There are plenty of big results left to be announced, but here is a recap of some of the main moments from the first day of the count:Sinn Féin has won the most first preference votes in an election in Northern Ireland for the first time, as counting continues.
The party's leader in Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill described it as"the election of a generation".Shortly before 3pm, Kellie Armstrong became the first MLA elected after she topped the poll in the Strangford constituency. Sinn Féin leader Michelle O'Neill also topped the poll in her constituency of Mid-Ulster, while DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson was elected on the first count in Lagan Valley.Traditional Unionists Voice leader Jim Allister was elected in North Antrim on the fifth count.
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood had accepted it would not be a"great day" for his party, adding that nationalists had"lent" their votes to Sinn Féin to help them win First Minister's position.4 - Unionist stalwarts exit the picture on difficult day for DUP, UUP Ulster Unionist Roy Beggs Jr, a former Stormont deputy speaker and party stalwart, was excluded early in the voting process for the constituency.
The DUP's reduced position overall means a return to power-sharing could be a long way off, as the party has said it will not be back until its concerns about the NI Protocol are addressed by the British government.This hard-line unionist party increased their share of the vote by 5.1% to reach a total of 7.6%, although party leader Jim Allister is the only candidate deemed elected for the TUV so far.After watching the early results take shape, the Taoiseach spoke to the media.