Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has backed calls for the reform of devolution in Northern Ireland and other institutions created by the Good Friday Agreement.
Speaking during a Dáil debate, Mr Martin said the people of Northern Ireland should not be expected to tolerate further cycles of instability and suspension of the institutions.
The Alliance Party has been urging a reform of the way the Stormont Executive is constituted to enable parties other than the largest nationalist and unionist parties to fill the roles of First and deputy First Ministers.
The power-sharing executive has collapsed six times since it was formed in 1998.
Others have also called for an end to the need for the First and deputy First Ministers at Stormont to jointly agree on the attendance of ministers at the North South Ministerial Council.
The council has not met for more than two years because the DUP boycotted the cross-border institution as part of its protest against post-Brexit trading arrangements.
Mr Martin did not specify which aspects of the institutions should be reformed but made clear he believes change is required.
"Clearly, respect for the fundamental protections and balances achieved in the Good Friday Agreement must be at the heart of conversations going forward.
"But equally clearly, structural change is needed," he said.
Mr Martin said: "As a co-guarantor of the Agreement, this Government has a duty to protect the delicate balance of the Good Friday Agreement.
"But we also have a duty to ensure that the institutions operate as effectively as possible.
"I have said consistently that there must be room for the Northern Ireland parties and the British and Irish Governments to look together at the institutions to ensure that they work for the Northern Ireland of today. The Agreement itself provides for this."
"It is my view that the realities of today are not those of 1998 and that the time has come for reform.
"I know that this is a complex and sensitive matter, with different opinions around the table. But we simply need to find a way to end the cycle of instability, suspension and political torpor."
The comments appear to be at odds with the position of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
Asked for his views on calls for reform during a visit to Stormont last week, Mr Varadkar said he believed there should be "a period of bedding down" to enable parties to doing their work before change was considered.
Mr Martin's intervention has been welcomed by the Alliance Party.
"Great to see some of the Irish Government recognise the need for reform. Important now that with the institutions up we don't lose sight of the threat of collapse that lingers," said North Belfast Assembly member Nuala McAllister in a post on X.
In another post, Alliance's Assembly member for Lagan Valley Sorcha Eastwood said: "Tánaiste is bang on here - we simply can't go on knowing that the lever for collapse is still there."
Mr Martin welcomed the impending revival of the North South Ministerial Council meetings bringing together ministers from the Irish Government and the Stormont Executive.
"We want to engage constructively with our new colleagues and to assist and to work together in areas where North South cooperation makes a positive difference," he said.
"When we work together, this island has so much potential. This is why, through the Shared Island Initiative that I established as Taoiseach, we are strengthening cross-border infrastructure and investing in innovation, research, and skills."
Mr Martin acknowledged the leadership shown by DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson in bringing his party back to the devolved institutions after a two-year boycott, but was critical of the bilateral talks process between the party and the British Government to reach an agreement to form the basis for a restoration of power sharing.
"The path that brought us here raises potentially troubling issues," he said.
"I have listened carefully to the criticism from Northern Ireland's party leaders of their exclusion from discussions between the DUP and the British Government, including on issues that affect all communities. I empathise with them.
"Because when politics in Northern Ireland has worked best, it has been based on an inclusive approach involving all parties and the two Governments as guarantors working in partnership.
"Anything else risks introducing a seed of future instability.
"Excluding those with a legitimate interest narrows the perspectives that shape solutions with which we all have to live.
"This increases the risk of unintended consequences, of setting poorly thought through precedents."
