Behind the presidency's political names are a team of top officials. Mark Hennessy reports on the civil servants who will ensure a smooth operation
Returning to Dublin from the European Union Summit in Brussels early last month, some people on board the Government's Gulfstream IV jet were deflated.
Despite deliberate optimism, the Italians had failed, and failed badly, to make progress on the Inter-Governmental Conference negotiations largely because they had not done their homework.
However, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, despite his earlier frustrations with the Italians' method of doing business, smiled broadly. "He knew that it was now down to him," said one official.
In many ways, Ireland's stint at the helm of the EU will be less gruelling than the two years that have gone into preparations: "The waiting has been horrendous, with too many people fussing," the official said.
The fussing has now ended.
The political figureheads, of course, are the obvious ones. Besides the Taoiseach, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr Dick Roche, will be prominent.
Mr Cowen's reputation for soaking up a brief in his department is legendary, though he has so far never shown himself to be the most imaginative of politicians.
His junior sidekick, Mr Roche, has grabbed his chance in the limelight with both hands. "He has networked like crazy, and he isn't bad at it," said one admirer, though others regard him as insufferable.
Unlike the larger EU member states, the Government does not have legions of officials to throw at issues like snuff at the proverbial wake.
Instead, the team in control is small, used to dealing with each other and, most of all, highly professional, even if their identities are known to few outside the political world.
The lead official is a former Department of Foreign Affairs hand, Mr Michael Collins, who is now the Second Secretary General at the Department of the Taoiseach.
Before taking over responsibility for Northern Ireland, EU and International Affairs in June 2002 in the Taoiseach's Office, Mr Collins served as Ambassador to the Czech Republic and Saudi Arabia. Experienced, he has a reputation for "cutting to the chase".
Given the Government's determination to finally put meat on the bone of the Lisbon Agenda, the Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach, Mr Dermot McCarthy, will play a crucial role.
Up to now, the EU's clarion call from Lisbon in 2000 to make itself the world's most dynamic, entrepreneurial region by 2010 has proven to be little more than guff. The Government intends to do better.
One of the architects of social partnership, it will be Mr McCarthy's job to convince others of the need to set down clear and difficult targets on growth, labour flexibility and R&D investment.
Known for his deep loathing of flying, Mr McCarthy is "The Mandarin's Mandarin" straight out of the "Sir Humphrey School of Central Casting", but he is an adept conciliator.
The Lisbon emphasis will offer a major role for Mr Seamus O'Morain of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, who has served as chairman of the EU's Employment Committee.
One rank below Mr McCarthy and Mr Collins in the Department of the Taoiseach is Mr Eoin O'Leary, the man who will operate many of the "nuts and bolts" of the EU presidency.
"He does a huge amount of briefing material for the Taoiseach, who has been studying them every weekend for months upon months," said a colleague.
On nearby St Stephen's Green, the Department of Foreign Affairs will also be operating at full throttle for the next six months, under Secretary General, Mr Dermot Gallagher.
Mr Gallagher is one of the most experienced officers in the Civil Service, regarded as brilliant, shrewd, strategic in his thinking, and, above all, a born survivor.
However, the head of the department's EU division, Mr Bobbie McDonagh will be the one on point during the presidency, alongside political director, Mr David Cooney.
Fascinated by the world of the complex, Mr McDonagh has been immersed in the EU for years, and wrote a history of the negotiation of the Amsterdam Treaty, Original Sin in a Brave New World, in 1998.
Much of the action, however, will centre on Ireland's Permanent Representation to the EU on Brussel's Rue Froissart near the EU's Council of Ministers' headquarters.
Now headed by the Permanent Representative, Ms Anne Anderson, nearly 160 officials, 70 up on the normal complement, staff the office.
Having transferred from Geneva, Ms Anderson had to work hard to establish herself in the male-dominated world, which is rarely very good at practising the equality it talks about, but this she has done successfully.
Her deputy, Mr Peter Gunning is, according to those who know him, quietly spoken, but very effective, and has previous valuable experience from Ireland's last Presidency.
Ambassador Declan Kelleher, Ireland's representative on the EU's Political and Security Committee, will, no doubt, be hoping that the provisional agreement reached on defence will hold.
However, there is much to occupy him otherwise in any event, including common foreign security policy questions, EU/US relations and a host of other problems.
The growth in EU justice and home affairs co-operation means that two of its senior officials, Diarmuid (Dermot) Cole and Mr Bart Brady will be on full-time EU duty. Justice staff have been transferred to Brussels in significant numbers.
Two inter-departmental committees, chaired by Ms Kathleen White and Mr Liam MacGabhann, will have the job of ensuring that all government departments are singing off the same hymn sheet.
However, Mr Brian Nason has, perhaps, the toughest job of all as Foreign Affairs' Chief of Protocol in charge of all major visits and set-piece occasions.
The life of a protocol officer is, perhaps, little noticed, but mistakes make international headlines in a world of political egos where the ranking of national delegations' cavalcades can put important noses out of joint.
"He is hugely experienced. He has been doing it for years, organising trips for politicians coming in here going back to Ronald Reagan's visit to Ballyporeen in 1984.
"He is great at managing logistics, has a huge network of contacts and very effectively manages to get things done," said one admiring colleague.