Maybe it was a sign.An Ode to Joy parked in the corner of the Kildare Street car park – perhaps waiting for the Council of the European Union presidency balloon to go up on Wednesday afternoon?A truck in the livery of an event-hire company backed up to the steps leading to Leinster House. “Party Van” was written above the driver’s cab in big letters.Such excitement. We looked up the extensive online offering of Budget Event Hire. An Aladdin’s cave for the Euro party set. (There are eight official groupings in the European Parliament. Representatives of each of them were over here last week fondling hurleys in Croke Park.)Folding chairs, high tables, LED light-up sofas, gazebos, red carpets, velour ropes, dance floors, giant Jenga sets, Burco boilers, fairy lights, wine glasses and champagne flutes by the score. The next six months are looking good...“The three fundamental pillars of our presidency will be...,” began the Taoiseach in the Dáil during the final Leaders’ Questions before his enthronement as Emperor of Europe at a special event in Dublin Castle, which will be beamed live across the continent from Ballincollig to Ballinlough and all points in between.These are the three fundamental, core and key pillars.Marquees. Bubble machines.Bar stools.Sorry. “Competitiveness. Values. Security.” No need to write them down. They’ll be up in lights for the rest of the year. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald understood the significance of what was about to happen. “Taoiseach, tomorrow is an important day,” she said at the start of her contribution. Micheál Martin wasn’t going to dispute that. “It provides a serious test for Government,” she continued, presumably having seen the party van outside on her way in.The Taoiseach, for half a second, may have thought Mary Lou was going to recognise the great challenge awaiting him on the global stage and how he now stands on the cusp of something in terms of Competitiveness, Values and Security, fundamentally.“Tomorrow, more than one million households will be hit with hikes in gas and electricity prices...” Not a mention of Ireland becoming the centre of the political merchandise universe for the foreseeable future and Micheál becoming the president of the Council of the European Union. Typical. She’ll be lucky to get a complimentary EU presidency silk scarf after that. In fairness, the Taoiseach is to be commended on his powers of concentration. About to become ringmaster in the rotating Eurofest of national leaders, his head must have been spinning with last-minute things to do before his elevation as Leaders’ Questions played out in the sparsely populated chamber. There’s a summer holiday feel about the place already. Holly Cairns of the Social Democrats and Ivana Bacik of Labour didn’t mention the Ascent of Micheál when they spoke. But Richard Boyd Barrett of People Before Profit got back to the only show in town.“As you know, Ireland will be taking over the EU presidency for six months as of tomorrow and you will be hosting a launch event in Dublin Castle to commence that six months,” he said. Micheál didn’t demur. Guilty as charged!There’ll be music and everything. Richard is all set to get stuck in.“I will be joining a demonstration outside Dublin Castle with anti-war and peace groups, pro-neutrality groups and Palestine solidarity groups.”Martin responded with his three fundamental pillars, which will have to do a lot of heavy lifting in the coming months. Micheál and Ireland assume the presidency at a very turbulent and difficult time for the world. Thankfully, in these uncertain days, we have the reassuring consistency of Danny Healy-Rae’s views on climate change and his trusty Nokia phone.As he rose to speak on the controversial Strategic Gas Reserve Bill, the familiar old ringtone reverberated across the near empty chamber. And, just as he was getting into his stride about there being no such thing as climate change, it went off again. Leas Ceann Comhairle John McGuinness looked over at the miscreant, who has been admonished countless times in the chamber about not turning off his phone, and said nothing. He just smiled because, what’s the point?The Taoiseach managed to escape late in the afternoon to continue his preparations. But he had the weekly Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting to attend first, which won’t have left him with much time to get his hair and nails done before welcoming European Council president António Costa to Government Buildings at midday before his big gig, featuring Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine, just hours later at Dublin Castle. As for the event-hire van parked outside Leinster House?It was for a talk organised by Bandáil, the Oireachtas staff women’s network, with Dr Linda Doyle, the first woman elected provost of Trinity College Dublin in its now 434-year history. The reading room was packed. Extra chairs were needed. There was tea and coffee afterwards. But no bubble machines or champagne flutes.Never mind. Our Euro presidency is only just beginning.