Charles J. Haughey, bronzed, relaxed and untroubled to all intents and purposes, fired the shotgun blast that opened the Dingle Regatta in Co Kerry yesterday and wondered aloud if he was ever going to have the pleasure of shooting a journalist.
Just joking, of course.
Mr Haughey has been performing the honours at the regatta for as long as anyone can remember. There was a time when the quayside would be black with people waiting to catch a glimpse of Kerry's favourite politician and shake his hand. It was quite common for a strong force of gardai to be on duty, such was his drawing power. But no more.
That he is still loved in Dingle and Kerry is beyond dispute but people simply are not as interested as they used to be in his comings and goings. Perhaps he is over-exposed these days, between one thing and another.
So, after a leisurely lunch with friends at the Waterside restaurant where he watched the Kerry-Armagh match on television, Mr Haughey's Mercedes arrived to transport him to the nearby pier, where a launch awaited to take him to the starting line. The regatta had been delayed until 5 p.m. because of the match.
Reporters and cameramen crowded on board the launch with him and while he asked who they all were and made a pretence of throwing one Sunday newspaper overboard, he was in festive, holiday mood and didn't seem to mind the intrusion.
He made it clear, though, that he didn't want to comment on anything remotely current, including the drawn football match. Instead, he posed for pictures and joked with his faithful Dingle friends who joined him as always on board the starting launch.
Once the regatta was under way Mr Haughey and his group returned to the Celtic Mist, the family yacht which he uses to cruise around the coast and farther afield each summer. As always, his base for the holiday month is Inishvickillane, where the weather this year, he said, was the best he had ever known.
Mr Haughey invited a few people, including this reporter, to join him on board the Celtic Mist, where Mrs Maureen Haughey was serving drinks to her guests on deck. Despite the invitation, she could sniff a reporter at 20 paces and, when challenged, I had to admit I represented The Irish Times.
"I am sorry, we're on holidays, no journalists are allowed," she said.
When it was explained that Mr Haughey had issued the invitation, Mrs Haughey still didn't appear too impressed and obviously felt the presence of a journalist might dampen the proceedings. I disembarked.
The Celtic Mist will leave Dingle and cruise around the coast to Kinsale this coming week.