The new three-party coalition Government of Fianna Fáil, the Greens and the PDs begins its first full day in office today after being elected by the Dáil yesterday.
The new Cabinet held its first meeting in Áran an Uachtaráin last night after ministers received their seals of office from President Mary McAleese.
Bertie Ahern was elected Taoiseach by the 30th Dáil for the third time in a row earlier yesterday, the first time a Fianna Fáil leader has headed a three-party coalition.
He allocated two powerful Government departments to the Green Party and one to the Progressive Democrats in a Cabinet where most outgoing members retain their portfolios.
Green Party TD John Gormley has been given responsibility for the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, while colleague Éamon Ryan was appointed Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.
Mary Harney, the acting leader of the Progressive Democrats, was reappointed Minister for Health and Children.
One of the first jobs the Mr Gormley will do is review a decision by predecessor Dick Roche to give the go ahead for the M3 motorway to be built over a prehistoric henge discovered in Co Meath.
In one of his final acts in office, Mr Roche signed an order for the "preservation by record" of the recently discovered historic monument at Lismullen, Co Meath, on the route of the proposed M3.
The one new Fianna Fáil Minister in the new government is Brian Lenihan, who was promoted to the position of Minister for Justice. The decision was warmly welcomed by his Fianna Fáil colleagues, many of whom believed it was long overdue.
Two Ministers, John O'Donoghue and Dick Roche, were removed from the Cabinet to make way for the new appointments. Mr O'Donoghue was appointed Ceann Comhairle and Mr Roche Minister of State for European Affairs.
Brian Cowen remains in Finance and was promoted to Tánaiste. Most of the other senior Fianna Fáil Ministers remain in their outgoing posts: Dermot Ahern in Foreign Affairs; Micheál Martin in Enterprise, Trade and Employment; and Mary Hanafin in Education.
There was some reshuffling of portfolios to make way for the Greens with Noel Dempsey taking over as Minister for Transport and Marine, Martin Cullen moving to Social Welfare and Séamus Brennan moving to Arts, Sport and Tourism.
The ministers will be given a week to familiarise themselves with their new portfolios.