IT WAS a day of "firsts" yesterday in Punchestown at the opening of the Irish National Hunt Festival, an event which transforms this part the country.
Schools close their doors, bar owner throw out their stools to make more space, locals take their holidays and the people of the area, which is now being roughly defined as the space between "Cowen country" and Clondalkin, come home to play.
Yesterday, in that new shift of politics to middle Ireland, President Mary McAleese paid her first visit to this hallowed racing ground, where some of Ireland's finest horses have made their debut down the years.
While it was a first visit for the President here, it was also the largest first-day attendance ever at the festival, where Mrs McAleese rubbed shoulders with the 18,168 other visitors, which created an opening-day record, up on the 17,000-plus who came last year.
The area to the north of the main gate was like a military base in Iraq, with more helicopter landings per minute than was decent, as racegoers, anxious to avoid traffic and breath tests, took to the sky.
It was a first too for RTÉ presenter Ryan Tubridy, who confessed that he had never gone racing before as he hurried off to place a few euro on one of the seven races that attracted a record entry for the festival.
As for the President, she was in great form - unlike her minders who would not allow even the most innocuous question from the media. Protocol, we were told, had to be observed.
However, it was not.
When English raider, Twist Magic, ridden beautifully by Ruby Walsh, took the feature race, the Kerrygold Champion Steeplechase, one of its owners, Barry Fulton, failed to remove his hat when receiving the trophy from the President.
"Should he not have removed his hat? Is that not a breach of protocol?" we asked the minder.
"Of course," she said, "but he is British." Mr Fulton, who had collected the trophy and the €222,000 that went with it, was completely unperturbed by the incident, saying he did not think anyone would have bothered about it on the day.
Punchestown has now established itself as a major corporate centre for fund-raising for various organisations, especially the GAA.
Yesterday, when the President arrived on the grounds, she went straight for the Wicklow GAA group, which had gathered under the guidance of Mick O'Dwyer to enjoy themselves and make a few shillings for the GAA's coffers.
She moved on to Kilmacud Crokes, who were also having a corporate day out, and then to the Kerrygold corporate suite, where all the good and the great of Irish agriculture were gathered, happy in the knowledge that milk was once again the liquid gold of that sector.
And downstairs in the Glanbia corporate area, another man who knows all about "firsts", was holding forth and giving the best tips of the day to his hosts. Meathman Paddy Woods used to prepare the most famous horse of them all, Arkle, for trainerTom Dreaper and used to ride out on the horse.
But in his own right, he won two Irish Grand Nationals, the first on a famous horse called Splash in 1965. He watched his son win the same race, 20 years later, another first in Irish racing.
Today, however, may be a "last" for one of Ireland's most famous horses. Beef or Salmon, may be running his last race.
Thousands more people will be here to see that race when he will be ridden by Timmy Murphy in what will almost certainly be his swansong.