Alan Edwards at Radio City in 1981 (courtesy Lilian O’Donoghue).
This is another recording of Cork pirate Radio City in summer 1981. First up is the end of the community association programme with Seán Collins, followed by Alan Edwards with his weekly early Saturday evening slot. Alan plays mostly chart hits including plenty of Irish tunes and some oldies thrown in. There are plenty of requests from listeners but few adverts. He is followed by Steve Douglas.
The recording was made from approximately 1700-1900 (with some edits) from 88.4 FM on Saturday 13th June 1981. Radio City also broadcast on 1512 kHz, announcing 199 metres. Thanks to Lilian O’Donoghue.
Radio Dublin Channel 2 was the first such offshoot service by an Irish pirate station, operating initially at weekends and then on a more full-time basis in parallel with the main station. Offering specialist output such as a rock show, country show and student programme, it was an alternative to the chart music focus of the original Channel 1, which continued to broadcast on 1188 kHz (253 metres). Channel 2 was initially on FM only but in recognition of the limited reach of that band at the time, soon added its own AM channel. One of the highlights of the Channel 2 service was the weekly FRC show presented by Gerard Roe, which updated anoraks about the pirate radio scene at home and abroad.
This recording begins with the first test broadcast of Radio Dublin Channel 2 on Saturday 26th April 1980, with John Everest on 90.2 MHz FM, while Kevin Barrett continues on medium wave. The airchecked recording switches back and forth between AM and FM in the course of the evening, and John Everest announces that the official launch will take place the following weekend. Kevin Barrett says Radio Dublin is making history in local radio in Ireland, being the only station with two separate channels. However there are plenty of teething problems during the Channel 2 test, and a link-up between the two channels is barely audible.
The test transmission is followed by the launch of Channel 2 a week later which begins with a few words from station owner Eamonn Cooke, followed by Martin Cullinane, who would later use the name Bob Conway on RTÉ 2FM. Teething problems continue with variable audio and bleed-through from Channel 1, which was a perennial problem on the parallel services. The airchecked recording begins shortly after 1600 and continues until the inaugural broadcast finishes at 1800. There is some uncertainty over the date of the launch due to confusing information on the cassette label, but it appears to have been on Saturday 3rd May 1980. The recording ends with the familiar Radio Dublin signature tune and jingles. Thanks to Ian Biggar for the donation.
Radio Dublin closed down permanently in 2002 following Eamonn Cooke’s conviction for sexually abusing children. He was jailed in 2003 and again in 2007 and died in 2016 while on temporary release. If you require support with this issue, you can contact the organisation One in Four.
Declan Meehan at the controls in the early days of Sunshine Radio (courtesy Ian Biggar).
This recording of popular DJ Declan Meehan on Sunshine Radio was made in summer 1982, as the north Dublin station approached its second birthday. Along with the usual mixture of contemporary hits and oldies, there’s mention of the ongoing World Cup tournament and the Sunshine Radio rock concert in Malahide Castle that evening. Commercial breaks include an advert for Tamango’s nightclub in the Sands Hotel in Portmarnock where Sunshine was based. There’s also a cash prize giveaway based on a car registration number. News is read by Siobhán Walls, who had previously worked in pirate radio in Cork. Declan Meehan would move to Sunshine’s great rival Radio Nova the following month.
The recording was made from 531 kHz between 1642-1727 on Friday 18th June 1982. After a wobbly start, audio quality is good. Thanks to Ian Biggar for the donation.
Jamie Roberts at Radio City in summer 1981 (courtesy Lilian O’Donoghue).
This recording of Cork pirate Radio City features Pat O’Rourke (Smurf) on a Saturday morning in summer 1981, followed by the start of Paul Cassidy’s show. The recording begins around 1020 but is partially airchecked. Paul announces 189 metres (1584 kHz) but this is likely to be a mistake as there is no log of Radio City on that frequency although by July 1981 it had moved to 1243 kHz, announcing 240 metres. The second half features Jamie Roberts with his Midnight Serenade show.
The tape was made from 88.4 FM on 13th June 1981 and is courtesy of Lilian O’Donoghue.
Magic 103 was an offshoot of Dublin super-pirate Radio Nova, set up as an information and easy listening music service for the city. Its first full day was 29th April 1985 but it closed only five months later on 22nd September, citing financial difficulties. However, the station was also embroiled in the ongoing dispute between Nova boss Chris Cary and the National Union of Journalists, which eventually contributed to Nova’s demise in 1986.
This recording was made shortly after Magic 103 launched and features a lunchtime show presented by Dave Johnson (Andrew Hanlon), who also reads ABC Network News, simulcast on Radio Nova. The music is a mixture of easy listening, oldies and country and listeners call in for chat and requests. There are regular references to an audition for new presenters for a kids’ programme called Magic Hullabaloo taking place at Magic headquarters at 144 Upper Leeson Street. Many of the hopefuls are invited into studio, including one who already hosts a show on Community Radio Fingal in north Dublin. The kids’ enthusiasm and knowledge about radio provides an interesting insight to the popularity of the medium among 1980s teenagers in Dublin, but the music is definitely not aimed at them. The recording also includes sports results read by Aidan Cooney.
The recording was made from 103.5 FM on Saturday 18th May 1985. Part 1 above is from 1203-1335 and Part 2 below from 1336-1508.
Both recordings are from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.
