The big exception was 2011 when 36 TDs retired from politics. Facing huge public hostility, many Fianna Fáil TDs did not seek re-election and the exodus of TDs was younger than usual.

The next election is likely to take place between 12 and 18 months from now but already a growing number of TDs have announced that they plan to leave politics. Most have had long and distinguished careers.

Richard Bruton and Charlie Flanagan of Fine Gael, and Brendan Howlin from the Labour Party, are among the most notable figures to announce they are leaving the political arena. All three have served as TDs for many decades, were ministers in multiple governments and are considered to be serious and significant figures in their parties.

Retirement announcements have been spread across the political spectrum and Bríd Smith of People Before Profit has also announced that she will be leaving politics. At least 10 more TDs are in the retirement speculation zone on age grounds. It is important to say that there is no requirement for TDs to retire at 65 What is more interesting about the current list of confirmed retirements is the growing number of mid-career TDs departing the stage.

Sean Sherlock (Labour), Brendan Griffin, Joe McHugh, John Paul Phelan (all Fine Gael), and Denis Naughten (Independent) have all announced that they will not contest the next election. These TDs have well-established careers and substantial local support bases. It is very probable that they would all have been re-elected.

Brendan Griffin. Picture: Julien Behal/PA Wire

Mr Sherlock would have faced the most significant challenge with the redrawing of the election boundaries. A substantial part of his support base in Mallow was moved into the Cork North Central constituency. But Cork North Central was allocated an extra seat and there is currently no Labour TD in the constituency. He certainly had a fighting chance there.

So why are these TDs leaving what are supposed to be high-powered, well-paid, and attractive careers?

There is a small amount of research that has looked at the careers of politicians in the European Parliament and in other countries. The main reasons highlighted by this work on why politicians move out of politics are geographic distance from parliament, limited ability to influence public policy and poor career promotion opportunities.

It is interesting that all three points apply to the five mid-career TDs that have already announced that they will not continue their political careers. Brendan Griffin has, by some way, the longest distance to travel to the Dáil at over 300km but Mr Phelan whose constituency is the closest is still more than 130km from Dublin.

Long travelling times increase the burden on politicians, especially in Ireland, where TDs are often expected to be at important events in their constituencies when the Dáil is sitting.

All five have had junior or senior ministerial postings and all are unlikely to secure these postings again, given the likely size of their parties after the next election, and in the case of Mr Naughten the fact that as an independent it was very unusual that he made it to cabinet in the first place.

While there have been some important improvements in the way the Dáil does its business with pre-legislative scrutiny and better committee structures, it is still the case that being a minister is the best way to influence policy.

More generally, there is an important debate about the quality of life for politicians. Several recent cases have highlighted the vicious abuse politicians face, often daily. Politicians have been attacked, harassed and abused online. Women are especially targeted online.

Government politicians face the greatest hostility but politicians of all political hues have been targeted. Regular stories about the pay, pensions and expenses of politicians often ignore the fact that many are highly educated and left well-paying jobs to go into politics. And for the vast majority, expenses are high because voters insist that politicians have constituency offices, and travel to, and from their constituencies.

These are the legitimate costs of being a hard-working politician but somehow the headlines never mention this.

The gender quota law requires that 40% of political party candidates are women in the next election. All the male retirements will help parties as vacancies arise and women can take their place on the ballot. But already, the anecdotal evidence from all the main parties is that it is proving very hard to tempt new candidates into politics for the upcoming local elections in June 2024.

High workloads, excessive abuse and average remuneration mean that politics has become a very unattractive job.

Dr Theresa Reidy is a political scientist at University College Cork and she is co-editor of Politics in the Republic of Ireland.