Ireland has stolen a march on many of the other countries represented at Expo 2000 in Hanover by completing its pavilion well before the official opening on June 1st.
As construction teams scrambled over the huge Expo site, calm pervaded the Irish pavilion, with only some landscaping and the final fit-out remaining to be finished.
The £3 million building, designed by a consortium led by architects Murray O Laoire, is also one of the most attractive national pavilions and vindicates the Government's decision to take part, not having been represented in Lisbon in 1998.
Described by Wallpaper magazine as "classy and sophisticated", it stands in marked contrast to the boxy UK and French pavilions, which look like upmarket DIY warehouses, and the crass vulgarity of Monaco's effort right behind.
Sandwiched between the nondescript Greek pavilion and the gimmicky Italian entry, Ireland's pavilion seems to float over a shimmering pool of water.
Flanked by a double wall of polished black Kilkenny limestone on one side and a wall of gabions - loose stones held in wire cages - on the other, it projects a modern image of Ireland without undermining misty German perceptions.
The Hanover pavilion is far superior to the one that represented Ireland at the Seville Expo in 1992. Though modest compared to the huge German pavilion, which cost more than £100 million, it strikes the right note.
The limestone at the entrance is etched with placenames in Irish, English and German, and this is carried through in artwork by Tom Fitzgerald alongside a gently rising ramp, with funnels of stone, wicker and charcoal just opposite.
Elemental qualities pervade the exhibition, which was designed by architect Orna Hanly in collaboration with Luke Dodd; its interactive features will allow the estimated 10,000 visitors a day to dip their hands into a letterbox to "feel" Irish rain.
The weather is a major preoccupation. Two large video screens show an accelerated sequence of Atlantic fronts sweeping over the island, while another set of screens project images ranging from currachs and cows to Dublin traffic.
Mr Sean O Laoire, the chief architect, said the pavilion had been specifically designed so that it could be dismantled and brought home for re-erection at a still undecided location.
