Ronan O'Rahilly

Aodogán Ronan O'Rahilly (21 May 1940 – 20 April 2020) was an Irish businessman best known for the creation of the offshore radio station, Radio Caroline. He also became manager of George Lazenby, who played James Bond in one film.

Biography Background O'Rahilly was born in Dublin, the third of five children.

O'Rahilly described himself as a rebel who had been expelled from school seven times.

London club scene Before he founded Radio Caroline, O'Rahilly started training in method acting in London, frequented nightclubs and became acquainted with such entertainment industry figures as Giorgio Gomelsky and Simon Dee. and helped to persuade the Animals to move to London. Alan Price said of O'Rahilly: "Ronan knew how things were done; he was very hip, he really fancied himself, but he had a lot of 'get up and go' and verve. He helped to launch the Animals". The idea for the station was based partly on a plan by Australian music publisher Allan Crawford (who had spent almost two years planning the launch of Radio Atlanta) and also on Radio Veronica, which had been broadcasting off the Netherlands since 1960. Radio Caroline was largely funded by financier John Sheffield (great uncle of Samantha Cameron) and Carl Ross (creator of the Ross fishery frozen food business and grandfather of David Ross, the co-founder of Carphone Warehouse) and publisher Jocelyn Stevens. In 1965, the Caroline and Atlanta companies merged under the Radio Caroline name, their two ships giving greater coverage of the United Kingdom.

Broadcasts ceased in 1968, the ships' operations having been hampered by UK legislation in the previous year, which also saw new competition from the BBC's Radio 1. O'Rahilly was involved in the reappearance of Radio Caroline in several forms during the 1970s and 1980s. Of this advice, Roger Moore wrote in his autobiography, My Word Is My Bond, "George took some bad advice [...], and that he himself would never last beyond one more film in the role. He decided to get out while his fame was riding high and refused to sign the seven-picture contract Cubby and Harry waved under his nose. I knew George then and have met him many times since. He admits he made a mistake." O'Rahilly also appeared in Lazenby's film Universal Soldier where both men were credited as executive producers.

O'Rahilly briefly managed the American rock band MC5 in the early 1970s. Later in the decade, claiming that people "found it easier to talk about hate than love", and influenced by spiritual leader Ram Dass, he developed the philosophy of "Loving Awareness", which was then heavily promoted on Caroline. In 1976 an album of songs based on the concept was recorded by the Loving Awareness Band, a group assembled by O'Rahilly for the purpose. Several members of the band went on to form the Blockheads.

In 2012, O'Rahilly was diagnosed with vascular dementia and returned to live in County Louth, Ireland, in sight of the port of Greenore where Radio Caroline was "born" in the 1960s. He lived in a nursing home at Carlingford.

Personal life O'Rahilly married Catherine Hamilton-Davies in 1993. After his dementia diagnosis, he lived in County Louth with Inês Rocha Trindade.