It was sweet news. Cork had been awarded the coveted title of European City of Culture for 2005.
When the unconfirmed report from Brussels was offered to Cork city manager, Mr Joe Gavin, by The Irish Times, he was loath to respond officially. It was only when his counterpart in Galway, the city beaten by Cork for the title, rang to congratulate him that he felt free to react.
The award would bring the people of Cork together, he said, and become a catalyst that could transform the fibre of the city, giving its citizens real ownership.
Here was a unique opportunity, Mr Gavin added, for Cork to achieve its potential.
Confirmation that Cork had won brought the celebration element into play almost immediately, but everyone involved was agreed that the real work was only beginning.
What will it mean for Cork? Ms Mary McCarthy, director of the National Sculpture Factory, believes the possibility of nothing less than a rebirth is held out by the award.
"This is our chance to stretch our imaginations and dream. It is simply the biggest opportunity Cork has ever had. It will enable us to reach out in so many ways and connect with the people. We will have a programme budget of almost £11 million which is being earmarked for the arts only, not for buildings or capital expenditure, only for the arts," Ms McCarthy said.
She said that in the excitement of winning the award, which has still to be officially ratified, there was a danger of losing sight of the ultimate goal. "Having so much money to spend over a relatively short space of time could lead to a certain short-sightedness and blind us to the long-term objective, which is to sustain what we now hope to achieve."
According to Mr Gavin, the Government will contribute £5 million to the Cork programme of events which will mark the run-up to the honour and the year itself. Another £5 million will be raised locally and £500,000 will come from the EU.
The plan is to open up Cork to the arts in an unprecedented way and to network with arts organisations throughout Ireland and Europe.
The city is to become a living experiment for artistic excitement and expression.
There are plans also to deal with the public realm - the physical side of Cork visitors will come to know - in a determined and positive fashion.
Dereliction in the city centre will be swept away, it is hoped, and streetscapes will be upgraded. This includes a £7 million renovation of St Patrick's Street and the Grand Parade, soon to begin.
There is even a glimmer of hope that with pride at an all-time high, Corkonians will be moved to do something about the chronic litter problem in what is essentially a beautiful city.
"If the message doesn't sink home in this environment, it never will," said a corporation official.