The chairman of Donegal County Council, Cllr Gerry McMonagle, said attacks on young women in Letterkenny were becoming all too frequent.
He appealed to people not to walk home alone and to take taxis while out.
Cllr McMonagle made his plea following a vicious and unprovoked attack on a young woman close to the Market Square in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Shanan Reid McDaid was followed and then set upon by a man who brutally assaulted her.
She needed hospital treatment and is recovering after she was attacked and punched in the face several times.
Major McGonagle appealed to people to ensure that friends did not walk home alone.
“This is happening all too often. This is not the first time we have heard of a young woman being attacked and this is simply another shocking incident.
“This woman is certainly not to blame but I would appeal to friends of people not to leave them alone at night but to ensure they get taxis or are walked home safely.
“We obviously have an issue with this sort of thing in Letterkenny and it needs to be addressed.
“I hope this woman makes a full recovery because she has been through a horrific ordeal,” he said.
