It's an intense time ahead for Ireland - for the first time in Northern Ireland's 100 year existence, a nationalist party, Sinn Féin has an election win.
The party, which seeks unification with Ireland, secured 29 percent of first-preference votes compared with 21 percent for the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party.
The implications for the country are huge, following a century of domination by pro-British parties.
Political correspondent Robert Shaw spoke to Corin Dann.
