Ex-minister Katherine Zappone has said she will not accept her newly appointed role as Special Envoy for freedom of expression.
It comes after pressure mounted on Ms Zappone and the Government over her appointment.
She faced further scrutiny on Wednesday after details emerged that Ms Zappone held a 50-person event at the Merrion hotel six days before her appointment which was attended by Tanaiste Leo Varadkar.
Ms Zappone said the hotel had assured her the event was in line with Covid-19 guidelines and the hotel has also insisted it adhered to all guidelines in place.
Ms Zappone has been at the centre of a political storm after she was controversially appointed without competition to a Special Envoy role for freedom of expression by Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney at last week's Cabinet meeting.
The appointment blindsided Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who said he had no prior knowledge of the proposal going to Cabinet, and several TDs expressed their frustration over the process.
In a statement, Ms Zappone said: "While I am honoured to have been appointed by the Government to be the Special Envoy on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, it is clear that criticism of the appointment process has impacted the legitimacy of the role itself.
"It is my conviction that a Special Envoy role can only be of real value to Ireland and to the global community if the appointment is acceptable to all parties.
"For this reason, I have decided not to accept this appointment, and I have communicated my decision to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.”
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