Senator Ronan Mullen has said the Taoiseach is "rattled" by the turnout at an anti-abortion rally in Dublin on Saturday.
His comments come after Enda Kenny revealed that he has been branded "worse than Herod" by campaigners over the Government’s move to legislate for limited abortion.
Gardaí say that around 25,000 people attended Saturday's 'Vigil for Life' rally, where protesters left a voice-mail for the Taoiseach asking him to keep his pro-life promise.
"I think the Taoiseach is rattled, to be frank, that 25,000 people showed up on a cold January afternoon in Dublin," he said.
"He heard reasonable people, like from the middle ground of Irish society, like Mickey Harte, say very clearly: 'This isn't about medical treatment for women to save their lives, we're all in favour of that, this is about the targeting of innocent, unborn children'."