Whatever faint hopes there were that the long-running battle between the Irish Permanent and its former chief executive, Dr Ed Farrell, would be settled on the steps of the High Court seem to have faded, with both sides settling in for the long haul. Sensing the magnitude of the court action, and the likely toll on those involved, one of the defendants, former adviser Mr Kelvin Smythe, was already ahead of the game and came equipped with a thermos flask.
The Irish Permanent, by contrast, had a more obvious form of sustenance, lining the walls of the court with 66 boxes of documents to support its case. We were told there were even more downstairs, which could bring the total to 80.
Not to be outdone, however, Mr Smythe insisted on bringing a substantial box of documents along to court, claiming that he also had an impressive arsenal of boxes in the bowels of the Four Courts.
The key witness, Dr Farrell, came to court with his wife, Zora, who is herself a defendant in one of the actions, and their daughter, Celine.
It was standing room only for most of the day, with the various legal teams taking up three benches in the small courtroom, and the newly-qualified barrister, Mr Vincent Browne, acting as "devil" to Dr Farrell's legal team.
Most of the onlookers were from the media, with former director and secretary to the Irish Permanent, Mr George Treacy, also keeping an eye on events.
Despite much toing and froing at Court 11, Mr Justice Geoghegan began proceedings just before 1 p.m. following a settlement with one of the defendants, former legal consultant Mr Stephen McKenzie, named in one of the six actions before the court.
The court was told, however, that the actions against the other defendants were still "very much alive".
In the afternoon, he dealt with much of the legal argument, clearing the way for the court to begin hearing evidence today.
Most people in court yesterday said they expected the actions to last up to three months.