Andrew Trimble scored on his return to the Ireland team and Rory Best played a big hand in a second as Joe Schmidt’s side ran out convincing 28-6 winners over Scotland in their opening Championship game.
With Paul O’Connell a late absentee due to a chest infection, the match also saw Dan Tuohy start in the second row to bring the Ulster representation in the international team to five.
Scotland put up a stubborn resistance and bossed possession and territory for large chunks of the first half, with Greig Laidlaw kicking a lone penalty to a brace from Jonathan Sexton.
The Ireland out-half sparked a late surge from the hosts approaching the interval, almost putting stand-in captain Jamie Heaslip over for a try before the space was created by a back line move that featured Luke Marshall for Andrew Trimble to score in injury-time.
The powerful winger's effort - adding to his try against Canada last June - gave Ireland the platform of an 11-3 half-time lead, and they went on to seize control of what was a real dog-fight for the guts of an hour.
Within four minutes of Laidlaw's second three-pointer, Heaslip was at the end of a lineout maul for try number two which Sexton converted.
A 57th minute penalty from Sexton widened the margin before full-back Rob Kearney crowned his 50th Ireland cap with a well-deserved try nine minutes from time.
Sexton's successful conversion completed his 13-point tally and the Irish bench was unloaded in the final quarter with 22-year-old prop Martin Moore making his senior debut and fellow forwards Jack McGrath and Tommy O'Donnell also getting their first taste of Six Nations action.
Ireland finished the game on the front foot, pushing for a fourth try that almost arrived with both Sean Cronin and Dave Kearney, another of the Six Nations newcomers, going close.