It could have been a scene from Riverdance. The lights were dimmed, the volume of the Celtic music rose, dry ice filled the stage and a Luas tram burst through a giant poster of itself in the Sandyford depot yesterday, heralding the start of Luas passenger services, writes Tim O'Brien.
It had been delivered on budget and virtually on time, insisted the chairman of the Railway Procurement Agency, Mr Pádraic White.
The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, recalled the modest estimate of the cost more than 20 years ago. "
The Cabinet was told it would cost about £12 million [€15.2 million] to reopen the Harcourt Street line back in 1981. Now just wait for tomorrow morning's headlines. They will say that a project which started out at £12 million ended up at €800 million - and I am personally to blame for it," he said.
Delivering an oration which touched on the historic nature of the day, Mr Brennan added: "There were those who said it shouldn't be done, there were those who said it wouldn't be done, and there were those who said it couldn't be done, but it has been done."
It was not just a day for Dublin to celebrate - it was a day for the whole country to be proud, he said.
"Luas may be located in Dublin, but everybody could use it when in the capital," he pointed out.
Among the invited dignitaries, Dr Garret FitzGerald was dispelling a few myths of his own, insisting that he had never measured the width of the Nassau Street/Dawson Street junction at five o'clock in the morning.
"I never went down there at all. I didn't do that."
And, at last, for those who never thought they would see it happen, the first passenger-carrying Luas rolled up to St Stephen's Green at 1.35 p.m.
Reporters were looking at synchronised timers, nodding when someone mentioned it was a minute early.
Such was the enthusiasm for the tram at the Green that its return journey to Sandyford, which began shortly after 2 p.m., became the Luas's first public passenger service - almost an hour before the first public rides were supposed to take place, from Sandyford.
On board the first passenger tram, a final myth was dispelled - that the Luas service was a Dublin investment, exclusively for Dubliners.
Ms Eileen Maher had travelled from Enfield, Co Meath, to be at St Stephen's Green for the trip.
Mr Brian Kenny from Navan, was in Dublin on business. He said he loved it - except for the absence of straps to hold on to when the tram started and stopped.
Sam Donegan (5) and his mother, Ms Anne Donegan, from Drumree, near Batterstown, Co Meath, had also travelled just to use the system, and Ms Kathleen Spillane, from Mallow, had "come just for the spin" and to be in the city for the day. Ms Mary Delahunty was enjoying a trip up from Longford, while Ms Mary Buckley, from Malahide, had her Luas brochure signed by the driver of the first tram, Mr Eddie Byrne.
At the Sandyford stop, as the initial 3 p.m. deadline for the first passenger trip approached, more locals were waiting. Among them was Mr John McKeever, who was looking for his children, Dylan and Ellie, who had gone on ahead with their granny, Noreen. "Dylan is a fan. He couldn't sleep, last night," said Mr McKeever.