An undated photo of Tony, possibly from the early Sunshine days (courtesy Marisa Dixon).
The late Tony Dixon’s 3-hour Saturday Soul slot on Dublin pirate Sunshine Radio gained a big following in the 1980s. Here he is from 1985 with the usual laid-back mix and requests and dedications. News is read by Kate McLean and a commercial break contains a promo for the Sunshine girls who are giving away £25 cash prizes in public places.
The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made on Saturday 2nd November 1985 from 101.5 FM between 1803-1935.
The Crofton Airport Hotel where Radio 257 was located (courtesy Noel Hiney).
This is another recording made by English anoraks Leon Tipler in summer 1980 during one of his frequent visits to Dublin to document the Irish pirate radio scene. From AM, it includes clips of Radio City from Capel Street in the city centre. Logs from that year mention Radio City slightly off channel on 1164 kHz. The adverts for businesses in the Capel Street area are voiced by the late Tony Allan. There are also snippets of Southside Radio on 999 kHz, Big D on 1116 kHz and Radio Dublin on 1188 kHz with plenty of distortion. From FM, we heard adverts and news from RTÉ Radio 1 followed by the start of the Gay Byrne Show and part of the Ronan Collins show on Radio 2.
The recording concludes with a longer clip of Jason Maine on the Radio 257 drivetime show, including a holiday giveaway to the Isle of Man and plenty of adverts. 257 news at 1700 is sponsored by the Weekend Star newspaper. The tape was made on 29th July 1980 and is from the Leon Tipler Collection, donated to us by Steve England.
Radio Dublin banner from 1977 (courtesy Ian Biggar).
This recording is of what was billed as the final broadcast by Radio Dublin following a raid in February 1977 that led to most of the station’s equipment being confiscated. In a publicity stunt that would be repeated by future pirate stations, Radio Dublin returned to the air with a fanfare in order to sign off for the last time. Paul Downey is at the helm and says that they are using borrowed equipment to bid farewell to listeners because ‘the powers that be’ want them silenced. He also urges people to write to the Department of Posts and Telegraphs to demand that Radio Dublin be licensed.
February 1977 was by no means the end of Radio Dublin, which had its equipment returned in June 1977 after a court case found a flaw in the 1926 act. The station in fact extended its hours over the summer and in September held a marathon 36-hour broadcast that broke the mould for pirate radio in Dublin, leading to a shift from hobby operators to full-time broadcasters. Dr Don would leave Radio Dublin in June 1977 to set up his own station ARD.
This recording was made by Kieran Murray from 1187 kHz AM, announcing 253 metres, on 27th February 1977 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. Audio quality is mixed given the rudimentary technical set-up and passage of time since the cassette was recorded.
Energy logo from a newspaper advert in 1986 (Anoraks Ireland Collection).
On the August bank holiday weekend 1986, Dublin pirate Energy 103 broadcast the Listeners’ Top 100. Presented by Gareth O’Callaghan, the marathon broadcast lasted the entire day and was based on phone votes from listeners. News on the hour is read by Cathy Kelly.
The tape was made from 103 FM between From 1540-1628 and 1636-1724 on Monday 4th August 1986 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.
Some of the Leon Tipler cassettes from 1980 in the Pirate.ie collection.
This recording consists of a selection of snippets from radio as heard in Dublin in summer 1980 by English anorak Leon Tipler on one of his many visits to Ireland. These and other recordings were the raw material for his acclaimed documentary series The Irish Pirates. Tipler tunes up and down the AM band and comes across items such as a legal advice slot on Radio 257 from the Crofton Airport Hotel, Radio Dublin with DJ Lee and various clips of the Big D, including the 6pm news bulletin. Some UK stations are also received on AM.
Of note from the pirates is an advert for the Stardust nightclub, which was destroyed in February 1981 in a devastating fire in which 48 people died. There is also an advert for Tamango’s nightclub at the Sands Hotel in Portmarnock, later to be home of Sunshine Radio. On the relatively empty FM band are RTÉ Radio 1, Radio 2 and Raidió na Gaeltachta. The 6.30am opening of Radio 1 is heard with the O’Donnell Abú interval signal and an early music show presented by Eileen Dunne, who would go on to become one of the station’s main newsreaders. Radio 2 DJs in the recording include Jim O’Neill and Dave Fanning.
The recording was made on and around 29th July 1980 and is from the Leon Tipler Collection, donated to us by Steve England.
