The Chief Justice, Liam Hamilton, does not stand on ceremony. The only thing he stands on is his cigarette butt, no-smoking signs not withstanding. Waiting for the Prime Minister and Taoiseach to arrive at the King's Inns last night for each to receive the distinction of Honorary Bencher, he warned photographers not to picture him with a cigarette: "My wife will kill me."
"They were making a film here a while ago and we got them to paint the place", Mr Justice Hamilton whispered to the waiting media.
The Prime Minister arrived at about 7 p.m. - after the Taoiseach and Ms Celia Larkin - in a great flurry of excitement and security. Cherie wore an elegant mulberry-coloured cashmere coat, and her husband, with an upward sweeping glance round Gandon's opulent architecture, breathed: ""What a beautiful place!"
Hundreds of student barristers, all gowned, had arrived at the Inns with leading figures from the Irish judiciary to see the ceremony in the King's Inns Great Hall.
Benchers are somewhat like university chancellors. They are elected to take part in the governing of the Society of the King's Inns. "Higher Benchership" is the supreme accolade that can be bestowed. In the cases of the Taoiseach and Prime Minister, the honour (established in 1607) was extended in recognition of their peace process role.
The Chief Justice led his guests into the very grand Great Hall. As the Taoiseach and Prime Minister took their places at a polished oval table, every neck craned for a better view. The Chief Justice said his task was easy. The warmth of the welcome to his guests had made it so.
He ruled that he need say no more. But now he had "a captive audience hanging on every word", why not explain a little of the background of the Society of the King's Inns to the Prime Minister?
Wolfe Tone, Daniel O'Connell, Padraig Pearse, Edward Carson, all were products of this place, he said. The Inns was a non-political place, but it was worth noting that since independence the State had had nine Taoisigh, and five of those had passed thought the establishment. Not bad, quipped the Chief Justice, for a non-political establishment.
He cast his mind to August 1st, 1800, when the foundation stone was laid to this fine building. It was the very day royal assent was given to the Act of Union, "depriving us of our native parliament".
A communal intake of breath, and all looked to see how Mr Blair was taking it. He was smiling. "But when we lost our parliament, we gained this building, a home for many great lawyers," Mr Justice Hamilton chuckled.
Accepting his honorary scroll, Mr Blair commended the Chief Justice for the "immensely elegant" way he had bestowed the honour. "I thought when you got to the Act of Union that the judgment was going against me. You pulled back with brilliant timing."
The Taoiseach, meanwhile, had been a "tremendous companion" to him in building the peace process. He was a man of tremendous integrity and capability.
The Taoiseach spoke directly to the benchers. "I am now in your jurisdiction, just as surely as your jurisdiction is in my constituency. Remember, while I would like to keep my constituents out of your jurisdiction, I welcome the presence of the various branches of the legal establishment in my constituency and the potential to be of benefit to the people who live in its vicinity."
In the heel of the hunt, the Chief Justice said he would dispense with the title of Taoiseach and Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. They were so familiar with each other, he said, he would call them just Tony and Bertie. "The thing that worries me is, will they call me Hammo?"