Anybody with an interest in Irish athletics will suffer the loss of Noel Carroll. His unique contribution to everything that's good about the sport will endure, yet his passing leaves a distinctly vacant role that may never be filled.

John Treacy's first tribute was to Noel the runner: "I'll always remember watching Noel as a kid and his great races over 800 metres, especially the British AAA championships, and that he offered so much to aspire towards.

Then to Noel the coach: "You can't measure his enormous contribution to the sport in this country, whether it was with the stopwatch in Belfield or the dedication he showed to the young lads at UCD. He was the last person that you'd ever expect this to happen to - he was always a great example of how you should live."

Eamonn Coghlan followed Carroll by taking a scholarship at Villanova University, the Philadelphia training ground of so many Irish champions. "It was Noel who gave me the most useful advice about going to America. I will always remember his ability to come from way back in the home straight to win races. "One of my own outstanding memories is when I won my first national 800 metre title in 1974 ahead of Noel and he came up to me afterwards, delighted that I had beaten him. That was a real turning point for me and here was my hero offering congratulations. From that day on Noel would always ring me to say well done after winning races in America and around Europe."

Carroll helped develop the scholarship system at UCD in 1992. David Matthews and James Nolan have proven it's possible to make the grade at home but that would not have been possible without Carroll's commitment as coach and mentor. "He was a great motivator and a great person," said Nolan. "He was there for everything - not just the coaching.

The sporting charity GOAL was also coming to terms with the loss of the man who gave far more than his time should have allowed.