The 75th anniversary of the founding of the Garda Siochana comes at a good time for the force. Official crime figures are falling; some of the State's major criminals are in jail in the Republic or abroad; and the political parties now in power are committed to spending more money on law enforcement.
So the Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, can march with some satisfaction through the Palace Gate of Dublin Castle tomorrow, as he and a class of student gardai from Templemore re-enact the "taking of the Castle" by the Civic Guards in 1922. This will mark the start of a programme of events to mark the Garda celebrations of the anniversary.
One of the most remarkable aspects of the re-enactment is that the gardai marching through the gate tomorrow will represent a largely unarmed force.
Given the central place of armed conflict in the foundation of the State, and the continued existence of a paramilitary force dedicated to overthrowing it, the absence of a holster on the typical garda's belt today is perhaps the force's greatest achievement.
Tomorrow's programme of events - which the public is welcome to attend - starts with an interdenominational service at St Patrick's Cathedral. Representatives from other police forces, including the RUC, are expected to attend. At 3 p.m. Mr Byrne leads his march into the Castle, marking the original event in 1922 to the day.
On August 17th, 1922, the State was still suffering its difficult birth. The Civil War was still raging - the major engagements of the conflict were past but the murder of Michael Collins was still five days away.
On August 17th Commissioner Michael Staines led a column representing his 1,500-strong force into Dublin Castle to set up his headquarters there. Some 300 men had been brought up to Dublin that morning from Kildare and Newbridge, to augment the 80strong headquarters staff for the ceremony.
Having moved from one temporary headquarters building to another over the previous months, Staines was finally to get a permanent home in the Castle, giving the event for him a practical as well as a symbolic significance.
Early that morning the last of the Royal Irish Constabulary headquarters staff had departed the Castle, leaving it in the command of a detachment of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry. With an exchange of salutes Staines's column marched into the Lower Yard, the newness of his force apparent from the fact that only 60 of the 380 men in the column wore uniforms.
Tomorrow will also see the official opening in the Castle's Record Tower of the Garda Museum, previously housed in the Phoenix Park headquarters. The Garda Band will be present to perform in the Castle courtyard, as will various Garda units.
There will be a display by the Traffic Unit's team of Garda motorcyclists. Judging by their rehearsals their main trick is criss-crossing the yard at high speed, almost crashing into each other and making as much noise as possible.
The Garda dog unit, based at Kilmainham, will also give a demonstration of its skills. A book on the history of the force is to be launched later in the evening.
The anniversary comes at a time of significant change for the Garda, with the Government poised to implement a series of far-reaching recommendations on its management.
A report by a review group appointed by the last government calls for the Garda to be given greater independence from the State bureaucracy.
One recommendation is for the Commissioner to become "accounting officer" for the Garda. This would mean taking over some management functions and responsibilities from the most senior civil servant in the Department of Justice, and would ultimately increase the Commissioner's control over his force.
But the Commissioner would also have to work to performance targets set by the Government, a system which could later permeate down to other senior officers. It would be a significant modernising step, the first time the Garda would have to come to terms with practices now commonplace in the private sector.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, is expected to bring the report to Cabinet next month for approval.