The expectation of massive publicity and the tourism impact of next year's Tour de France stage in the south-east have generated a great wave of energy and civic pride in towns and villages throughout the region. Local authorities are taking a fresh look at their areas; long dormant development plans are being reactivated, and there is a general push for an upgrading of facilities and the elimination of eyesores. Sporting and cultural organisations are planning showpiece events.
The town of Carrick-on-Suir, through which the tour will pass, has special reasons to put on its best face for the occasion. There are strong local associations with competitive cycling, and it has its own world-class cycling hero in Sean Kelly, after whom its impressive modern sports centre is named.
"The town is used to running national championships in cycling - we know how to handle cycling races," says the urban council chairman, Mr David Shee. "We're planning a big carnival, and there will be a national championship run around the time of the tour."
Carrick has undergone a striking transformation in recent years. Elegant new paving and street furniture on its main street has prompted a lot of business premises to undertake redecoration, Cllr Liam O'Dwyer points out. Only five years ago, there were few facilities for visitors, but Carrick now has two comfortable hotels, five restaurants and several coffee shops. There has been an upsurge in community pride in the town - "Carrick has become a place to visit," the councillors assert.
But there are handicaps to be overcome in the town's drive to improve itself. The urban council is annoyed, for example, that Carrick was not included in the last scheme of incentives for urban renewal.
"We seem to have just got overlooked," says Mr Shee. Another subject of contention is the state of the local railway station, described as a "derelict site" at a recent urban council meeting. Councillors have called for an injection of funds by Iarnrod Eireann to bring the station up to scratch.
It is a traditional station with great potential charm. Some of the film of Maeve Binchy's book, Echoes, which was set in the 1950s, was shot at the station. But it has since become run down and badly needs refurbishment.
The coming celebrations have also prompted the council to press for an acceleration of work by the Office of Public Works on the town's major tourist attraction, the ruined castle and unique Elizabethan mansion alongside the river, once a stronghold of the Duke of Ormonde.
The castle is an important focus for visitors and townspeople, but at present it opens to the public only in the high season - "it's not user friendly", says Mr Shee.
The local authorities are forging ahead with plans to upgrade all aspects of Carrick over which they have control. A big clean-up of river-bank areas is planned, and sporting clubs and associations have been canvassed for their ideas on special events to mark the tour.
The local economy is clearly on a rising tide. Unemployment is dropping, and the town has one of the best public housing records in the country, with around 100 houses either at the planning stage or under construction.
There is a vibrant spirit of voluntary effort and initiative - no fewer than 93 voluntary organisations have been counted in the locality, serving a population of around 5,000.
The Tour de France may whisk through the town in a matter of minutes, but Carrick is determined to have sufficient side-shows and events to tempt sections of the entourage, and the thousands of spectators, to stay around for a longer look.