The former senior minister and EU commissioner, Mr Michael O'Kennedy, has announced he will retire from the Oireachtas at the next general election after close to 25 years in the Dail and Seanad.
Seen at one stage as a potential candidate for the party leadership, Mr O'Kennedy (64) is the second veteran Fianna Fail figure to announce he is leaving representational politics. Mr David Andrews has already announced his impending Dail retirement.
Mr O'Kennedy's decision was expected, and he said yesterday he had told the Taoiseach and his constituency colleague, the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, of his decision some time ago.
A barrister, Mr O'Kennedy was elected to the Seanad in 1965 and to the Dail in 1969 for Tipperary North. He was appointed parliamentary secretary to the minister for education in 1970, and as minister for transport and power in 1972. He was minister for foreign affairs from 1977 to 1979, and minister for finance from 1980 to 1981.
He was appointed EU commissioner in 1981 but resigned his post just a year after his appointment at a time of great instability in Fianna Fail. During a period of several challenges to Mr Haughey's leadership of the party, Mr O'Kennedy returned to contest the 1982 general election amid speculation that he could become a leadership contender himself.
However, Mr Charles Haughey fought off the challenges to his authority, and when the party returned to office again in 1987 Mr O'Kennedy was appointed minister for agriculture, a post he held until 1992.
He is currently co-chairman of the British-Irish Parliamentary Body, and is the Taoiseach's representative at the convention to draft a new Charter for Fundamental Human Rights in the European Union. After retiring from the Oireachtas he will continue to serve as a trustee of Fianna Fail.