Declan James Ganley (born 23 July 1968) is an English-born Irish entrepreneur, businessman, and political activist. He was the founder and leader of the Irish branch of the eurosceptic Libertas Party.
Primarily a telecommunications entrepreneur, Ganley has built businesses across the European Union, Russia and latterly, the United States. Notably, he co-founded Broadnet, a company which rolled out internet and telecoms services across the European Union in the late 1990s. In 1999, after the award of 42 German licences to Broadnet, the Irish Independent valued Broadnet at $875m. Ganley later sold his shares to Comcast for an undisclosed sum.
As of 2022, he is the chairman and CEO of Rivada Networks, a telecommunications company specialising in the use and arbitrage of wireless spectrum. Rivada has patented technologies in the field of dynamic spectrum arbitrage. In 2013, Ganley testified that Rivada's patents had the potential to "save the taxpayer hundreds of millions of dollars". He founded and sold companies in forestry and the online sector.
During the 2008 Irish referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon, Ganley and the Libertas Institute successfully campaigned for a "No" vote, which was overturned in a second referendum. He campaigned for a "No" vote in the 2012 Irish European Fiscal Compact referendum. He has guest-presented Tonight with Vincent Browne.
In 2009, Ganley founded and became chairman of Libertas, a political party with pan-European ambitions. The party was unsuccessful in the 2009 European Parliament Election, succeeding in getting only one candidate elected, in France. Ganley was upbeat after the defeat, describing the venture as a failed experiment.
Early life Ganley was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, to Irish emigrant parents. He returned to Ireland with his parents to live in Glenamaddy, County Galway, at the age of 13. After leaving school in 1987, Ganley has been involved in business ventures selling Russian aluminium, and in the Latvian forestry sector.
In the early 1990s, Ganley founded Kipelova Forestry Enterprises, which became one of the largest forestry companies in the Russian Federation.CNBC Profile of Declan Ganley; retrieved 2 November 2008"Declan Ganley – The King of 45,000 Albanian ShareHolders" , Albanian Canadian League Information Service; accessed 20 March 2014. Ganley sold the company in 1997. In 1996, his company Ganley International founded the Anglo-Adriatic Investment Fund, an Albanian financial fund formed to collect and invest privatisation vouchers. Following political upheaval and several changes of government, the Albanian government ceased its planned privatisation programmes, and the fund became dormant. He formed a company called Liberty Mobile that made two unsuccessful bids, in partnership with Qualcomm, to obtain mobile telecoms operator licences in Iraq from the Coalition Provisional Authority.
Ganley has investments in joint ventures with Nana Pacific, an Alaska Native Regional Corporations with special US Government contracting access. This joint venture was structured with the help of business partners Jack Shaw and Don DeMarino. The partnership eventually led to the creation of Ganley's current company, Rivada Networks, and the joint venture company Rivada Pacific formed 49%/51% with Nana Pacific."Declan Ganley's Alaskan Pals", The Phoenix , 5 September 2008.
Business life
Ganley received the Louisiana Distinguished Service Medal for his work during Hurricane Katrina, where Rivada's emergency deployable communications systems were credited by state and federal officials with dramatically improving communications between emergency response organisations, and saving countless lives.
Ganley served as the chairman on the Forum on Public Safety in Europe & North America, 2005–2006. He was an advisor on "technology and terrorism" to the Club De Madrid. In 2008, Ganley accepted the Czech Republic's Michal Tosovsky Prize on behalf of the Irish electorate. He has been an occasional analyst on CNBC's Squawk Box Europe. He has made occasional TV appearances and radio broadcasts in Ireland, occasionally with partner Constantin Gurdgiev.
As of 2022, he is the CEO and chairman of Rivada Networks, a US-based firm specialising in the provision of telecommunications systems to the military, police and emergency services in disaster situations.
Ganley has written about the future of mobile spectrum and bandwidth for the Sunday Independent.
On 14 March 2013, Ganley represented Rivada Networks in testimony to the US House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, for the hearing entitled "Oversight of FirstNet and Emergency Communications".Oversight of FirstNet and Emergency Communications, p. 107, , One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, First Session, 14 March 2013; accessed 20 March 2014.
In May 2011, Ganley set up a Swiss finance fund, St. Columbanus AG, along with businessmen Constantin Gurdgiev and Andrew Jamieson, which was billed as a "safe haven" for Irish funds from European banks."Ganley firm to help clients put money in Swiss banks" by Donal O'Donovan, The Independent, 11 May 2011; accessed 20 March 2014.
In March 2022, Ganley launched Rivada Space Networks GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rivada Networks that plans to launch 600 low Earth orbit satellites interconnected with laser links to form a single global mesh network in space, termed the "Outernet". Ganley dismissed concerns about an oversupply of low Earth orbit satellites and the problems associated with space debris.
In 2024, Ganley was threatened with jail time or a fine for failing to appear before a New York court in relation to payments that were to be made to David Shuman, a shareholder in Rivada Networks.
Political life
Views on the European Union Ganley advocates a Federal Europe, with directly elected office holders representing the people and holding the currently unelected EU Commission to account.
Views on abortion Ganley has described himself as "avowedly pro-life", and actively supports anti-abortion causes in Ireland. In July 2013, he spoke at the Dublin Rally for Life.
