Irish general election

It is almost a century since Fianna Fáil was founded as the result of a bitter split with Sinn Féin, and both sides have taken up diametrically opposing stances throughout the course of their subsequent histories.

The leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens said they have agreed to start formal negotiations for a programme for government this week.

ARLENE Foster has insisted that Sinn Féin's success in the Republic's general election was a "protest vote" over housing and health issues and not a reflection on support for a united Ireland.

The extraordinarily close finish between the three main parties in the Irish general election means that a period of intense negotiations is inevitable before the next government emerges.

The move targeted politicians Danny and Michael Healy-Rae over their views on climate change.

As the last remaining counts in the Irish general election approached their final declarations last night, it became more apparent than ever that the task of forming a new administration is going to prove an exceptionally complex one.

THE Republic's electorate has spoken but it's a garbled message that may take some time to decipher.

THE Republic's two main political parties are coming under intense pressure to forge an unprecedented alliance as confusion reigns over the possibility of a new government.  

The fact that the present Irish general election campaign is widely regarded as the shortest on record may well be a way of preparing the public for a return to the polling stations within a relatively short period of time.

Fianna Fáil has signalled it could hammer out a coalition deal with Fine Gael – but only as the senior party.