Dr TK Whitaker turned 99 this week- on Tuesday, December 8th - and the accolade of Irishman of the Twentieth Century, which the public voted to name him in 2001, seems, in the light of recent revelations about the public life of this country, more than deserved. Widely regarded as the architect of modern Ireland, his was the quiet presence, the rational and informed voice, behind many of the events that have shaped recent Irish history.