MNH Radio Caroline Exhibition – ‘Pirates of the Irish Sea’

Manx National Heritage seeks your help for a new exhibition, planned for this summer at the House of Manannan.

2008 marks the 40th anniversary of the demise of Radio Caroline North, the offshore radio station which operated out of Ramsey Bay between 1964 and 1968. MNH will celebrate the Radio Caroline phenomenon with a special exhibition, ‘Pirates of the Irish Sea’, at the House of Manannan later this summer. If you can remember Radio Caroline and have any special memories of the station and its “stars” then Manx National Heritage would like to hear from you.

The MV Caroline was tended by vessels from Ramsey, which brought the DJs fresh food, water and other supplies. They also brought special guests out to the ship, including Jimmy Saville, and the Beatles.

The station’s address, ‘PO Box 3, Ramsey’ was the most written-to address in the north west of Britain, and the Isle of Man Post Office needed dedicated staff to handle the volume of mail flooding into the station.

In addition, many of the DJs were local celebrities. ‘Ugli’ Ray Teret owned a boutique on the Island, and Tom Lodge compeered acts at the Palace Lido.

Curator of Social History Matthew Richardson commented:

“Following the Marine Offences Act which outlawed Radio Caroline there were remarkable scenes in Ramsey harbour as Dave Lee Travis carried fellow DJ Tony Prince off the tender. A photo of this was later published in the Daily Mirror, but I wonder if anyone remembers the actual incident?”

If you have any memories or associations with Radio Caroline North, please contact Matthew Richardson at the Manx Museum on 648000 or e-mail Matthew.Richardson@mnh.gov.im.