A Limerick priest has strongly criticised a decision by ComReg, the communications regulator, to put a popular pirate radio station off the air.
ComReg officials raided Radio Limerick One (RLO) last week, seizing equipment and preventing the station from broadcasting.
RLO has broadcast without a licence in the Limerick area for the past decade.
A frequent contributor to RLO, Fr Joe Young said yesterday that he was inundated with calls from tearful listeners mourning the loss of the station.
The well-known Limerick priest said he was "deeply hurt" by the closure of the station and that he and many others had lost their right to freedom of speech.
"This radio station has been an important lifeline for so many people who don't even get a chance to go outside their front doors.
"It was a way of making a small difference to elderly people, people suffering from depression, people with anxieties. I went on this radio station just to try and make people feel they were special. I am really very, very upset," said Fr Young.
Broadcasters at RLO have pledged to get the station back on air within a matter of days, but it is understood that several thousand euro worth of equipment was seized by ComReg.
A spokesman for ComReg said yesterday that legal proceedings are expected to be taken against RLO following last week's raid on the William Street premises.
"In order to broadcast you need a licence from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. People who broadcast illegally run the risk of prosecution," he said.
RLO has broadcast without a licence in Limerick since 1997. The station is particularly popular with elderly listeners.