Mark Andrew Ireland

 

He was my North, my South, my East and West,  
My working week and my Sunday rest, 
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song. 
I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong. 

 

The cruel winds of January took a brilliant light from this world.  A quiet man of grace, humour, intelligence and passion, a man who lived and breathed creativity, curiosity, and love, was taken from us, his family and friends, on January 21, 2026. 

Mark Andrew Ireland was born in Derby, England, on November 13, 1968.  Mark was first and foremost a family man.  He loved me and our son, Tristan, with a passion and strength that knew no bounds.  He always made sure we knew how proud he was of our accomplishments and how important we were in his life.   

Mark’s mother, Pauline, and sister, Sarah, were much loved and cherished by him.  Mark was so happy to be able to spend his last days with them by his side.  On our last visit to England, Mark and I were able to meet Sarah’s partner, Tony, who we quickly grew to love. 

Mark was a Renaissance man.  He was an avid reader, a painter, a woodworker, a writer, a trivia master, a singer, guitar and ukulele player, pianist, and songwriter.  He had an insatiable curiosity and a total lack of fear about trying something new or difficult.  There never seemed to be enough time in the day to do all the things he wanted to do.  Despite his fear of flying, Mark loved to travel and throughout his life he visited numerous countries including Iceland, Spain, Morocco, France, Australia, United States, and of course Canada. Our favourite trips together were back home to the UK where we discovered a love of ocean travel on the Queen Mary 2.  

 Many people thought Mark was a shy, quiet person who would often sit looking at his phone while events took place around him.  But once you got to know him, you discovered a brilliant mind, a playful and quick wit, an activist and fighter, and a man who loved hard and strongly. Those who knew him delighted in his many talents including his humour, his writing, his paintings and woodworking, his music, and his cooking. 

After completing high school, Mark made the first of many moves away from home by attending the University of Swansea. This was the first major turning point in Mark’s life.  Mark found a group of lifelong friends, including Peter, who would become his best friend.  All avid mountaineers, the group formed a rambling club that would soon become famous through Mark’s Fantasy Mountaineering Gazette. Peter arrived to be with Mark and his family on the final evening before he died, representing this important group of friends. We were blessed to have him with us for the week following while we tried to deal with our collective disbelief and grief.

Following university, Mark took a job with a surveying company that moved him to Scotland and to locations such as London, Horsham, Cowfold and Swindon. However, nothing stopped him from keeping in touch with friends and driving for hours for a quick weekend of climbing and camping, often arriving directly from work still in his suit and tie. 

One fateful evening with Pete, Mark explored the idea of travelling to Canada.  Before he knew it, Pete had helped him book a seat on the Canadian, the cross-Canada train from Toronto to Vancouver, while sister Sarah booked his flights.  It was at this point that the second major turning point took place in Mark’s life - he met me.  A whirlwind romance that began on the train, before returning to the UK was followed by a quick return to Canada for New Year’s 1999, and our fates were sealed.  

Mark immigrated to Canada in 1999 and lived in the West End of Vancouver before moving to Port Moody.  It was at this time that Mark found employment with the company he was to work for over 20 years, Safe Software.  At Safe, Mark found a place to use his knowledge, creativity, and passion in a variety of roles over the years.  During his time at Safe, he completed his master’s degree and also became a proud member of the Royal Geographic Society.  Mark worked with incredible colleagues and friends, and Tristan and I are so very grateful to them all, particularly Dale, Don, and Bonnie who have held us up during this difficult time.

In July 2003, Mark and I married at Brooksby College near his hometown of Melton Mowbray in England.  Family and friends from Canada joined family and friends from the UK in a wonderful celebration.   

On May 22, 2004, we welcomed our incredible son, Tristan, into the world.  Terrified, beyond happy, and amazed, we watched this small being grow into a bright, confident, and determined young man.  Mark was never prouder than this past year watching his son excel at university and make wonderful new friends.  Tristan knows how important his university plans were to his dad and will continue to honour his wishes to go forward as far as he can with his studies. 

We will be celebrating Mark with a wake in the warmer summer months, both in Killarney and in Melton Mowbray.  For anyone wanting to remember Mark, please consider donating to one of the two important organizations he loved in Killarney - the Killarney Turtle Mountain Arts Council (Box 1569) where he volunteered tirelessly or the Killarney and Area Food Bank (Box 193) where he served as a board member.