The Taoiseach left and then a former Taoiseach arrived. Mr Ahern's departure from the Skellig Hotel in Dingle, Co Kerry, was shortly before noon last Saturday. Mr Haughey arrived at the same hotel after 1 p.m. on Saturday, but the pair never met.
It was not like the scene a year ago when the two good friends could meet not only on Mr Haughey's island, Inishvickillaune, off the Dingle coast, but in the town itself. Now, apparently, such meetings are no longer on the agenda.
"Tell any alien-minded types to stay well out of the way of the gun," CJH said with a smile. He was sitting in the sunshine outside the Skellig Hotel, where he spent a day relaxing with family and friends.
"You never know, I might slip," he grinned.
Then yesterday he used the gun to start the annual Dingle Regatta. The seaside town, home to Europe's most famous Dolphin, Fungie, was packed. Mr Haughey was ferried to the regatta starting line to perform the honours.
When the naomhogs were lined up, he pulled the trigger. The gun went off and the regatta got under way.
Charlie was relaxed among his adopted countrymen and women, and it showed.
In Dingle, his stature is undiminished. He has been good to the town over the years, easing the way for new infrastructural developments and lifting its profile.
In return, the town is good to him. No talk of tribunals, or matters of a sensitive nature, at least not when CJH is around.
Mr Ahern also likes Dingle and has just returned to Dublin after a week there. But he does not cut the same dash in this part of the world as his former boss and mentor does.
After his brief tour of duty, Mr Haughey repaired immediately to his own boat, the Celtic Mist, which was tied up at Dingle pier. On board, friends and invited guests drank wine and chatted in the sunshine. Today or tomorrow Mr Haughey plans to sail the Celtic Mist back to Dublin in leisurely fashion.