Happy faces everywhere. Outside many of the kids waiting for autographs scarcely even remember what it was like when teams really feared coming to Dublin, when the Lansdowne roar fuelled the Irish home performances that provided the backbone of three successful qualification campaigns. Inside, though, they hadn't forgotten and the smiles suggested the warm feeling of pleasant memories flooding back.

"Yeah, it was pleasing, very pleasing," beamed Niall Quinn. "A big crowd, up for it like that, it gives you the belief that we can make it to a major championship again and that's the sort of thing that rubs off on the players.

"The last 10 minutes, in particular, they were fantastic, it was like the good old days. Not that we've achieved anything. They're a good side and it will be interesting to see how they do in the European Championships, I think they'll do well, but it's nice to beat them, it gives us the spark to carry on again after the heartaches that this team has had."

As usual, Quinn's praise for his young striking partner was matched only by Robbie Keane's for him and everybody had a kind word to say for the new man in the camp. For Paul Butler, things might have gone more smoothly on his senior international debut, but he wasn't complaining even if his first post-match interview in an FAI kit did have to start with an admission of guilt.

"Well, one of the goals was my fault," said the 27 year old. "Hands up for that, but Mick says he's happy with my overall performance and I certainly enjoyed it."

Both Quinn and Kenny Cunningham reckoned the latest recruit to Mick McCarthy's squad will have learned from a tough first outing, but Cunningham insisted: "Their big man got two goals, but I really don't think that that's any reflection on Paul tonight. He had a problem with one of them all right, but I thought he did very well and he'll be better for the experience of getting his first cap under his belt."

While Butler was making staking his claim for one of the centre half's jerseys, Gary Kelly probably reckoned that he was simply reclaiming the full-back's one that had belonged to him all along.

"It's good to be back in the position that I play for my club, alright," he said with a smile. "There's a lot of competition for that place and with players like Steve Carr and Jeff Kenna looking for it, you can't bank on anything. But the player who gets the place over the next few games is going to have to be dislodged when we get into the competitive stuff again, so I'm over the moon to get the chance to nail it down."

With Denis Irwin's departure, there appeared to be a vacancy on the other flank too, but Kelly believes McCarthy can take the position as filled. "Harty was superb again out there tonight. He's by far the best left back in Ireland or England."

Somehow, it's hard to imagine him having gotten an argument about it from his manager back in the hotel.