The tributes paid to Jack Lynch this week were sincere and they were well merited. The words most frequently used to describe him were "decent" and "honest" and these two qualities were the very essence of Jack Lynch. Decency, honesty and of course modesty.
As more than one remarked during the week, Jack Lynch never lost the run of himself. His very ordinariness was reassuring, a guarantee in itself that no overvaulting personal ambition would lead to shortcuts or abuses of power.
As for privilege, Jack Lynch never sought any for himself nor conferred any on others. Such would never even have occurred to him.
It was hard not to make contrasts all week. With James Dillon back in fashion, Sean Lemass so recently commemorated, Liam T. Cosgrave still happily with us and now with Jack Lynch's death, the contrast between then and now, between old standards and daily tribunal revelations is too stark to be missed.
In fact Drapier has noted a nostalgia for those days when the honesty and integrity of our leaders was taken for granted, when politics, though dull, was made respectable by those who led, and character counted.
There is an anger out there which is made all the sharper by the contrast with what went before. Drapier has no doubt that what the Americans call "character" will be a factor in the next election and, for once, being old-fashioned may not be a liability.
Drapier noted this week that some of the warmest tributes to Jack Lynch came from the opposition benches. For many in Fianna Fail the memory of how Jack Lynch was treated is still an embarrassment.
His stand on the arms crisis alienated many and some never forgave him for what was done then. Capt Jim Kelly was honest this week in what he said about Jack Lynch, and what he said publicly has long been said privately by many others.
For others, the undermining of Jack Lynch after 1977 marked a turning point in modern Fianna Fail - the rejection of Lynch's choice, George Colley, in favour of Charles Haughey was a rejection of Lynch's style and values - and the rest, as they say, is history.
This morning as Jack Lynch is laid to rest in his native Cork, where Drapier is certain the outpourings of grief, affection and respect will be enormous, we remember a simple man, a good man and above all a very decent patriot. We are thankful we had such a man and can only hope that his values and standards will reassert themselves.
Otherwise it was business as usual. We have almost forgotten about the North, but the signs from there are ominous. Drapier does not expect the war to resume, but the good work of the gardai in detecting the "Real" IRA guns and training ground this week is a clear indication that nothing can be taken for granted.
What Drapier does expect however is that the George Mitchell talks will fail, that George Mitchell will head back and that we will be left with a political stalemate. There is simply no way he can recreate the political hothouse atmosphere which made Good Friday possible, recapture the momentum generated by the two prime ministers or put implacable pressure on both sides to compromise.
All that is now gone and for the moment we are where we are, at one level so tantalisingly close to setting up the institutions, giving the politicians some real work to do and letting the rest of us get on with our own lives, and at another level as far as ever from the agreement as each side refuses to budge.
No budge yet but some small hope at least on the nurses' strike. Drapier has to repeat his praise for the way in which Brian Cowen is handling matters. He is in a nowin situation, but he has remained calm and reasonable in spite of some personalised abuse and nastiness.
The problem for Brian Cowen is that the nursing alliance is playing this battle by its own rules, while Cowen is locked into all sorts of national agreements. Even more difficult is the wave of public opinion which wants the nurses treated as a special case, while insisting on an orderly pay policy.
In any event Drapier is not going to take the easy option of attacking Brian Cowen. He has a hard job to do and in Drapier's view he is doing it well.
This is a strike that should never have happened. It is going to end in tragedy and will leave a legacy of bitterness. The tide of opinion may be on the nurses side just now, but one of the certainty of politics is that these tides can change, change radically and in a very short space of time.
Meanwhile the tribunals continue. The Catherine and Eileen saga played for much of the week. There is a huge irony in the spectacle of these two women, onetime friends, maybe friends still, Eileen Foy and Catherine But- ler, both well known and well liked in Leinster House, taking centre stage, being forced into unwanted publicity. Each is paying a high price for her loyalty and neither has much to show for it.
In other words, and not for the first time, it's the small people who are among the real casualties. And the extraordinary thing is that we are still less than halfway into either tribunal. Heaven only knows what is yet to come - but it will not get better or go away.
Finally this weekend, the by-election. The one certainty is that next Wednesday's poll will be a low one. Drapier has noted no great buzz of excitement but has detected occasional flashes of anger and more than one indication of disgust at the whole political scene - something which will keep many voters at home.
Those most likely to stay at home are traditional Fianna Fail supporters. That message is coming across loud and clear. Michael Mulcahy is well known and has fought a vigorous campaign, but the tribunals are a heavy load for any candidate to carry, manfully as Michael tries.
Mary Upton remains favourite. The memory of her brother Pat is strong, especially in the southern part of the constituency and she herself is a credible candidate. Catherine Byrne of Fine Gael is seen by her own party as a good authentic candidate, very much of her community and with a credible record in the local anti-drugs movement.
At the moment the bookies make her the outsider of the three main parties and who is going to gainsay the bookies who have installed Mary Upton as odds-on favourite?
Drapier expects it to be close between these three on the first count. The Sinn Fein candidate, Aengus O Snodaigh, will do well in the inner city but will be behind the big three. And after that it will be down to transfers.
On that basis Drapier goes with the bookies. A result very similar to Limerick East, but with a few nails bitten before it is all over.