Fine Gael TD Ciarán Cannon has announced that he will not contest the next general election.
A TD for Galway East, Mr Cannon has worked in politics for 20 years and was first elected to the Dáil in 2011.
Mr Cannon is currently the Fine Gael spokesperson for Media, Arts and Culture.
He previously served as a Minister of State in the Department of Foreign Affairs and in the Department of Education.
In a statement, he said that there was a “coarseness, a toxicity in politics now that was barely palpable 20 years ago.”
He added: “None of us asks to be put on a pedestal, or to be treated any differently. We just ask to be treated with the same civility and respect as anyone else doing their job.
“Yes, politicians are subject to public scrutiny, and rightly so, but what we are experiencing right now goes far beyond that and can be deeply damaging to our wellbeing. At times it feels like it’s open season on you and your family.
“That’s not acceptable, nor indeed sustainable, if we want to have good people choosing politics as a career,” he said.
Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar paid tribute to Mr Cannon, saying that he was one of the hardest working TDs in the Dáil.
“Ciarán is a gentleman who will be missed by all who know him or who work with him in the Dáil. I wish him the very best in his life after politics,” Mr Varadkar said.
Mr Cannon joins a growing number of Fine Gael TDs who are standing down at the next General Election.
These are Paul Kehoe, Richard Bruton, Fergus O’Dowd, Brendan Griffin, Charlie Flanagan, Joe McHugh, Michael Creed, David Stanton and John Paul Phelan.
