The education sector so long dominated by the Department of Education and the teacher unions is going to have to cope with a bumptious new arrival.
After a highly successful conference in Galway, it is clear that principals, at primary and second level, will no longer watch from the sidelines as the big players decide what happens in schools. As one speaker said in Galway, "Now we are going to get involved in the game."
Creating a broad principals' movement had long been a pipe dream, previous attempts to create one being dogged by lack of interest among a sizeable number of principals and outright opposition from other representative groups.
But such a force has been unleashed and it will be interesting to see how the more established interest groups react.
While the phrase "principal power" does not trip easily off the tongue, that appeared to be what was happening in Galway at the weekend. Principals made it clear they wanted to be represented on all the major decision-making bodies in the sector.
The teacher unions and school managers already are, but now the Irish Primary Principals Network (IPPN) and the second-level National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals want to be up there with them. For example, both groups want seats on the new Teaching Council which will regulate the profession in future decades.
They are also targeting a range of bodies and committees where their input would, they believe, be crucial. The two groups contend that because principals implement new education policies, they should be there when such policies are being drawn up.
But both groups insist they are not trying to usurp the role of the teacher unions. Most principals are members and many play leading roles in the INTO, ASTI and TUI. Nevertheless, some unions could get caught in the crossfire.
As witnessed in Galway, the INTO was strongly criticised for its performance on raising issues specific to principals. This criticism was strongly rejected by INTO general secretary Senator Joe O'Toole, who said the union was seeking major pay increases for principals in the Government's new benchmarking pay review body. He said he has also offered to meet the IPPN, but they had pulled out.
However, Mr O'Toole was on the receiving end of some stinging remarks by IPPN director, Mr Sean Cottrell. He said Mr O'Toole needed to make more space in the INTO's submission for principals.
Mr Cottrell reaffirmed that the IPPN did not want to take on an industrial relations role, but his comments presage a tougher stance by principals within the teacher unions.
The importance of this powerful constituency was not lost on some of the candidates to succeed Mr O'Toole who were visible at the conference. They have all been asked to make their views clear on what should happen for principals during the benchmarking process. No doubt their answers will seek to appeal to the broadest possible audience.