Watched by the world, Northern Ireland has tentatively stepped towards the future after a day of history at Stormont.

Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness pledged to head up a new power-sharing Executive and put the province's painful past behind them.

The Assembly also appointed a ten-strong Ministerial team and two Juniors to back up the First and Deputy First Ministers.

Images unthinkable even a few years ago - the new top two waving farewell to Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern - were broadcast across the world by TV teams from the Stormont lawns.

But Mr McGuinness also delivered a coded message to Mr Paisley, using the words of poet Seamus Heaney.

Quoting the Nobel Laureate, the new Deputy First Minister pointed out a lesson in 'otherness' which he hopes his new partner in power-sharing will take to heart.

Mr McGuinness said that "Ireland's greatest living poet" had told a gathering at Magee University "that for too long and too often we speak of the others or the other side and that what we need to do is to get to a place of 'through otherness'.

Above: How we reported yesterday's historic event

Mr McGuinness said: "The Office of the First and deputy First Ministers is a good place to start.

"This will only work if we collectively accept the wisdom and importance of Seamus Heaney's words."

Only an hour earlier, Mr Paisley had twice employed the phrase "the other side" - as he has on other occasions in the past few weeks.

In the new spirit of their joint office, and after the election of his party's MLA, William Hay, as Speaker, the DUP leader promised his party would support a Sinn Fein member for the next Speaker of the Assembly.

It would depend on the outcome of the next election, of course, but Mr Paisley added: "If we do well we will support someone from the other side in the next Parliament."

In his first major speech as First Minister, Mr Paisley castigated those who, while they claimed to have made a contribution to the peace process, had delayed yesterday's outcome.

But he also revealed he has shared at least something with his new Deputy and co-equal - the attention of the police.

"I remember well the night the Belfast Agreement was signed, I was wrongfully arrested and locked up on the orders of the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

"It was only after the Assistant Chief of Police intervened that I was released.

"On my release I was kicked and cursed by certain loyalists who supported the Belfast Agreement.

"But that was yesterday, this is today, and tomorrow will be tomorrow."

Neither Mr Paisley nor Mr McGuinness were required to read out the full pledge of office, however, after it was read into the official record of proceedings by the Assembly clerk.

Instead the new top two - and each subsequent Minister and Junior Minister - were only required to repeat: "I affirm the terms of the pledge of office as set out in Section 4 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998."