Sinn Féin forges new electoral landscape, but Northern Ireland still faces uncertain future

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O’Neill arrive at the Northern Ireland Assembly Election count centre at Meadowbank Sports arena in Magherafelt (Liam McBurney/PA)

While the opinion polls have been predicting it for many months, the achievement appeared to be no less seismic when the results finally began to trickle through.

Sinn Féin has swept aside many years of history and is on course to become the first nationalist or republican party to take the largest share of seats in a Northern Ireland Assembly election.