The guide deemed him to have added whatever additional flourishes were required to bring his already exceptional combinations of classical French technique, and genuine empathy for Asian influences, to the next level.

Of six new restaurants accordingly accoladed in Britain and Ireland, Terre’s inclusion means Cork now has two two-starred restaurants.

Crepel joins Dede at the Customs House, in Baltimore, in that highly exclusive band of Irish two-starred restaurants — along with Chapter One, Liath, and Patrick Guilbaud’s, all in Dublin — and, undoubtedly, Crepel will join them in pursuing the holy grail of becoming Ireland’s first three-starred restaurant.

The identity of the three new Irish Michelin one-starred restaurants was one of the worst-kept secrets.

While a chef/restaurateur never truly knows their fate until the actual announcement, tension in the venue tends to derive from whether that fate is one, two or, even — admittedly as rare an occurrence as encountering a hen’s dentist — three stars.

Ever since Adriaan Bartels, one of the most accomplished figures in Irish hospitality, first took over as general manager at the Cashel Palace Hotel at the end of 2018, he continued to gently insist a Michelin star was not the primary goal of the luxury hotel’s flagship Bishop’s Buttery restaurant.

However, Bartels understands full well the requirements for such, having served in both Sheen Falls, Kenmare, Co Kerry, when it held a star in the 90s, and in Ardmore’s still-starred Cliff House Hotel.

Bartels told the Irish Examiner: “I love great hotels and great food, so to work in great hotels and with great chefs is a match made in heaven for me.

“There is a pressure to deliver, but that’s the challenge that makes you want to excel and it motivates you every day. And when you get positive affirmation from your guests that you have met, or exceeded, their expectations, it is worth all the hard work.”

Cashel Palace director of culinary, Stephen Hayes, was very quick to identify chef Stefan McEnteer’s potential when he first arrived as sous chef and, as McEnteer clambered up on stage as a Michelin Star winning head chef, his career is now also elevated to a whole new level.

At first glance, Homestead Cottage, in Doolin, Co Clare, might have appeared a rather left-field choice — a small and remote country venue run by a husband and wife — but the real oddity was how chef-proprietor Robbie McCauley failed to get a star during his time in Gregan’s Castle.

But McCauley’s cross-county migration along with wife and co-proprietor Sophie McCauley, who runs front of house in what is effectively a very rustic and traditional Irish cottage, would undoubtedly have piqued Michelin’s interest, as the esteemed guide is ever partial to a “good story”.

But a “good story” butters no parsnips when it comes to stars, and McCauley’s exceptional cooking is further enhanced by his complete immersion in his locality, sourcing superb produce from all over Clare.

A star for D’Olier Street wasn’t the greatest stretch to the imagination, as the restaurant arrived near fully-fledged with a team and concept that had coherency of ambition written all over it.

The star goes to head chef James Moore, an Australian who first met co-owner Dubliner Anthony Smith when they worked together in Dublin’s One Pico.

Moore subsequently went on to cook in top — mostly starred — restaurants in London and Vancouver, before re-uniting with Smith in New York.

When Smith, chef-owner of Dublin’s Mr Fox, and his American partner Jane Frye — now running D’Olier Street's front of house — invited Moore to join them in a gorgeous reworking of an iconic Dublin building, “the stars” were very much aligned.

When executive pastry chef Mina Pizarro came on board sporting a CV to die for — including Per Se, Daniel, and L’Appart — the team was complete.

Initial reviews of extraordinarily pretty dishes, with equally powerful impact on the palate, were highly promising.

The ultimate “review”, of course, came on Monday night with D’Olier Street’s first star.

You’d fancy their ambition doesn’t end there.

These are exceedingly fraught times for global hospitality, not just in Ireland, and even the redoubtable Michelin model must be looking over its shoulder as to what lies ahead.

Restaurants around the world are choosing to move away from the very costly-to-operate fine dining model, so it was unlikely that Michelin were going to shed any stars last night.

The only Irish “losers” were Belfast’s Eipic, which closed just before Christmas because of financial pressures, and Cork’s Hiberno-Japanese Ichigo Ichie, with chef-patron Takashi Miyazaki deciding last December to pivot away from Michelin-starred cooking.

His decision was received with almost immediate local and national acclaim, that star near instantaneously swapped for a Michelin Bib Gourmand.

While Miyazaki is quite delighted with his newly reinvigorated restaurant, leaving behind the world of Michelin — and the amount of pressure, physical, mental, and especially financial, that comes with having to retain a star — he says he will equally always treasure that moment when his first star was announced as one of the most special days of his life.

There are now three more Irish chefs sharing that pleasure.