Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

9th February 20269th February 2026

Northeast series: Boyneside Radio North at Easter

Boyneside Radio North was one of several satellite services of the main Drogheda station, aimed at listeners north of the border as far as Belfast. This was the most successful of the offshoot stations, broadcasting continuously from late summer 1982 to 31^st December 1988. The studios of Boyneside Radio North were located at Killeen, just south of the border, and AM and FM transmitters were situated on the border itself. There were local programmes from Killeen for long parts of the day, with the remainder of material relayed from Drogheda.

This recording of Boyneside Radio North was made on Easter Sunday 1988 and features an unidentified DJ with a mixture of pop and oldies. Requests are mostly from the Northern counties of Down and Armagh. Adverts feature businesses around the Newry area and an advertising promo contains Northern phone numbers. News at 1500 is read by Gerry Malone from Drogheda.

The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 1419-1508 on 3^rd April 1988 from the 106.1 FM transmitter located at Edentubber, just on the border. Boyneside Radio North also broadcast on 1233 kHz (244 metres) to Newry.

6th February 202631st January 2026

Solid Gold Sunday on Q102

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Solid Gold Sunday was a weekly show presented by popular DJ Jason Maine on Dublin station Q102 in the 1980s. This recording of the programme was made between Christmas and New Year 1987 and includes the usual mix of oldies along with Jason’s characteristic relaxed style. There’s also a promo for a show featuring the Top 40 of 1987, that will air during the festive season.

The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 102 FM between 1203-1249 on Sunday 27^th December 1987.

4th February 202631st January 2026

Early Cork series: Saturday evening on Radio City

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

This is another edition of the Saturday early evening show on Cork pirate Radio City in spring 1981. On air is Alan Edwards with a mixture of contemporary hits and oldies. Alan shares requests and an announcement from a listener who wants to sell a flight from Cork to London, a sign of the times when air travel was less restricted than now. There are more adverts than in other recordings from around this time, one of which is voiced by Eric Hansen (the well-known RTÉ presenter John Creedon).

The tape was made from 95.5 FM from 1700-1900 on Saturday 11^th April 1981 and is courtesy of Lilian O’Donoghue.

2nd February 202631st January 2026

Final Bee Bop Gold of 1987

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Bee Bop Gold was a hugely popular oldies show on Dublin pirate Sunshine 101 hosted by Nails Mahoney in the final part of the station’s 8-year period on air. This edition is the final such show of 1987 and features the customary mixture of oldies and short links. Sunshine was Dublin’s most popular pirate station by this time following a rebranding the previous year, but the new super-slick presentation style was formatted to within an inch of its life. This recording includes a promo for a £20,000 giveaway to a listener who could repeat the phrase ‘I listen to the red-hot sound of Sunshine 101’.

The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 100.5 FM between 0943-1029 on Sunday 27^th December 1987 from 0943-1029.

30th January 202624th January 2026

Operation Novacare a few days before the Nova raid

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Operation Novacare was one of various charity events organised by large Dublin pirate Radio Nova over its five years on air. Novacare 1983 consisted of an on-air auction of items donated by sponsors in aid of disability organisation the Irish Rehabilitation Institute (now Rehab). The aim was to buy a new minibus for the Institute. This recording features several Nova DJs and presenters such as Tony Garreth (Gareth O’Callaghan), Tom Hardy (RIP), Scott Williams, Bob Gallico (RIP), Greg Gaughren, Declan Meehan, Sybil Fennell, Colm Hayes and station owner Chris Cary (RIP). News is read by Bryan Dobson, who went on to a long career as a journalist with RTÉ.

The recording was made from 88.2 FM between 1404-1537 on Saturday 14^th May 1983. Four days later, Nova was raided by Gardaí and officials from the Department of Posts and Telegraphs. The tape is from the Leon Tipler Collection, donated to us by Steve England.