known to us".
"I think that's obvious, as they've been allowed to act openly for over a year now, both online and in their vile protests (including attacking migrants in their tents) and only been met by a hands-off approach by Garda leadership."
