Irish police have investigated a threat to shoot the Irish prime minister Enda Kenny, it has been reported.

According to the Irish Independent the man was questioned by police officers in County Mayo after a post he allegedly made on a public Facebook page was discovered.

The message on the 'Save the Sacred Heart Hospital Castlebar' site read: 'If they close this hospital I’ll shoot Enda Kenny JFK assassination style.'

According to the BBC the threat was posted on May 18, by a teenager who is not a member of the campaign group.

Castlebar Town Council member Ger Deere told the press: 'The comment was a very serious one and we felt it should be passed on to the gardai. It crossed the line.'

Deere added that Kenny was 'quite shocked' when he informed him of the threat and felt that acrimony over the hospital issue had 'gone too far.'

The councillor said that Kenny was also disappointed the threat had not been removed immediately by the administrators of the campaign page.

A garda spokesman told the Independent: 'We can confirm an investigation took place into a comment on a social media site. One person has been interviewed and a file is being prepared for the DPP.'

The Sacred Heart Hospital in Castlebar will be reportedly brought up to Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) standards in time for the 2015 deadline, following the announcement last week that $14 million was being sanctioned for the necessary refurbishment works by the health Service Executive (HSE).

Kenny has represented Mayo as a Fine Gael member of the Irish parliament since 1975. He has led Fine Gael for 11 years and was elected prime minister in March 2011.