Letter from Bordeaux:Save for the six national flags fluttering gently in the breeze below a huge flag bearing the Coupe du Monde and Bordeaux logos on the two sides of the tourist office, there is little evidence that this sleepy, affluent, historic old city is gearing itself for an invasion of supporters from six countries - Ireland included - come the weekend.

Typically French though, they are planning and preparing behind the scenes unobtrusively, and, to be sure, it will be alright on the night.

The tourist board seems unsure as to the exact numbers of supporters, Irish or otherwise, set to arrive in Aquitaine's regional capital from September 7th to 30th, but to facilitate them the Town Hall is setting up a 2007 Bordeaux Rugby Village, which can cater for 10,000 people.

Located on the Esplanade Colbert, close to the city centre and overlooking the recently renovated quays, the Village will feature a giant screen (over 20 metres squared) that will show all 40 pool games live and be served by an impressively ultra-modern tram service. Nearby will be the Village Passion Rugby, a centre of information, services and special events, with a sand-filled sports arena, the Allez du Contact.

While the reception afforded the Ireland squad when they arrive at around 6pm local time today may not be on a par with the Mayoral bienvenue afforded the All Blacks in Marseille, a City Hall delegation will greet them at Bordeaux airport (the fifth-largest in France), as will local media. There will be a cocktail reception in the City Hall for the squad and a concert on September 15th.

Finding rooms will be almost as difficult as obtaining match tickets, for there are only an estimated 5,300 in the 150 hotels dotted around Bordeaux; some 20 cruise ships dock in the port, in the heart of the city, every year.

A temporary Irish consulate will be open in Bordeaux for the World Cup, with staff from the Irish Embassy in Paris available round the clock.

The squad and the initial Irish invasion are likely to be greeted by warm sunshine; the next few days are forecast to continue in the current vein: clear blue skies, a slight breeze and temperatures reaching 23 or 24 degrees.

It is clear from the chic clothes, eateries, cafes - generously populated by the locals indulging in lengthy lunches or extended espresso and cigarette breaks - and fashionable shops that Bordeaux is an affluent city, and an ever-growing one as well. With a population of 750,000, it now claims to be the sixth-largest city in France, having been the ninth a few years ago.

Bordeaux was founded by a Celtic tribe 2,000 years ago and historically has been self-governed and somewhat removed politically from Paris.

The city underwent two so-called golden ages, in the 14th and 18th centuries. The first was founded on wine, after Bordeaux became an Anglo-Gascon capital for three centuries and wine exporting to England brought prosperity, and the second on colonial trade, which derived from the exportation of wine.

This is the self-styled wine capital of the world, and Bordeaux wines (almost 90 per cent of which are reds) generate an annual turnover of €3 billion and employ 11,000 growers, 400 shippers and 130 brokers.

Bordeaux has traditionally enjoyed a somewhat snooty, right-wing reputation but has undergone something of a metamorphosis in recent years. The expensive and impressive regeneration of the city has been attributed to Alain Juppé since he became mayor in 1995.

Quaysides, squares, avenues and entire districts have benefited from numerous facelifts. There are 53 sites, monuments and museums open to the public - many restored to their original splendour and floodlit at night - along with plenty of parks and gardens, which recall a rich, long and picturesque history.

As the New York Times wrote in June 2006: "Just a few years ago the city looked like a fallen aristocrat gone to seed. But thanks to a new-found civic pride, Bordeaux's monuments are being scrubbed back to their original splendour. The cleaned-up waterfront is lined with top restaurants and upscale nightlife spots."

Indeed, on June 28th last, much to its collective delight, Bordeaux was classified as a world heritage city by Unesco.

An estimated 2.5 million tourists, split 50-50 between French and foreign, come here every year. In addition to visiting châteaux and vineyards, they can take the "gourmet trails" every first and third Saturday of the month and enjoy a vibrant theatre scene, a burgeoning festival calendar and trendy nightspots.

Gilbeys, for example, are currently celebrating their 150th birthday by bringing a delegation of 120 clients around the city for three days. A tough gig.

The high-tech, super-smooth Bordeaux tram, completed in 2004, is one of the most obvious manifestations of Bordeaux's modernisation - and a world first for innovative use of electricity, which is supplied to the tram from below ground; there are no overhead lines or hanging wires, making it non-polluting and unobtrusive as well as efficient. The tram also serves the stadium in use for the Coupe du Monde, le Stade Jacques Chaban-Delmas, which is just 10 minutes from the city centre.