Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today paid tribute Attorney General Rory Brady who announced last week that he would not be seeking re-appointment to the position.
Mr Ahern said Mr Brady has served the country "tirelessly" and was not only the longest-serving AG of recent times but one of the best.
"His work behind the scenes in the Northern Ireland peace process was especially valuable to me in dealing with the many legal and constitutional issues which arose," Mr Ahern said.
He said the role of AG while not high profile, was crucial to the effective functioning of Government.
"Rory Brady has made an exceptional personal contribution to many of the major achievements of the Government in recent years - from the smoking ban, to random breath testing, to safeguarding Irish neutrality in the Nice II referendum," Mr Ahern added.
Mr Brady is to resume his practice and has accepted an offer to become a visiting fellow at Harvard University in the US.
"I would like to wish him all the best in his future endeavours, and to thank him for the enormous contribution which he has made over these past five years," Mr Ahern concluded.