Ireland fans must cast their minds back 20 years to find the last time their heroes were crowned European champions but coach Eddie O'Sullivan is one of the many voices declaring the long wait to repeat that success could soon be over.
Victories over Tri-Nations giants such as Australia and South Africa are no longer the stuff of dreams, instead both sides have fallen victim to Ireland's potent mixture of genuine ability and growing self-belief.
A first Triple Crown in 19 years was the return from last season's RBS 6 Nations while they have also claimed second place in the championship for the previous two years, losing just once on each occasion.
But they know they must go one better and win the tournament if they are to really make the rugby world sit up and take notice - an objective which O'Sullivan believes is within their grasp.
"It's very good for Irish rugby to finish second two years in a row. We've won 10 out of our last 13 Tests, which is a tremendous record," he said.
"Two years ago we lost to England in the Grand Slam decider. Last season we had away games against France and England, but still won four matches, so I think we're knocking on the door.
"If we continue to show consistency, match our recent level of performance and work on the areas we've targeted for improvement I think we can get through the door at some stage. Hopefully that will be sooner rather than later.
"We're putting ourselves in position to win something bigger than a Triple Crown, but that's easier said than done. The last two years have been an excellent stepping stone for us."
Ireland enter the Six Nations on the back of a highly successful Autumn international campaign which saw them claim victory over South Africa, the United States and Argentina.
Nail-biting encounters against the Springboks and Pumas proved O'Driscoll and co have developed the ability to win tight matches and can stand toe-to-toe with the most physical teams in the game.
With England and France travelling to Dublin, the 2005 Six Nations should prove to be one of the most fiercely-contested championships in recent times - providing further evidence that Europe no longer exists in the shadow of the Tri-Nations giants.
"Southern Hemisphere rugby is always a benchmark but looking at England's victory in the World Cup and the result we had against South Africa, you can see the gap is closing - and not by accident," he said.
"A lot of hard work has gone into it and there are times when we have dipped below the standards we set ourselves. But to perform at the level we did against South Africa - who are the Tri-Nations champions - is very satisfying."
