Political leaders reacted today to the news that Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is to step down.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said he believed the work of the Government was being "distracted" by the unfolding events at the Mahon tribunal. He said
Mr Ahern had "set standards and principles" for others, including Pádraig Flynn and Charles Haughey, that he had "not applied to himself until now".
"I know that personally this is a very sad day for the Taoiseach and I want to wish him well personally on his retirement as Taoiseach and for his future life. I have to say that this decision was inevitable. The Taoiseach here has bowed to the inevitable based on the weight of his own evidence at the [Mahon] tribunal," Mr Kenny said.
Green Party leader and Minister for the Environment John Gormley said he and his colleagues "would not be in government without Mr Ahern's political vision and foresight".
"Bertie Ahern recognised the critical importance of issues like climate change and energy security for future generations. On that basis he opened the negotiations which ultimately put the Green agenda at the heart of Government," he said.
He urged all political parties to acknowledge "the dignified manner the Taoiseach had chosen to announce his departure from office".
Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore today welcomed the announcement by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern that he is to step down next month.
"I came to the conclusion many months ago that Mr. Ahern would find it impossible to continue in office because of the mounting conflicts and contradictions between the statements he originally made about his financial affairs and the evidence uncovered by the Mahon tribunal," Mr Gilmore said.
"As far back as last year, I urged him to name a date for his departure and suggested that the immediate aftermath of his address to the US Congress would mark an appropriate point.
"Mr. Ahern has now recognised the seriousness of the situation in which he finds himself and has set the date for his departure that I had suggested."
The Labour Party leader said he hoped the announcement would "now allow the government, the Dail and the country to move on and to start dealing with the mounting social and economic problems facing Irish society".
Mr Gilmore acknowledged some "remarkable achievements" by Mr Ahern during his period in office, in particular the "huge personal and political effort" he put into securing a political settlement in Northern Ireland. "On a personal level, I wish Mr Ahern well in his retirement," he added.
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said he wished to "pay a warm personal tribute" to the Taoiseach.
He said there would be "plenty of time" to make all other remarks "political and otherwise"
"What we saw today was a Taoiseach bowing out in a very gracious and graceful way and we should look at the good things that he has done as well as the not so good things that he has done," Mr Adams said.
The North’s First Minister, the Rev Ian Paisley said he enjoyed a good working relationship with Mr Ahern because he was prepared to recognise that unionists "had no interest in being part of a United Ireland".
The DUP leader praised Mr Ahern for being the first Taoiseach to have the "maturity and responsibility" to "recognise the sacrifice made by soldiers from the Republic" who fought with the British army in the two world wars.
"The DUP firmly believes in sensible co-operation with our nearest neighbour and Mr Ahern recognised our position and moved on to it. He came to realise that politically motivated North-Southery with a nationalist trajectory was never going to be acceptable to our community and he conducted himself accordingly," added Dr Paisley.
SDLP Leader Mark Durkan paid tribute to Mr Ahern's involvement in the peace process. "When he came to office he inherited the peace process and the talks process and ensured that their opportunity for all the people of Ireland was maximized," Mr Durkan said.
"In the distressing personal circumstances of his mother’s death he was focused and masterful in the final negotiations of the Good Friday Agreement. "While we shared our differences of judgement directly with the Taoiseach we have never doubted his motivation or purpose. Bertie Ahern can be proud not just of his own achievements in office in Ireland and Europe but also of the achievements he has helped to make possible for others and, in the future, for all of us."
Former SDLP leader John Hume said Mr Ahern’s contribution to the peace process could not be underestimated. “During his term in office he made affairs in the North a priority and devoted time and energy to bringing negotiations here to a close, even during difficult personal circumstances," Mr Hume said.
David Trimble, former leader of the Ulster Unionist Party said Mr Ahern had been a "major influence" in the successful negotiation of the Belfast Agreement. In particular, Mr Ahern had played a crucial role in the discussion on north-south relations.
This took an issue that until then had been "toxic" in terms of political relationships and "moved it to a situation where that ran smoothly without causing any problems over the years since".
"This wouldn’t have happened had he not been prepared to look at the matter objectively with us and to not be hung up on the republican baggage that some of his colleagues had," Mr Trimble said.
Siptu general president Jack O’Connor praised Mr Ahern for his role in both the Northern Ireland peace process and Ireland’s economic development.
"His decision to resign places an obligation on all our political leaders to focus on the key issues confronting us, such as the growing inequality in our society, the creeping privatisation and diminution of our public health service, the urgent need to tackle our training and skills deficit, and to eradicate the exploitation of vulnerable workers by unscrupulous employers in some sectors of our economy."