Leo Varadkar has said his announcement that he is not going to contest the next general election was not a huge surprise.
He also said that people expected it when he made the decision not to continue as taoiseach.
It comes months after he stepped down as Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader.
Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne programme, Mr Varadkar said he has "the opportunity now to explore some different options".
"For me it has just come to a point in my life now where I feel I've made my contribution to politics and would like to do something else, I don’t exactly know what that is yet," he said.
He added that he did not have anything lined up yet, but suggestions and offers have been made.
The former taoiseach said he did not see himself as a career politician and it has not been a "short shift," having been elected at a young age.
Mr Varadkar was first elected a TD in 2007 and was appointed to several ministerial portfolios during his career in politics including transport, health, social protection and enterprise.
He first became taoiseach at age 38 in 2017 and returned to the role in 2022 until he stepped down this spring.
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So far at 14 Fine Gael TDs who were elected in 2020 have said they will not seek re-election, including Mr Varadkar and other high-profile party members such as Simon Coveney and Richard Bruton.
While admitting there may be more people in Fine Gael that will not run again for the party, Mr Varadkar said he did not think there will be many more.
"Sometimes commentators read too much into that," he said.
Mr Varadkar said he saw the current moment as a chance for the party to renew and bring forward new candidates.
Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil becoming 'sister parties’ - Varadkar
Mr Varadkar said that Fine Gael was not vastly different from Fianna Fáil, but that there are policy differences and personality differences, as well as a difference in history and tradition.
"I think it’s fair to say that we’re a bit more committed to European integration than they would be for example," he said.
He added that there was a good chance after the next election there might be another coalition led by the two parties and possibly another rotating taoiseach, but that he did not see the parties merging.
"The differences are not huge, that’s the truth. I think we are rapidly becoming sister parties," he said.
He added: "Sometimes when you add two parties together, you get a bigger party that is smaller at the end."
Mr Varadkar expressed sincere hope that Fine Gael would be a larger party after the next election, and that Simon Harris can continue as taoiseach.
Rise of extreme right-wing sentiment 'a phase'
Mr Varadkar said he knew extreme right-wing sentiment was going to come to Ireland and that Ireland was not unique in any way on this.
"We did our best to plan for it, it’s not something that’s easily preventable and it’s something that has to be managed.
"I do believe it’s a phase that the western world is going through," he said.
Asked if housing was a factor, he said that this was not necessarily the case, and that the problem of the day is often blamed on the migrants, whatever it may be.
"We have to call it out for what it is. That’s not to say that people don’t have genuine concerns. When the population increases dramatically, it puts pressure on services, but blaming migrants for all the country’s problems is not right and not based on fact".
He added that it was not possible to know where politics is going as it is always changing.
He praised the leadership of Taoiseach Simon Harris, adding that while he always thought he would do well, he is exceeding expectations.
"It is all to play for," he said regarding the next general election.
