We have experienced a mixed bag of results in our clubs' European campaigns as the summer progresses.
From Shamrock Rovers' determined performances to Derry City's early exit, each club's experience offering different stories and fortunes.
The champions set the tone for Irish clubs in Europe this month with a commendable display of professionalism.
The Hoops' victory over Vikingur Reykjavik in the Champions League qualifiers showcased tactical discipline and resilience and an ability to perform under pressure over the two legs.
Despite riding their luck at times - most notably with the penalty miss by Vikingur in the dying moments of the home tie - their overall performance deserved the victory.
Luck plays an important role in any European campaign, and Shamrock Rovers capitalised on it effectively.
Across the two legs they were happy to concede possession at times and defended their box extremely well and they backed up their defensive qualities by using Johnny Kenny’s pace (above) to get in behind and cause problems.
Their subsequent 2-0 loss at home to Sparta Prague on Tuesday might seem disappointing.
However, the game provided numerous positives. Rovers created several clear-cut chances, demonstrating their potential to cause problems at this level.
The match also set a new European attendance record at Tallaght Stadium, highlighting the urgent need for more high-standard stadiums like Tallaght across the country.
While overcoming Sparta Prague in the return leg seems a tall order, Shamrock Rovers can take confidence from their performance and look forward to more promising fixtures in the following qualifying rounds.
Alas, Derry City's campaign fell at the first hurdle, which has been a point of contention amongst fans and critics alike.
This is the harsh reality of knockout football, where even strong teams can falter.
They will be extremely disappointed in the manner of how they exited the competition in conceding from set pieces and showing ill-discipline.
Their performances this season have been met with mixed reviews, but they currently remain on track challenging for a league and cup double.
A win against Shelbourne on 5 August could set the stage for an exciting run-in to the season.
Ending the season with a trophy would quickly dispel any lingering disappointment from their European campaign.
Their title rivals Shelbourne have built their impressive campaign on a pragmatic style.
Their first European tie saw them leveraging their home advantage with an early goal to settle any Tolka Park nerves and finished the game with a 2-1 win.
Securing a 1-1 draw in a heated match in Gibraltar, thanks to a goal from new signing Sam Bone was enough to see them through the first qualifying round and set them up for last night’s fixture against FC Zurich.
It was a pragmatic approach from Damien Duff with his team selection yesterday evening, starting the game without a recognised striker with the mindset of keeping the tie alive for the return leg in Tolka Park.
Conceding after 28 seconds unfortunately put an instant stop to that approach.
They can take great credit as a club and should enjoy the distance they have come in a short space of time, with many more big nights to come for the Shelbourne fan base with the trajectory they are on.
While overturning a three-goal deficit next week in Tolka Park looks near impossible, I’m sure the fans will enjoy seeing their team playing European football in Drumcondra one last time before the big title push.
European football is all St Patrick's Athletic have to look forward to having arguably been the most underwhelming club this season.
Since Stephen Kenny’s arrival, the team has struggled to find consistent form, winning only two of his ten domestic games in charge.
Their recent heavy defeat in the FAI cup against Derry has compounded their woes.
While it’s obvious this is a long-term project and you can see they are building for the future, the immediate outlook seems bleak for St Pat's.
Their chances of finishing in a European spot are slim, and with no cup run to look forward to, a decent European run remains their best hope for providing fans with some enjoyment this season.
And there was no shortage of enjoyment last night in Richmond Park, with an early Jake Mulraney double, both created by the brilliance of the very impressive Romal Palmer giving St Pat's a dream start in their first game of their European adventure.
While there was a nervy moment around Inchicore when Vaduz pulled one back on the 65th minute through some indecisive defending, Joe Redmond’s header couldn’t have come at a better time and has provided a nice cushion heading into their second leg against next week.
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