The former Taoiseach, Mr Charles Haughey, sat in the front row near the window of Court 54, the smallest courtroom at the Old Richmond Hospital which is now home to five district courts. He was there for the taking of depositions in the case where he must answer two charges of obstructing the McCracken tribunal.
Outside the grounds of the former hospital a small group of members of the Socialist Workers' Party had assembled, along with two black bags full of placards saying: "Make Haughey pay his taxes". The man at the centre of the case had slipped into the building almost an hour before the hearing began.
Undeterred, the demonstrators assembled and took up formation, walking in a circle in front of the gate, chanting: "Charlie Haughey, what's the score? One law for the rich and one for the poor" and "Ben there, Dunne that . . ."
At 10.40 a.m. Judge Tom Fitzpatrick entered the court and started taking the depositions, which are preliminary statements from witnesses to help him decide if there is a case to answer. This stage of the proceedings cannot be reported under Section 17 of the Criminal Procedure Act (1967).
The witness spoke slowly to accommodate the registrar, who was taking the evidence down in longhand, but it became increasingly difficult for the judge, counsel for the State and the witness to hear each other because of the chanting outside.
"Sergeant, could you do something about the din outside, please?" asked Judge Fitzpatrick, and for a few moments after the sergeant left the courtroom there was silence. But the chanting resumed again, most of it indecipherable apart from the words, "Charlie Haughey".
Mr Haughey, dressed in a grey suit and blue shirt, sat impassively with his knees crossed and his arms folded, occasionally resting his face in one hand.
By 11.30 the volume had risen to such an extent that the judge said the noise was disrupting the business of the court, and announced he was rising for a few minutes.
Shortly afterwards the demonstrators dispersed, leaving at the gate photographers and a group of schoolboys from St Paul's CBS across the road.
The schoolboys were vociferous and uncomplimentary in their opinions about Charlie Haughey.
The hearing resumed shortly before noon, and was adjourned yesterday evening until February 17th, when it will be mentioned.