I think there is no doubt about Noel being the old man from aCoS. The descriptions is almost identical. But why didn't Mat recognize him from aCoS? Well how would you feel if a house fell on your head and Mat have had allot on his mind lately.

Now Jains last name was Charin (lord Agelmar tells us that in tEotW) So they have the same last name, maybe he is a brother to Farstrider. We learn from the faq´s that Jain, at the start of TEOTW, would be 62-70 years old so Noal is to old to be his son.

Noal seems to have great survivor skills, he seem to see what other people miss. He claims to have been to Shara, recognizes Shadar Logoth, sees that Mat is ta´veren and tells a story about the time he sailed on a Sea Folk ship.
He is a natural storyteller, as good as a gleeman, according to Mat.

Noel tells a story about a land supposedly beyond the Aiel Waste, where women who could channel had tattooed faces. Hmmm…lets look what the guide says:
The Ayyad (channelers in Shara) are tattooed on their faces at birth.

Who else, but Jain Farstrider could know about that?

by Christian Källund