It doesn't seem so long ago that retaining this league was reckoned to be unthinkably hard, but that has changed dramatically over the past few seasons and Bohemians start as most people's favourites to finish top again in November.
Bohemians
With Shay Kelly arriving from St Patrick's Athletic and Robbie Doyle crossing the city to join from UCD, Stephen Kenny's squad will be stronger at both the front and back, while Thomas Heary will broaden the manager's options in defence when he is added at the end of the English season.
If there was a weakness last year it was the reliance on Glen Crowe's goals, but if Doyle and Andrei Pereplyotkin, who is expected to join on loan on Monday, can rectify that then the Dalymount club will again be the ones to catch over the coming months.
IN: Robbie Doyle (UCD), Matt Gregg (Bray Wanderers), Thomas Heary (Huddersfield Town), Shay Kelly (St Patrick's Athletic), John Lester (return from loan at Monaghan United), Andrei Pereplyotkin (on loan for season from Southampton), Stephen Rice (Coventry City).
OUT: Ashley Bayes (Woking), Declan Field (released), Alan Fitzpatrick (released), Tony O'Connor (Dublin City), Gary O'Neill (Waterford United), Alan Reilly (Waterford United), Stephen Rice (Monaghan United, loan).
St Patrick's Athletic
The end of the Pat Dolan era was always going to be marked by upheaval at Richmond Park, but the scale of the changes during the six weeks that Eamon Collins has been in charge has still been remarkable. Not many regulars have gone, but Shay Kelly will be missed while Willie Burke, Liam Kelly and Robbie Griffin were all useful.
With so many coming in, much depends on how things gel for the new manager and how quickly the increasingly full-time set up starts to pay dividends on the pitch.
IN: Chris Adamson (West Brom), Keith Dunne (Ashtown Villa), Karim El Khabir (Brest), Keith Fahy (Aston Villa), David Freeman (Nottingham Forest), Liam George (Boston United), Brian McGovern (Peterborough United), Anthony Murphy (Cherry Orchard), Pauli (Rio Branco, on loan).
OUT: Willie Burke (released), Robbie Clarke (Dublin City on loan), Kevin Doyle (Cork City), Robbie Griffin (UCD), Philip Hughes (Kildare County), Baba Isaaka (Dundalk), Liam Kelly (Shamrock Rovers), Sean Kelly (Dundalk, loan), Shay Kelly (Bohemians), Sean Mannion (released), Ger McCarthy (Shelbourne), Aidan O'Keeffe (Dublin City on loan), Darren O'Keeffe (released), Ciaran Quinn (released), Martin Russell (retired).
Cork City
It was one of last season's great clichés that a Cork side capable of reproducing its home form away would have been up there challenging at the end of the season. It remains true, of course, although just maintaining that remarkable strength at Turner's Cross this time around will take a bit of doing.
The squad is largely unchanged and Pat Dolan says that he will take time to assess his players in competitive games before deciding on what alterations might still have to be made.
Generally, though, there is a feeling that there is enough talent within the panel to improve on last season's showing, and if Dolan can inspire his players in a way that Liam Murphy, particularly towards the end of his reign, could not, then the league may well have the challengers from outside Dublin that it so badly needs.
IN: Shane Barrett (Cobh Ramblers), Kevin Doyle (St Patrick's Athletic), Graham Keane (Preston North End), Dan Murray (Peterborough United).
OUT: Alan Reynolds (Shamrock Rovers).
Shamrock Rovers
Liam Buckley is anxious not to become too weighed down by specific targets for the campaign, but the signings made over the break should improve the strength of his squad, while the shift towards a more professional training set-up will also help.
Noel Hunt's goals will be missed, but in every other way the squad should be at least as strong as last year's and quite a few of Buckley's rivals quietly tip Rovers as decent outside bets. That may be stretching things, given they remain tenants at Richmond Park, as so much of the club's collective energy goes into completing the stadium at Tallaght. Still, with a versatile group of players and a little bit of luck Rovers should be there challenging for Europe again and perhaps even going one better than last time in the cup.
IN: Liam Kelly (St Patrick's Athletic), Alan Reynolds (Cork City), Barry Ryan (UCD).
OUT: Greg Costello (released), Luke Dimech (Birkirkha, Malta), Glen Fitzpatrick (Glenavon), Robbie Horgan (Dublin City), Noel Hunt (Dunfermline), Pat Scully (Drogheda United).
Derry City
For a club that was on the verge of extinction only a couple of years ago, City now look to be one of the best run operations in the country, although the price of financial prudence has been an inability to match the strength of the league's leading squads.
For Kevin Mahon, though, perhaps the biggest problem has been getting his best 11 players out on the pitch, for if the northerner could do that then he would have a side capable of taking on the best. With the likes of Padraig Moran and Gary Beckett fit again there will be a good deal of optimism around the Brandywell that the team can at least put a bit of distance between themselves and the relegation battle.
Mahon is still looking for one or two players, and the arrival of Kevin McHugh would help his cause greatly, but Ciaran Martyn is sure to be missed if, as is expected, the former UCD midfielder departs over the next week or two.
IN: John Paul McBride (Aarhus), Andy Petterson (Bournemouth).
