The Parliament of Northern Ireland appointed an Irish woman from Sinn Féin for the first time today as head of local government, a historical landmark in a state created a century ago to ensure the dominance of Britain’s Unionist neighbors.

The appointment of Michelle O’Neill, the late result of the landmark 2022 election, is the latest sign of the rise of a Sinn Féin party that has said its ultimate dream is a united Ireland.

The appointment came as Sinn Fein’s rival, the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), formally ended a two-year boycott of the power-sharing government after reaching a deal this week with the British government to ease trade frictions.

“It’s a historic day that represents a new dawn,” O’Neill, 47, said in her speech. “I will serve everyone equally and I will be First Minister for everyone.”

O’Neill and Sinn Fein president Mary Lou Macdonald represent a shift towards a new generation of politicians not directly involved in the province’s years of bloody conflict between Irish nationalists seeking union with Ireland and pro-British Unionists who want the province to remain in the UK.

As the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), Sinn Féin had long been shunned by the political establishment on both sides of the border. It is also now the most popular party in the Republic of Ireland ahead of elections due next year.

The post of deputy First Minister, which has equal power under Northern Ireland’s system of government-sharing but less symbolic weight, is expected to be taken by the DUP’s Emma Little-Pendley.

The editor of the article in the Irish nationalist newspaper The Irish News wonders if there will ever be another First Minister from the British Unionists.

Heavy forces have been deployed around the parliament building, although there are no signs of incidents.

While Sinn Féin this week raised the prospect of union, all politicians in Northern Ireland are under intense pressure to deal with day-to-day matters after the two-year shutdown piled pressure on already strained public services.

A referendum on the union is at the discretion of the British government and opinion polls consistently show a clear majority in favor of remaining in the UK.

The two-year shutdown is likely to lead to more calls to change the rules that allow the largest party on one side or the other to interrupt power-sharing for long periods. It has been suspended almost as often as it has operated since it was established under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

The Irish and British prime ministers have said they are open to considering changes to the political architecture once the provincial government is up and running.