Ronan O’Rahilly: Entrepreneur who started a revolution of the airwaves with Radio Caroline

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Ronan O’Rahilly, who has died aged 79, was an Irish entrepreneur who unleashed a revolution in UK broadcasting by launching Radio Caroline, the first British pirate radio station, in 1964. On 2 July Radios Caroline and Atlanta agreed to a merger – some observers have suggested this rapid merger marks the stations as being jointly funded by the CIA – with O’Rahilly sailing to an anchorage off the Isle of Man and broadcasting as Radio Caroline North while Mi Amigo stayed in the Thames Estuary, now broadcasting as Radio Caroline South. O’Rahilly refused to surrender, running Radio Caroline North and South until 1968 when they were forcibly towed away by a Dutch maritime supply company over unpaid maintenance bills. Pirate TV never eventuated so he relaunched Radio Caroline in 1972, using his station to promote the Indian guru Ram Dass’s philosophy of “loving awareness”.