Political correctness went out the window yesterday for about an hour in Ballsbridge when Ireland and the old enemy fought it out over the jumps for the Nations Cup Trophy.
As ever, England's difficulty became Ireland's opportunity when Geoff Billington riding Its Otto was eliminated and Ireland did not even need to call on Eddie Macken to jump to win the cup.
In front of the President, Mrs Robinson, Princess Hiya of Jordan and Nobel prize-winner, Seamus Heaney, it turned out to be a great Irish occasion with the unexpected win.
Great Britain started as firm 4/5 favourites, and any decent punter could have got odds of 2/1 against Ireland before the event began.
Across the road in Crowe's bar they were celebrating the victory in grand style, but there was an even greater welcome there for the news that the Irish team is to donate its winnings to the Shane Broderick Fund.
The Irish team told a press conference it had decided before the event it would donate the winnings to the fund for the National Hunt jockey paralysed during the Irish Grand National.
That, said Broderick's friends in Crowe's, was the cherry on the cream. At £10,000 it is no small donation.
The international equestrian press had a much more cautious approach to the win. Great Britain "blew it", they said, but none of them was taking from the Irish win.
There was a warm welcome yesterday for Mrs Robinson, who arrived before lunch-time with her husband, Nicholas, for what will be her last Horse Show as President.
Crowds flocked around her as she walked through the exhibition hall on her way to lunch before the Nations Cup competition, and she received a huge ovation when she presented the cup to Ireland.
Elsewhere on the grounds yesterday the action continued with the usual fringe events attracting thousands of visitors.
Many of them were victims of the bad bank holiday weather in the south and south-east and had fled the caravans, mobile homes and hotels.