A tribute by Mark Oakeshott.

Except for those lucky people who are consistently good natured and caring, for the rest of us moody individuals (me included), there are events in life that inspire us to try to be permanently better people.

Unfortunately, those events often relate to an illness or loss of a friend or relative and we are suddenly jolted into realising that our impact on the world should be measured by a little more than our salary or sense of self-importance. We are often motivated to be nicer people for a short period, before we revert to type once again.

I recently had one of those ‘got you’ moments when I learned of the passing of Brian Carroll, the founder of the Household Moving Company in Dublin. Brian was not a high-profile personality in the international moving industry and to say he was a close friend would be an exaggeration. I did some project work for him a few years ago that lasted a little longer than we both expected but ended successfully.

Unlike some of us that achieved some notoriety by working for or inheriting a company that was built from the efforts of others, Brian was a true entrepreneur who grew his small but successful company from scratch - originally working from his home before transitioning to his own office and warehouse.

While I was working with him I was struck by his natural warmth and good humour, but more importantly by his complete dedication to his wife, young children, wider family, and friends. During our many business discussions, I remember that he talked to me enthusiastically about the larger house that he was buying, not motivated by any sense of vanity, but by the sincere belief that this would simply be a bigger and better place for his family to grow.

Brian died recently in his mid-forties having been diagnosed with a terminal illness just a few weeks before. Through the wonders of technology, I was able to join the funeral service and pay my respects virtually. Through the sadness of the occasion, I had to smile during his wife’s brave eulogy when she mentioned that the new home he purchased had been a complete surprise to her and the children.

I hope that my ‘got you’ moment will last longer than the usual New Year’s Resolution - the world needs more Brian Carrolls.

Photo: Brian Carroll.