In 2018, Ganley actively and unsuccessfully campaigned for a "No" vote in that year's abortion referendum.
Libertas Ganley was the founder and chairman of Libertas, a short-lived European political party, and was a candidate for Libertas in the 2009 European Parliament election in North-West Ireland. Libertas started in 2006 as a lobby group campaigning for a No-vote to the Lisbon Treaty in the Irish Referendum 12 June 2008, and evolved into a pan-European political movement. Libertas ran candidates in 20 European countries for the 2009 European Parliament election. In Rome, on 1 May 2009, Libertas held its first Party Congress. Libertas's political policies called for greater levels of democracy, transparency, and accountability within the EU, as well as a twenty-five-page alternative to the Lisbon Treaty. Libertas was revealed to have spent over €5.6 million on campaigning against passage of the Lisbon Treaty in its second referendum, which led Minister of State for European Affairs Dick Roche to state that Libertas were not transparent about their spending on campaigning against the Lisbon Treaty.
The origin of the Party's funding has been questioned."Rivada Networks not funding Libertas 'no' campaign", The Independent, 20 May 2008. Ganley revealed that he personally loaned the party €200,000 for the Lisbon Treaty Campaign. In 2008, the European Union was reported to ask US Congress about Libertas funding. Gay Mitchell, Irish MEP, questioned whether the Libertas's €1.3 million budget was backed by the CIA or the US military - a claim Ganley and many others openly mocked.Fionnan Sheahan, "Anti-treaty group denies getting funding through US military links: Head of anti-Lisbon Treaty campaign group Libertas, Declan Ganley denies any CIA link to the source of his €1.3m funding", The Independent, 3 June 2008. Ganley has never provided exact details on the source of funding.
In May 2009, Irish public broadcaster RTÉ ran a Prime Time profile of Ganley. In response, he stated he would launch "significant and extensive legal action against RTÉ and Prime Time"."Declan Ganley plans to sue RTÉ", RTÉ News, 21 May 2009. Ganley began legal proceedings in December 2011."Ganley takes legal action over RTÉ's Prime Time report" by Niamh Horan,The Independent, 18 December 2011; accessed 20 March 2014. An opinion piece published by Bruce Arnold in the Irish Independent claimed Ganley was the victim of a government organised smear campaign.Bruce Arnold, "Declan Ganley is the victim of a shameful smear campaign", The Independent, 14 February 2009.
In 2020, Ganley settled the case with RTE for an undisclosed sum, which he said was "substantial", and RTE issued an apology.
In May 2009, Arnold produced a 156-page book with Ganley, and 100,000 copies in various languages were to be subsequently distributed across Europe by Ganley.John Drennan, "Ganley to publish his 'vision' in new book", The Independent, 3 May 2009; accessed 20 March 2014.
In January 2013, Ganley received an apology and a nominal €50 donation to a charity in an out of court settlement over a defamatory Twitter comment made about him."Declan Ganley receives apology after reaching settlement over defamatory tweet", RTÉ News, 8 January 2013; accessed 20 March 2014. That same month, he agreed to pay expenses of failed Libertas candidate Raymond O'Malley."Declan Ganley forced to pay €35,000 expenses after being sued by failed Libertas candidate" by Ray Managh, The Independent, 16 January 2013; accessed 20 March 2014.
Candidacy to the European Parliament On 14 March 2009, at a press interview Ganley announced his candidacy for the European Parliament, for Libertas in the North-West constituency. Until 1 May 2009, Ganley travelled all over Europe to campaign against the Lisbon Treaty, and helped local Libertas branches. On 1 May 2009, Libertas held its first Party Congress and afterwards he focused his campaign on the North-West constituency, canvassing, attending public speeches and debates and appearing on radio and TV. One week after he launched his election campaign, incumbent MEP Jim Higgins branded Ganley a "puppet of the US military". In a pre-election opinion poll Ganley polled 9% of first preference votes in the North-West Constituency. On 8 June 2009, Ganley polled over 13% but did not gain a seat in the European Parliament. Ganley then announced his withdrawal from politics.
Second Lisbon Treaty referendum
In September 2009, Ganley announced he would campaign against the second referendum to ratify the Lisbon Treaty."Ganley attacks Yes campaign's 'half-truths'" by Deaglán de Bréadún and Eithne Donnellan, The Irish Times, 14 September 2009; retrieved 16 September 2009. He took part in a televised debate, where he argued with the head of Ryanair, Michael O'Leary, who was campaigning in favour of the treaty.
Personal life As of 2010, Ganley lived in Abbeyknockmoy, Galway with his American-born wife, Delia Mary Ganley (née Paterek) and their four children, on a 40-acre Moyne Park Mansion, previously home to Scottish folk singer Donovan."The naïve child who became Mr No", The Independent, 26 May 2012; accessed 20 March 2014.
He served for more than two decades in the Irish Army Reserve, as a gunner with the 54th Reserve Field Artillery Regiment.
See also Broadnet Holdings BV Anglo Adriatic Investment Fund SA Adornis.com
References
External links ACLIS profile: Declan J. Ganley RTÉ Irish National TV Primetime Special Investigates "Profile Declan Ganley" broadcast, 27 November 2008 Some contracts awarded to Rivada Pacific by U.S. Government Irische EU-Kritiker rüsten sich für die Europawahl TanPortal News: Declan J. Ganley & Albania