Catherine Connolly will be elected the country's tenth president this evening.
The vote will be a resounding one, but it will raise many political questions.
Firstly, will her strong views on things like neutrality and defence spending spark conflicts between the President and the Government?
On first reading that seems unlikely.
The Galway West TD has already spoken about the role of the presidency being different to the one she currently occupies.
One of her most striking comments during the campaign though was that she expected her regular discussions with the Taoiseach to be a two-way process.
That suggests that these meetings will not be mere courtesy calls, but robust conversations instead.
This is where any tensions could arise.
The Catherine Connolly victory will also give momentum to the Sinn Féin, Labour and Social Democrats' ambition to build a centre-left alternative in the lead-up to a general election.
It is evident too that the high number of spoiled votes will be a particularly notable feature of this election result.
This will lead to much debate and soul searching.
The political test is whether it leads to a change in the way future presidential candidates are selected.
