Tánaiste Simon Coveney has warned that agreement on the restoration of power-sharing in Stormont must be reached in the coming days.

This Christmas holiday offers to the leaders of the political parties in the North a valuable opportunity for calm and constructive reflection on the political landscape after the Brexit vote and this month’s general election, and crucially the contribution each of them — without exception — can make to break the deadlock that has kept the devolved administration in a twilight zone and Stormont closed since January 2017.

A deal to restore the powersharing executive at Stormont could have been reached last night - but for the DUP.

Sinn Fein's Mary Lou McDonald says the Executive and Northern Assembly could be up and running in time for Christmas.

A DUP MP has blamed Sinn Féin for the failure to reach agreement to restore Stormont as Northern Ireland approaches 1,000 days without devolution.

Reform of a contentious Stormont voting mechanism could be "helpful" in addressing concerns about handing the DUP a veto over post-Brexit arrangements, the Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith has suggested.

The UK's Secretary of State for Northern Ireland published a series of reports on issues like historical institutional abuse as he urged the political parties to get Stormont up and running again.

It is a bit rich of Jeffrey Donaldson of the Democratic Unionist Party to complain of what he sees as Dublin’s failure to engage in dialogue with unionists, when his own party has been sluggish in addressing Sinn Féin concerns in order to restore the North’s power-sharing institutions.

Leaders of the main churches in Ireland say they have sensed some optimism from the current political talks at Stormont.

A referendum on marriage equality should be held to solve the political impasse in Northern Ireland, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has suggested.

Sinn Féin will be entering talks "positively and optimistically" but have firmly placed the onus back on the British and Irish Governments if solutions cannot be found.

An agreement has been reached to establish a new round of talks involving all the main political parties in Northern Ireland, Theresa May and Leo Varadkar have said in a joint statement.

Former Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon has said that Northern Ireland Secretary of State Karen Bradley is not the right person for the position.

Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern says talks are not enough, that intense negotiations are necessary to reach a resolution in powersharing talks in the North.

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long says Sinn Féin needs to compromise “to help get the DUP over the line” in talks to restore power-sharing in the North.

On Thursday lunchtime, a group of 23 Ulster Council coaches gathered in the head offices in Market Street, Armagh City.

That great arbiter, the Guinness Book of World Records, has declined to recognise the record set in Northern Ireland last week.

The North has now equalled a record set by Belgium for the longest period without an operational government in peacetime.

The DUP leader has unveiled a large banner hitting out at Sinn Féin on the day Northern Ireland matches Belgium's record of the longest time without a functioning government.

Former first minister Peter Robinson has warned of a possible return to violence in the North if the political stagnation continues.

A Northern Ireland department failed to comply with its equality obligations ahead of a controversial decision on cutting an Irish language bursary, an investigation found.

UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is to call for the revival of a contentious peace process mechanism to enable the UK and Irish Governments to work together to save powersharing in Northern Ireland.

Unionism needs leadership of the kind it had two decades ago which brought the movement into peace talks with Sinn Fein, leading to the Good Friday Agreement, Gerry Adams has said.

Michelle O'Neill has called for an Irish unity referendum within five years.

DUP leader Arlene Foster has accused Sinn Féin of trying to render Northern Ireland dysfunctional.

The British government must drop its care and maintenance approach to Northern Ireland and inject momentum into efforts to restore powersharing, Alliance leader Naomi Long has said.

A special US envoy to Northern Ireland could help to restore the Stormont Executive, according to the new Sinn Féin leader.

Democratic Unionist leader Arlene Foster has warned the Taoiseach that it is not appropriate for him to chart the future of negotiations to restore Stormont powersharing.

Mary-Lou McDonald has denied she has been snubbed by the White House after not being invited to the annual St Patrick's Day events.

The DUP and Sinn Féin are facing calls to come clean over the "scandalous" level of secrecy in devolved government.

"The task (of restoring the powersharing institutions) could not be more urgent."

The overspending RHI led to the collapse of powersharing at Stormont 13 months ago after former deputy first minister Martin McGuinness resigned over the DUP's handling of the affair.

The powersharing impasse in the North is likely to extend throughout the year and potentially beyond, a senior Democratic Unionist has said.

DUP leader Arlene Foster has said it would be "astonishing" if the Government granted funding for legacy inquests without an overall agreement.

Sinn Féin has accused the British Government of having no viable plan for restoring Northern Ireland powersharing.

The Taoiseach has said he is trying to defend the Good Friday Agreement from some Brexiteers who are seeking to undermine it.

Abandoning mandatory coalition between unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland would fundamentally change the Good Friday Agreement, the SDLP warned.

Karen Bradley has committed to provide budget clarity for Northern Ireland's public services.

Sinn Féin members are to travel to London this week to discuss the fallout at Stormont with Theresa May.

Sinn Féin is to hold meetings with the Taoiseach and British Prime Minister in the wake of the collapse of Stormont talks.

The UK's Northern Ireland Secretary believes an Executive can still be formed at Stormont.

The Northern Ireland Secretary has defended the British Prime Minister's intervention in ill-fated talks to save powersharing after criticism that her arrival proved a distraction.

A proposal on the Irish language would not have “threatened” anyone in the North, Tánaiste Simon Coveney told the Dáil.

Sinn Féin has outlined details of a draft agreement it insists it struck with the Democratic Unionists before negotiations to restore Stormont powersharing collapsed.