Open Free Radio Archive
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This is recording of the weekly Top 30 show on early Cork pirate Radio City. The DJ is Noel Evans (Welch) and the programme was recorded from a new FM frequency of 88.4 MHz. It is partially airchecked and was made from between 1755-1900 on Wednesday 20th May 1981. Thanks to Lilian O’Donoghue for the donation.
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This is another recording of Dublin pirate Sunshine Radio during its first summer on air in 1981. It begins with Tony Dixon (RIP) with music in the laid-back and soul style that was so associated with him on Sunshine. Tony is followed by what appears to be a live concert by Irish singer Chris de Burgh.
The tape was made from 531 kHz AM, announcing 539 metres, from 1933-2018 on Sunday 19th July. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.
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The Dublin pirate Sunshine Radio marked its first summer on air in 1981. In this recording from a sunny Saturday afternoon that year, first up is Tom Hardy (RIP) with the Sunshine Survey chart countdown. He is followed by Jim Kenny with the Golden Oldies Session. Radio Nova had just gone on the air, beginning a period of great rivalry between the two big stations. Sunshine would survive until the end, not closing until 30th December 1988.
The tape was made from 531 kHz AM, announcing 539 metres, from 1443-1529 on Saturday 11th July. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.
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This recording contains excerpts of shows by various DJs on Cork pirate Radio City in early summer 1981. First up is Carl Johnson (Dan Noonan), who hands over to Alan Edwards on his weekly Saturday evening slot. We hear most of Alan’s show, which includes a letter from Radio City super-fan Lilian McCarthy (O’Donoghue). This is followed by more clips of Carl Johnson and Noel Evans (Welch), including one from the day of the general election, 11th May 1981.
The bulk of the recording was made from 95.5 FM from around 1700 on Saturday 2nd May 1981 but contains a number of edits. Radio City also broadcast on 1512 kHz, announcing 199 metres, but its AM channel was off air at the time. Audio quality is fair with some cassette wobble and distortion. Thanks to Lilian O’Donoghue for the donation.
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This is part of the final hour of Bray Local Broadcasting (BLB) before it closed voluntarily following the raids on the larger Dublin pirates in 1983. At the microphone is a familiar voice on BLB, Mark Quinn, who is joined by other presenters including Shay Byrne (now with RTÉ), Sally Byrne and Terry Daniels. They reminisce about the station since it began on 22nd August 1979. There are also calls of support from listeners and messages of goodwill from community groups, showing how respected BLB was in the north Wicklow town.
The recording was made from 96.7 FM between 2255-2341 on 19th May 1983. BLB also broadcast on 657 kHz, announcing 456 metres. Along with most other pirates, it returned to the airwaves after a short time once the immediate shock of the raids had passed.