Leaders of Government and Opposition parties will meet early next week in an effort to resolve the deepening political and Constitutional crisis surrounding Supreme Court justice, Séamus Woulfe.
A meeting between the Taoiseach and leaders of all parties and groupings on Friday afternoon finished inconclusively, with no certainty or agreement if triggering an impeachment process to remove Mr Justice Woulfe would be appropriate or proportionate.
Opposition leaders leaving the meeting in Government Buildings said they will now seek independent legal advice and also full documentation on the controversy, including all the correspondence between Mr Justice Woulfe and Chief Justice Frank Clarke. The Chief Justice told the former attorney general it was his opinion that he should resign from the court.
The meeting convened by Mr Martin, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan lasted for two hours.
Labour leader Alan Kelly said the outcome of the meeting had been inconclusive and Opposition leaders would need to get their own advice. He said another meeting would be required early next week as it was now urgent and the clock had started ticking on the impasse.
It is understood the Taoiseach gave an undertaking to gather all the relevant documentation surrounding the episode. Mr Justice Clarke has asserted that the manner in which Mr Woulfe has handled his attendance at a golf dinner in Clifden during the summer has damaged the reputation and the authority of the Supreme Court.