Jack Lynch fitted mould of national CEO

The centenary of the birth of Jack Lynch is clearly an event worth marking, not least because he embodied the centrist consensual approach to politics and economic management which on the whole has served the country pretty well.

Mr Lynch was an unusual figure in the Irish politics of his day. He came across as a modest, affable individual following an era of bosses and chiefs. He presided over a country which was still feeling its way in the world.

The writer Elaine Byrne touched a nerve recently when she identified an excess of deference in Mr Lynch’s approach to his British counterpart, Edward Heath, in the aftermath of Bloody Sunday. Ms Byrne is an insightful observer, but professional historians will surely be aware that 45 years is a long time and social mores and pecking orders can undergo considerable transformation during such a period of time.