Wonderland Radio Archives - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

1st September 20231st September 2023

Midday Miscellany on Wonderland Radio

Wonderland Radio was the community station for the large suburb of Tallaght in southwest Dublin, broadcasting from 1984 to the end of 1988. Its promotional material used the strapline ‘Tallaght Community Broadcasting’ and the station changed its name to Tallaght Community Radio in the summer of 1986. Wonderland/Tallaght Community Radio was a member of the National Association of Community Broadcasters that lobbied for the licensing of non-commercial radio stations throughout the decade. Many of those involved in the pirate station set up the licensed Tallaght FM (1999-2008).

This tape from 1984 features part of the Midday Miscellany programme. The unidentified presenter shares recipes, a community notebook and a segment on mental health. There are promos for a small adverts slot and the Tallaght People of the Year Awards. Audio quality is fair to poor in places with over-modulation of the signal and variable audio levels. Some splatter is heard also, presumably from the powerful Manx Radio signal on the the neighbouring 1368 kHz frequency, which would have been strong at the reception location.

The recording was made from 1359 kHz, announcing 220 metres, on 15^th August 1984 from 1215-1302. It is from the Skywaves Tapes Collection. Radio Skywave International was a 1980s shortwave station broadcasting from Baldoyle in northeast Dublin.

11th May 202013th December 2022

Wonderland Radio from Tallaght in Dublin

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Wonderland Radio was a community station broadcasting to the suburb of Tallaght in southwest Dublin from 1984 to 1988. According to local newspaper The Tallaght Echo, it was launched on the 12th of May 1984. One of those involved in setting up the station was the late Fr. Joe Cullen, a Dominican priest from Tallaght and Wonderland is yet another example of a community pirate established after the departure of RTÉ’s local radio experiment from the area. The address for most of Wonderland’s existence was a cottage at 3 Greenhills Road but it famously broadcast from the back of an ambulance at one stage. Wonderland was first noted by Anoraks UK on their Ireland tour in October 1984 and is logged a few times on 1359 kHz/220 metres over the following year although the signal on the west coast of England suffered from splatter from Manx Radio on 1368 kHz.

Wonderland’s promotional material used the strapline ‘Tallaght Community Broadcasting’ and changed its name to Tallaght Community Radio in the summer of 1986. The station continued until the end of 1988 on both AM and FM (91.8 MHz) and as the advert below illustrates, shared the ethos of other community broadcasters such as BLB and NDCR. ‘TCR’ was not supposed to be used on air because the full title emphasised the station’s community credentials. Wonderland and Tallaght Community Radio were also popular with radio anoraks because of the Friday night Free Radio Show hosted by Bernard Evans from late 1986. Many of those involved in the station went on to set up the licensed Tallaght FM which was on air from 1999 to 2008. Thanks to Ralph McGarry and Bernard Evans for assistance with research.

This recording from 1206-1252 on 11th December 1985 features the American-sounding presenter John Gummin (possibly an on-air name) with a mixed contemporary and 1960s music style. The recording is from the Skywave Tapes Collection. Skywave Radio International broadcast a shortwave station in the 1980s from Baldoyle in northeast Dublin.

31st December 201811th May 2020

Interview: Ralph McGarry

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Walter Hegarty talks to Ralph McGarry about his memories of visiting Wonderland Radio/Tallaght Community Radio as a teenager in the 1980s. Ralph then describes how he worked in the 1990s pirates before becoming involved in the licensed community station Tallaght FM which went on the air in 1999.