The DUP’s leader Arlene Foster has been appointed the first minister role that she had when the coalition dissolved in 2017. Meanwhile Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill has become deputy first minister.
Ms Foster described how she was “deeply humbled” by the position and said that there was plenty of blame to go around from both sides but that it’s now time to move on for the future of Northern Ireland.
Ms Foster offered an olive branch by making reference to the Irish language when she was presented with a gift by a school in Newry.
“When I visited Our Lady’s Grammar in Newry, the pupils gave me a lovely picture as a gift,” RTE report.
“It has hung in my office upstairs ever since, just above my shoulder. In Irish, it states: ‘Together, we are strong’.
“We have many differences. Michelle’s narrative of the past 40 years could not be more different to mine.
“I’m not sure we will ever agree on much about the past, but we can agree there was too much suffering, and that we cannot allow society to drift backwards and allow division to grow.
“Northern Ireland is succeeding in many ways. It’s time for Stormont to move forward and show that ‘together we are stronger’ for the benefit of everyone.”
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