The end of Sir Ivor Roberts's tenure as British Ambassador in Dublin will mark a significant passage in the post-Belfast Agreement British-Irish dialogue.
Although his successor, Mr Stewart Eldon, currently Deputy Ambassador at the United Nations, has been named, Sir Ivor will not leave until next spring. By then, certain realities - for better or worse - will be clear in relation to the peace process and the Agreement.
Sir Ivor Roberts has been in his Dublin post since the ratification of the Agreement by referendum, North and South. He has been his government's eyes and ears and voice over this most promising, but arguably also most testing, period of relations between Dublin and London since the foundation of the State.
His is that multi-faceted persona that the world of diplomacy will occasionally present. His considerable charm and wry sense of humour go side by side with qualities of intellectual rigour and political toughness. He has perhaps not endeared himself to all in Iveagh House nor, indeed, to all political figures. Nor has he sought to.
But what he has shown, in abundance, is a commitment to sustaining and managing the dynamics of the Belfast Agreement. He does not hide his impatience with those who believe that paramilitarism and political power can coexist indefinitely side by side. He argues vigorously that permanent peace and security normality can only be attained when there is full reciprocation for the act of faith made by both governments in delivering their commitments under the Agreement.
By next spring it will be possible to judge if the institutions set up under the Agreement are likely to endure. The assembly elections of May will be crucial in determining if moderate, middle-ground opinion can win out over extremism in both communities.
Sir Ivor may have a significant role to play in determining this. He has carefully advanced the process of normalisation between the two States. Last year saw a successful visit to Ireland by the Prince of Wales. In the near future, it is expected, Queen Elizabeth will visit the Republic. An Irish visit by the British monarch could have a reassuring effect on moderate unionist opinion and might prove influential in the outcome of the elections.
The ambassador's judgment, and his role as the link between the two governments, will be important determinants in whether such a visit takes place. There are many imponderables in the equation and his remaining months in Dublin are not likely to be idle.