Why was Edward Irving important to Thomas Carlyle?

Edward Irving was a pivotal figure in the life of Thomas Carlyle, serving as one of the few individuals to whom the essayist offered his complete admiration and affection. The two met in 1816 while both were teaching in Kirkcaldy, and their friendship provided Carlyle with a profound sense of human connection during his formative years.1

Carlyle famously remarked on the depth of this bond, stating, "But for Irving, I had never known what communion of man with man means". Beyond their personal friendship, Irving also played a significant role in Carlyle's social life; it was through Irving that Carlyle met Jane Welsh, who had been one of Irving’s pupils and later became Carlyle’s wife.12