Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin have shook hands on a “weird and wonderful” coalition deal.
It officially marks the burying of a Civil War hatchet that has divided the parties for nearly a century.
Fine Gael minister Regina Doherty was the first senior politician to comment on the new deal this evening.
She said: “Isn’t the world a weird and wonderful place,” and then added: I think it’s a really positive development.”
The historic moment between the Fine Gael and Fianna Féil leaders came this afternoon after both parties reviewed the joint policy paper negotiated by their party teams.
But as a senior Fine Gael team member told the Irish Mirror this was always just going to be a formality as the two leaders were keeping a close eye in the talks “every step of the way.”
This paves the way for the formation of a new government, with the way now open for the recruitment of a third party to the coalition.
Fine Gael leader, Leo Varadkar, said over the weekend that he believes the new government will need a “third pillar” to stabilise the administration.
The preferred third pillar will come from one of the three smaller parties that FF and FG have been courting recently, Labour, the Social Democrats and the Greens.
The FF and FG parliamentary parties of all their TDs, Senators and MEPs will now meet tomorrow - probably via videolink - to give theri stamp of approval to the deal.