OUT: Ruairi Boyle (released), Joe Harkin (released), Jamie Hughes (Omagh Town).
Shelbourne
Had they started more brightly last season Shelbourne might have pipped their northside rivals for the title, but the timing of Pat Fenlon's appointment deprived him, he always said, of the opportunity to prepare properly for his first campaign.
All that has changed, with Fenlon having assembled a squad that is much more his own.
Barry Prenderville's departure was a setback, with the defender seeking more regular first team football at St Patrick's, but Jason Byrne is a key signing while there will be great hopes for new midfielder Scott Oakes. If the new arrivals deliver then Shelbourne might yet edge their rivals.
IN: Jason Byrne (Bray Wanderers), Alan Kinsella (Leeds), Ger McCarthy (St Patrick's Athletic), Thomas Morgan (Bray Wanderers), Scott Oakes (St Alban's).
OUT: Paul Beavers (released), Davy Byrne (St Patrick's Athletic), Craig Deans (released), Pat Fenlon (retired), Barry Prenderville (St Patrick's Athletic), Mark Roberts (St Mirren), Clive Ross (Dublin City), Tony Sheridan (released).
Drogheda United
Just to have survived relegation last year against the backdrop of the terrible financial situation was a huge achievement for Harry McCue and his players, but that he has retained a core of professional players for the new season seems miraculous.
The embargo on new signings, that was only lifted at the start of last week, hampered McCue, but having brought in a couple of New Zealand internationals and experienced locals in Pat Scully and John Flanagan the manager remains upbeat.
His target is to finish safely in midtable and a good start would certainly help. Even that, he will know after last season however, is not enough to ensure top flight survival and United's ability to withstand the inevitable setbacks that will come their way without slipping once again into freefall will determine where they finish at the end of this campaign.
IN: Che Bunce (Auckland Kingz), John Flanagan (Dundalk), Lee Jones (Tampere United), Pat Scully (Shamrock Rovers).
OUT: Neil Bennett (Bradford City), Robbie Dunne (Dublin City), David Kelly (Monaghan United), Kevin McDonald (released), Eoin Mullen (retired), Dave Smith (Macclesfield Town), Stuart Smith (Monaghan United), Stuart Taylor (Falkirk), Chris Todd (Exeter City).
UCD
It hasn't been hectic in the transfer market out at Belfield, but Paul Doolin remains upbeat about his team's ability to build on their heroic fightback at the end of season.
With Barry Ryan gone PJ Jennings looks set to get his chance in goal, while the loss of Clive Delaney from central defence will not be too much of a blow if Tony McDonnell and Robert McAuley remain fit and perform well together. The loss of Robbie Doyle may prove more serious, however, with the young striker having scored seven of the team's 23 goals last season, so much will depend on how well Robbie Griffin and a couple of the players being brought through from within the club can do.
Overall, though, despite the youth of many of the players there is a good deal of experience at this stage and another midtable finish without the need for the dramatic late season charge looks to be an achievable target.
IN: Barry Andrews (Glebe North), Robbie Griffin (St Patrick's Athletic).
OUT: Clive Delaney (West Ham Utd), Robbie Doyle (Bohemians), Richie Purdy (Kildare County), Barry Ryan (Shamrock Rovers).
Longford Town
After looking as though they might be dragged into the mire late last season, Alan Matthews' players steadied themselves during the closing weeks of the campaign to end up in the top half of the table.
The target, he says, is to improve on that, but then Longford will have to do what they have managed to do pretty much every year for the past five seasons or so and surprise the rest of us.
Kieran Foley should prove a useful signing in central defence while the couple of other pre-season arrivals will add to the depth of the squad. But Matthews continues to pursue Ciaran Martyn whose signing would add bite in, and presumably goals, from central midfield.
The performance of the front pairing will also be vital. Sean Francis and Eric Lavine will have had time to settle together now and if they can score regularly then they may well manage a top five finish again.
IN: Mick Demspey (Dundalk), Kieran Foley (Cliftonville), Philip Keogh (Bray Wanderers).
OUT: Wes Byrne (Dublin City), Stuart Holt (transfer-listed), Ger Robinson (Monaghan United), Sini Savic (Dubai).
Waterford United
To say Jimmy McGeough is upbeat about the season doesn't do justice to the man. The Waterford manager is determined his young squad should be aiming for fourth place or higher since winning promotion.
His hope is that his players will have benefited greatly from the way they led the first division for so long, but they may now find the going a good deal tougher.
To their credit, United have not blown money the club could ill afford on strengthening the team, and while he is still looking to add to his panel (Tony Sheridan has been linked with a move this week), McGeough looks set to make a go of staying up without jeopardising the longer-term future. Past experience, however, suggests considerable investment is required to survive. United will do well to defy the trend.
IN: Mark Clifford (Cobh Ramblers), Thomas Hughes (Cobh Ramblers), Dave Mulcahy (Kilkenny City), Gary O'Neill (Bohemians), Alan Reilly (Bohemians).
OUT: Anthony Fennelly (Dundalk), Brendan Rea (Kilkenny City), Wayne Russell (Kildare County), Joe Watson (Kilkenny City), Barry Wood (released).
