Gardaí in Tralee are investigating an alleged scuffle between Travellers and members of Sinn Féin, including TD Martin Ferris, on Thursday last.
Mr Ferris has strongly denied a newspaper report that he used racial abuse during the alleged incident on Thursday last, which is said to have occurred when he and another member of Sinn Féin called to an estate in Tralee to inquire about stolen property.
Mr Ferris's inquiries are understood to have been greeted with resentment by one family in particular, and an incident is said to have taken place.
No one was injured in the alleged scuffle.
Sinn Féin has two town councillors in Tralee who have worked closely with the Traveller community and who have campaigned for proper halting sites and to revamp the Mitchell's Crescent area, where there is a large Traveller community.
Mr Ferris told local radio yesterday: "Without any ambiguity whatsoever and with 100 per cent certainty, I didn't under any circumstances use racial abuse towards anybody. I find it [the suggestion] most insulting to myself and to everything that I stand for. Gardaí have not been in contact with me."
However, he said he understood gardaí were investigating "an incident" in the Mitchell's Crescent area.