Finn Purdy
BBC News NI

Image source, Reuters

After an eventful day at Stormont that saw the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly and executive, we are now bringing our live page coverage to a close.

Michelle O'Neill is now Northern Ireland's first minister and Emma Little-Pengelly the deputy first minister.

You can read a full round up of today's events here.

You can also find analysis and explainers on what happened today, as well as all the rest of the day's news on the BBC News NI website.

This live page was edited by Peter Coulter and Judith Cummings, the writers were Mike McBride, Ross McKee, Ross McCrea, Lesley-Anne McKeown, Emma Canavan, and Finn Purdy.

Thanks for reading.

Image source, Reuters

Jared Evitts
BBC Newsbeat

Oscar Daly, 20, says “businesses won’t invest in somewhere that doesn’t have stability, so we need the government to stay in and stay stable so we can continue to get companies investing in Northern Ireland and creating jobs for everyone here."

“With the government being back we’ll be able to see changes that we’ve been missing out on for the last two years.

"Hopefully the future looks brighter with Stormont back in.”

Jared Evitts
BBC Newsbeat

Ben Friel, 22, says "the door to the future is definitely open, but it’s up to us to step through it".

“It doesn’t matter if the door is open if you’re not willing to take the leap to go through and be able to stay in government, provide for people and also fulfil the potential that Northern Ireland very clearly has," he adds.

“I think it's important that young people are seen as the future, not a problem.

"I think sometimes young people are seen as a burden.

“A financial burden, and also a societal burden.

"I don’t think they are, I think when people have good ideas about how to move this place forward it's really important that young people are consulted throughout whatever’s coming next."

Ben said he believed "young people don’t have as much division as the previous generation".

“I think it's important we rely on them to be able to move forward.”

If today's coverage of the restoration of the Stormont hasn't been enough, or if you were maybe watching sport earlier on...

Join Mark Carruthers on Sunday Politics tomorrow morning at 10:00 GMT on BBC One Northern Ireland.

Image source, PA Media

Emma Little-Pengelly, a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) assembly member, has been appointed deputy first minister of the Northern Ireland Executive.

She is the first unionist to hold the position since Stormont's power-sharing institutions were set up after the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Mrs Little-Pengelly takes up the role despite having not been elected to the legislative assembly, instead being appointed under its co-option system.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson selected Mrs Little-Pengelly to take his assembly seat days after his election to Stormont in May 2022.

A qualified barrister, Ms Little-Pengelly has significant experience of both front-line politics and behind the scenes.

She was formerly an MP and a special adviser to three first ministers-former DUP leaders Ian Paisley, Peter Robinson and Arlene Foster.

Her husband is senior Stormont civil servant Richard Pengelly, who is currently permanent secretary of the Department of Justice.

Image source, Eoin Tennyson

Alliance's Eóin Tennyson has described Andrew Muir's appointment as the first openly gay minister in the Northern Ireland Executive as a "historic moment".

Mr Muir has taken up the role as minister for Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs.

Posting to X (formerly Twitter) Mr Tennyson says his party colleagues are ready to get to work "building a more progressive and inclusive future for everyone in our community".

Image source, PA Media

Michelle O'Neill, Sinn Féin's deputy leader, makes history as the first nationalist to hold the role of first minister at the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Born Michelle Doris on 10 January 1977, she was raised in the village of Clonoe in rural County Tyrone and hails from a family of prominent Irish republicans.

Her father, Brendan Doris, was a former IRA prisoner who became a Sinn Féin councillor in Dungannon. Her uncle, Paul Doris, was president of Noraid, a republican fundraising group.

When the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998, she began working for the party.

When her father stepped down from Dungannon Borough Council ahead of the 2005 election, O'Neill won the seat he vacated. She became the first woman to hold the post of mayor in Dungannon.

Her assembly career began in 2007, when she joined Martin McGuinness and Francie Molloy as a Mid Ulster MLA.

After four years on the back benches at Stormont, Sinn Féin appointed her as minister for agriculture in 2011.

In 2015, she was promoted to minister for health, one of Stormont's most high-profile and challenging portfolios.

When Martin McGuinness resigned as deputy first minister in 2017, it led to a political stalemate at Stormont for three years.

When he died soon afterwards, she was chosen to lead the party in Northern Ireland - a younger face and, significantly, a woman like her counterpart in the Republic, Mary Lou McDonald.

Read more here.

