It's not often that the good people of Dublin 4 get a visit from England rugby fans and Sinn Féin supporters on the same day, but, Sunday will see these uneasy bedfellows share the famous bars and hostelries of Ballsbridge, writes Piaras Murphy.
Whatever about the importance of any statements regarding the peace process that might emanate from the last day of the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis at the Royal Dublin Society (RDS), it is the winner-takes-all Grand Slam match between Ireland and the auld enemy at Lansdowne Road that has the chattering classes' tongues' wagging.
The last time there was a Grand Slam game in Dublin was Sunday 21st, October, 2001, when Clive Woodward's England failed for the third year running to beat a so-called lesser Celtic nation on the last day to win the Slam.
In what was a very Irish coup, Ireland - with no little help from a famous Peter Stringer tap-tackle - defeated England 20-14 to follow up Scottish and Welsh victories over the men in white on the last day of the Championship.
However, that day Ireland were playing for the pride of knocking England off their perch while on Sunday, Brian O'Driscoll, will be attempting to lead an Irish team to their first and only Grand Slam since Karl Mullen led the men in green to a 6-3 victory over Wales at Ravenhill, Belfast in 1948.
While it might be churlish to say that the English like nothing better than having a "crack at the Mick", and the wild Irish love upsetting the Britannia apple cart, it is the history of these two nations that will make defeat on Sunday for either side the most bitterest of pills to swallow. Victory will ensure bragging rights for the respective supporters for quite some time to come.
Lansdowne Road itself will hold 48,000 - 7,000 of them English - boisterous fans. There will be at least as many again around Ballsbridge and the city centre for the mother of all battles.
Leaving old rivalries aside there are some other aspects to Sunday's encounter to whet the appetite. As if any were needed.
Defeat two years ago left a massive hurt in the English psyche. Clive Woodward's side ended up with the mantle of chokers - bestowed upon them by an unforgiving English press. That hurt will be a driving motivation for them and ominously there has been no crowing about Grand Slam's from Woodward or his monumental captain, Martin Johnson all season. Very un-English judging on seasons past.
As for the Irish, well, since the debacle of Lens 1999, they have continuously rewritten the record books. A first victory in Paris for 28 years was followed a year later by a home victory over France - the first in over two decades. Then, last Autumn, Ireland beat the World Champions Australia for the first time since 1979. This season they earned their first win in Murrayfield since 1985 - incidentally the last time Ireland won the triple crown.
Irish coach Eddie O'Sullivan's mantra is "raising the bar". He talks constantly about performance and improving it. This is where he wants his side to be. Challenging for the top.
England, who've been here so many times before, lie quietly in wait for the ambitious Irish.
Ireland would prefer to be the ones to lie in wait, guerrilla style, but it is England who will allow Ireland to come at them and wait patiently for the pressure of the occasion to bear, before striking.
The English are rightly favourites in a game that's too close to call. Only the headstrong will be able to keep their eyes on the game throughout what could be the most famous 80 minutes in Irish sporting history.
Follow live coverage of the big match on Sports Extra from 2 p.m. on Sunday.