Grand Slam winning scrum half Tomás O'Leary has announced his retirement from rugby at the age of 33.
O'Leary was part of the Ireland team that won the 2009 Grand Slam and he also won two Heineken Cups with Munster in 2006 and '08.
After leaving Munster he went on to play for London Irish in England and he finished his career with Montpellier in France.
"I have had an incredible career from my academy days in Munster to my last game in Montpellier all of which have been extremely satisfying," he said in a statement released on Tuesday.
"I have realised my ambition of representing Munster and Ireland. Wearing the red and green jerseys has been a real honour."
O'Leary won an All-Ireland minor hurling medal with Cork in 2001 in a team alongside the likes of John Gardiner and the two Kieran Murphys, who went on to enjoy productive senior spells with the Rebels.
But O'Leary was set for a career in professional sport and he went on to enjoy some great days for Munster and Ireland.
He says one of his few sporting regrets is missing out on the Lions tour in 2009, with an injury suffered just days after being named in the touring party forcing him to pull out.
He struggled with that injury subsequently and was eventually replaced at scrum half for Munster and Ireland by Conor Murray, who remains in position to this day, prompting his move to London Irish.
O'Leary runs a watch business, Told & Co, alongside his wife Julie and that will take up much of his time now that he has quit rugby.
"There’s no hiding away from the fact that my rugby never reached the same heights again (after 2009)," he said. "At the time Munster and Leinster were at the peak of their powers so it was a very intense period.
"You couldn’t get away from it and it was frustrating because I wasn’t playing as often as I would have liked. I needed to get out of that bubble.
Lovely feature in today's @sundaybusiness of our founder @Tomas_OLeary Well worth a read!Thanks so much @cianmnews pic.twitter.com/n1vEMHaNpD
— Told & Co (@toldandco) May 22, 2016
"While leaving Munster might not have been a positive in rugby terms, certainly moving to London Irish opened my eyes because I was that bit more anonymous and it gave me the chance to think about and experience things other than rugby."
"I would implore the younger lads in the game to make the most of their opportunities provided to them by the game. In fact, I would say that my life both on and off the field has been much more enjoyable as a result!"
