Editorial: Coalition’s durability tested yet again as the always-civil Eamon Ryan bows out

Despite the rigours of ministerial office and the hand-to-hand combat that goes with being in the Cabinet – in both good times and extremely bad – Mr Ryan held a stubborn grip on decency and civility.

It speaks to his stature that his departure may well throw a wobble into the smooth running of the wheels of government. The decision of his deputy, Catherine Martin, not to fill his shoes has added considerably to the challenges the Greens confront as they face into an election. The security of the seats of the 12 remaining Green TDs will be questioned.

History will record how Mr Ryan channelled his passion for environmental issues into the political mainstream.

A core message that respect for each other should come with a corresponding respect for the planet was hardly incendiary, yet it was enough to make him a target for some of the worst vitriol ever visited on the head of a member of Leinster House.

It has been said Green is a process, not a status.

Ryan applied his considerable political energies to build a movement that would make it impossible for the establishment to turn its back on the uncomfort­able truths of climate change.

He played a key role in securing a more sustainable future by obstinately insisting Green priorities were not lost sight of when it was neither profitable nor popular to pursue them.

Bruising defeats in the recent local and European elections, the increasingly toxic character of political life, and family demands have clearly convinced him that now is the right time to sign off at the top.

He will have taken personal pride in the passing of the EU restoration laws this week.

Taoiseach Simon Harris acknowledged Mr Ryan is “a politician of enormous standing”.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin was equally generous, recognising his steadfast commitment to green issues.

The viability of the Coalition will once again be under the spotlight as Mr Ryan’s decades of experience was a stabilising force in fraught moments.

He had always managed to take the vicissitudes of public life on the chin, pretty much from the time he was first elected to the Dáil in 2002, and even when defeated in 2011.

Yet this Government has proved more durable than many imagined and managed a seamless transition when Leo Varadkar handed over the reins to Mr Harris.

Nonetheless, the opposition will be hoping the public will view matters in a context where to lose one leader might be presented as a misfortune, but to lose two looks careless.

Sentiment seldom plays a role in government. The ending of any major political career simply signals that there is a space for a new beginning.