20.04.2021

Pat Joseph O'Carroll 1944-2021

We have received the sad news that Pat (Paddy) Joseph O'Carroll, owner of London, UK, based Millennium Crane Hire has died.

He passed away peacefully in London on April 18 surrounded by members of his family, he was 78. He was born and grew up on a farm in Knockanure, North Kerry and was quite the sportsman in his early years, being an All Ireland champion in weight throwing as well as a Kerry footballer with the North Kerry Minors.

His life changed when he met Phil Donovan, the two became friends, and in moved to London in the 1960s to take part in the construction boom that was increasingly dominated by Irish nationals. The two started out by installing floors into buildings, but then contribute £200 each towards buying their first crane and went on to set up London based Millennium Crane Hire. O’Carroll even built his own crane on a truck chassis that he purchased second hand.
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Pat O’Carroll

A friend Johnny Byrne said: “Paddy worked on his dad’s farm growing up. His father was quite a progressive farmer for those times, owning one of the very first grey Ferguson tractors back in 1947. They also had a car on the farm, so Paddy was introduced to machinery from a very early age. Pat was adaptable and resilient, with a deep knowledge of every aspect of the construction business.

Another friend, Denis Nolan added: “Pat was always a can do person. You could ring him any time, at two in the morning if needs be, and tell him you needed a crane urgently the next day. Somehow Pat would get it done, with certificates, permits, the whole lot. You could get a crane off him like catching a London bus. His experience was phenomenal, so that helped him perform near miracles.”
“He built not one business but two but staying as down to earth as you can get. One of Knockanure’s finest, without a doubt.”

He leaves behind his wife Anne children Pamela, Miranda and Francis