I first met Martin Ryan in the offices of Moss Technology in the late eighties. In those early days Martin was based in a small area on the upper floor of an old Georgian building. As those of you who know him will know, even in those early days he was a well seasoned salesman: You had to work hard for your order.
Ever since that day I came to know Martin as a man of great character—a man from the old school of salesmanship who knew the value of loyalty and application, and made sure anybody who worked for him or around him respected these values. Jonathan Moss had chosen a business partner very well indeed.
To this day I can’t imagine Moss Technology getting to where it is now without him. Martin drove Moss Technology to become one of the foremost indigenous technology companies in Ireland. He fought for every order there was to be had and made sure that his customers were at the centre of the Moss Technology business.
Martin and I would meet by accident in the local Macdonald’s from time to time; these lunches were great value. Schooled in the MJ Flood academy of photocopier salesmanship, he often reminisced about the great days, of big deals and tough sales managers. With an incredible nose for the industry news of the day he would extract from me what was going on in town and as quick as a flash, lay three or four red hot news bites on me in his own distinctly witty manner.
It was at one such ‘Macker’ meeting that we discovered that one of Martin’s passions was PC games. The next issue of PC Live! carried, as far as I know, Martin’s very first published piece. As with the man himself, his writing was always insightful, witty and straight to the point—never pulling any punches. Up until recently, Martin wrote at least one game review each month for PC Live!
In May 1999 I bumped into Martin in Barcelona outside the Manchester United team’s hotel. He had a ticket to see United play the Champions League Final in the Nou Camp. What a night! We did not meet after the match but later that week spoke in excited voices of the pain and joy of what must be the most surreal night of any football supporter’s life.
Martin often remarked on how some people in the computer trade were always going on like they were your long lost friend. Once remarking that if somebody kicks the bucket or gets out of the ‘IT game’, nobody ever misses them or gives a damn. You were wrong Martin—you will be sorely missed.
On behalf of all at Scope Communications and the computer industry, I wish to extend our deepest sympathies to Martin’s family, friends and colleagues in Moss Technology.
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