Companies and schools are bracing themselves for a dip in productivity tomorrow when Tehran replaces toil and textbooks as the focus of attentions.
But whether it's a case of if you can't beat them, join them, or the desire to take a sneaky peak at the proceedings, most bosses and school principals seem prepared to meet their charges at the half-way line.
The Department of Education has no evidence of a mass shut-down planned for schools during the all-important Ireland versus Iran World Cup showdown, but it won't stop principals blowing an early whistle if the alternative means frisking students for hidden Walkmans.
"The school year is discretionary. We would only be concerned that the school is open for a minimum number of days, rather than any particular day',' said a spokesman.
An ASTI spokeswoman said: "In the past schools have done things like get the students together in the larger classrooms and let them watch the game on television rather than lose them for the whole day."
The employers' body, IBEC, has become similarly pragmatic. "We had the same scenario when Sonia O'Sullivan was running in the Olympics and, despite predictions that there would be skiving off all over the place, things didn't grind to a halt", said spokeswoman Sue Anne Young. "It's all about compromise. You can't stop a production line, but as long as both sides are reasonable and flexible, it won't cause problems."