John Campbell
BBC News NI economics and business editor

These ministerial picks are a big statement of intent from Sinn Féin leaving them in control of many of the Executive’s economic levers.

The party previously held the Finance portfolio under Conor Murphy who now becomes the first nationalist Economy minister.

Expect him to focus on reform of Invest NI, the economic development agency which accounts for much of his department’s budget.

He is also likely to talk a lot about the "all island economy" something which is described as a "divisive political construct" in the DUP’s deal with the government.

He is succeeded by Caoimhe Archibald, who was previously chair of Stormont’s economy committee.

She will have to move quickly to produce a draft budget and lead the allocation of the £3.3bn financial package which comes alongside Stormont’s return.

In his role as Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd controls the Executive’s biggest capital budget and will also take the lead on planning policy and transport.

• First minister Michelle O'Neill (SF)
• Deputy FM Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP)
• Justice minister Naomi Long (Alliance)
• Economy minister Conor Murphy (SF)
• Education minister Paul Givan (DUP)
• Finance minister Caoimhe Archibald (SF)
• Communities minister Gordon Lyons (DUP)
• Health minister Robin Swann (UUP)
• Infrastructure minister John O'Dowd (SF)
• Agriculture minister Andrew Muir (Alliance)
• Junior ministers Aisling Reilly (SF) and Pam Cameron (DUP)

Enda McClafferty
BBC News NI political editor

We started the week in a distillery and ended it with Stormont parties toasting its return.

It has been a whistle-stop week all carefully choreographed to restore power-sharing.

I can’t help feeling we have all been part of a bigger plan to turn a page as quickly as possible.

To switch the focus from the DUP deal to devolution and it seems to have worked.

But we have been here before when the parties were bounced back into government after the New Decade New Approach , externaldeal in 2020

Back then we were told Northern Ireland had turned a corner, but it didn’t last.

So those who’ve grown up on a diet of stop-start government will rightly feel sceptical today, but they can dare to dream.

Jayne McCormack
BBC News NI political correspondent

A Sinn Féin nationalist first minister is not the only first for this new power-sharing executive in Northern Ireland. It is also the first time in history that the Executive Office is made up of all women.

The executive office, unlike the rest of Stormont's nine departments, consists of two parties who jointly run this office and any decision requires sign-off from both of them.

• First Minister Michelle O'Neill (Sinn Féin)
• Deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP)
• Junior minister Aisling Reilly (Sinn Féin)
• Junior minister Pam Cameron (DUP)

Jayne McCormack
BBC News NI political correspondent

Civil servants have gathered in the great hall waiting to welcome their new ministers and provide them with their day-one briefs.

After that brief blip it’s all back on track. We know who our new ministers are- though we’re still not sure what caused the pause in proceedings.

Nevertheless the hard work begins now.

Sinn Féin's Aisling Reilly and the DUP's Pam Cameron take up the positions of junior ministers in the executive office.

Enda McClafferty
BBC News NI political editor

It is now official the SDLP is back on the opposition benches and with that comes a host of new perks.

The party will be able to set the business in the chamber for 10 days during the Assembly term.

It will also get extra speaking rights and will be called first after ministerial statements.

Plus the SDLP will chair the powerful Public Accounts Committee which holds ministers and officials to account.

To cover the cost of the extra duties it will pick up about £80,000.

The SDLP select Matthew O'Toole to lead the opposition.

John 'O'Dowd has taken up the role of infrastructure minister.

The Sinn Féin MLA represents the constituency of Upper Bann.

Mr O'Dowd challenged Michelle O'Neill for the position as vice president of their party in 2019.

South Belfast SDLP assembly member Matthew O'Toole is confirmed as the leader of the opposition.

Image source, PA

Alliance party assembly member Andrew Muir becomes the agriculture and environment minister.

He's the first gay executive minister and represents the North Down constituency.

Image source, PA Media

Sinn Féin East Londonderry assembly member Caoimhe Archibald becomes finance minister.

Ms Archibald has previously been the chairperson of a number of assembly committees including the committee for the economy and the committee for agriculture, environment and rural affairs.

Image source, PA Media

Robin Swann makes a return to the executive as health minister.

The Ulster Unionist assembly member in North Antrim had held the post during the last assembly tenure and led the department during the covid pandemic.

Gordon Lyons of the DUP is to take control of the communities portfolio.

The East Antrim representative has ministerial experience.

He has been an MLA since 2015 and has previously served as economy minister and as an executive office junior minister at Stormont.

Image source, PA Media