It had taken three years to bring them together, but all signs yesterday suggested it was time well spent, as 20 children from Moyross, Co Limerick, and the Palestinian West Bank carried on like old friends.
They sang, groomed horses and posed for photographs on the grounds of the Defence Forces training centre in the Curragh, Co Kildare.
As part of the Arts for Peace Foundation's therapeutic recreation peace programme, the students will spend 15 days together, working their way through an itinerary any primary school child would envy.
Wall-climbing, storytelling and a treasure hunt are on the schedule, but so too are workshops on communication skills, trust and conflict resolution. This is in keeping with the programme's themes of intercultural relationship building and peace education.
Arts for Peace founder Elizabeth Garrahy said: "It is very fulfilling to see how close the children have become already and how, through these new experiences, many of them are realising new talents they were not aware of."
As a country with experience in conflict resolution, she added, Ireland was uniquely qualified to act as a host for children from other turbulent regions.
Arts for Peace patron John Hume met the group yesterday, and, after asking what the Palestinian children thought of the Irish weather ("It's freezing! We're so cold!"), he called their attention to the programme's focus.
"Whether it be differences of race, religion or nationality, it's important to respect the differences," he said.
Ms Garrahy has worked since 2004 to build partnerships with childcare organisations on three continents, laying the foundation for future programmes hosting children from Kosovo, Africa and Israel, as well as Irish children from the Border region.
While the programme's eventual residential headquarters in Co Offaly are being renovated, the Army is providing accommodation, catering and transport for the visiting children.
Whether they are yet fully aware of the skills they are gaining, the children are having a blast.
"We're doing loads of cool stuff," said Keleigh Bourke of the Salesian secondary school. "It's been great to meet them and learn their language."