Former Tánaiste Simon Coveney, has announced he will retire from politics at the next General Election.
The Cork TD says it's been the 'privilege of his life' to work an elected representative for the last 26 years.
He stepped down as a government minister in April when Simon Harris took over from Leo Varadkar as Fine Gael leader and Taoiseach.
Mr Coveney says now is the right time for him to leave politics.
"I've given all of my working life to politics so far, so I did think a lot about that with my family over the last few years.
"When the, the leadership change happened in Fine Gael, it was a trigger moment for me to look to the future, both politically and outside of politics and say, look, now's a good time to leave on my own terms".
Today I write to FG members in my constituency to say thank you.
Being elected for 26 yrs has been the privilege of my life. I will forever be grateful for the faith people in CorkSouthCentral have put in me.
Now is the right time for renewal in FG & for me to change direction. pic.twitter.com/4occw2d0PO— Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) July 10, 2024
Paying tribute to Simon Coveney, Taoiseach Simon Harris said he served his country with distinction.
"Simon Coveney is not just a colleague, he is a friend. He has served his constituency, his party and his country with distinction.
"Most particularly his contribution to protecting our national interest during Brexit is an outstanding legacy".
Simon Coveeny was first elected as a Fine Gael TD to the Cork South-Central constituency in 1998, and later served as an MEP for Ireland South from 2004 and 2007.
He was first appointed a government minister in 2011, serving in the departments of agriculture, housing, foreign affairs, defence, and enterprise.
He took over as the deputy leader of Fine Gael from James Reilly in June 2017 and stayed in the position until April of this year. He was Tánaiste between 2017 and 2020.
