Irishman Ronan O’Rahilly, the founder of the celebrated pirate radio station Radio Caroline, has died at the age of 79.
Mr O’Rahilly revolutionised commercial radio in 1964 when he set up Radio Caroline outside UK territorial waters and broadcast to the mainland.
The station, which played the pop artists of the day, broke the monopoly that the BBC had on radio in the UK.
At the time BBC did not take the pop and rock music revolution seriously and only broadcast an hour a week of pop music programme.
The setting up of Radio Caroline inspired the 2009 Richard Curtis film, The Boat that Rocked.
Mr O’Rahilly came from a wealthy background. His parents owned the private port of Greenore which allowed him to fit out a ship (Mi Amigo) to broadcast.
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In addition to Afloat's coverage of the 50th anniversary when Radio Caroline North (on the Irish Sea) also went on air to became part of 60's pop culture.
The floating station involved the ship Caroline which anchored some three miles offshore of Ramsey Harbour in the north-east of the Isle of Man.
