Pat O’Rourke with Lilian McCarthy (O’Donoghue) in 1981 (courtesy of Lilian).
This recording of Cork pirate Radio City was made early in 1981. It features Pat O’Rourke with his Sunday Romantic Hour, wrapping up weekend programmes on the station. The phones are out of order but Pat invites listeners to contact Radio City by post to 27 Parnell Place in Cork.
The tape was made from about 1800 on 25th January 1981 from 95.7 FM and contains some edits. Audio quality is mixed with distortion in places and some cassette wobble. Thanks to Lilian O’Donoghue for the donation.
Sybil Fennell in the Nova newsroom during the raid of 1983 (courtesy Joe King).
This recording of Dublin pirate station Radio Nova was made in the winter of 1984, a day after a serious air accident involving a plane flying from Dublin to Paris. Eight passengers and the pilot were killed on 13th November 1984 when the light aircraft in which they were travelling crashed near Eastbourne on the southeast coast of England.
The recording of the 1400 Nova news bulletin was made from 738 kHz AM on 14th November, when the extent of the tragedy was apparent. The newsreader is Sybil Fennell and the tape was made in Kidderminster near Birmingham. It is from the Leon Tipler Collection, donated to us by Steve England.
L-R: Eric Hansen (John Creedon) and Alan Reid (Henry Condon, RIP) at Radio City (courtesy Lilian O’Donoghue)
This recording of Cork pirate Radio City features a variety of presenters and shows from its schedule in spring 1981. First up is Pete Andrews (O’Neill) who reads out a listener’s letter and previews various programmes coming up over the weekend. He is followed by Susan James and Karl Johnson (Dan Noonan). Of interest towards the end is Eric Hansen who under his real name of John Creedon continues to broadcast on RTÉ to this day.
The dates are unclear but we estimate the recording to be from 31st January and 1st and 2nd February 1981. The tape was made from 95.7 FM and although 104 FM is also mentioned, Radio City’s AM transmitter was off the air at the time. Thanks to Lilian O’Donoghue for the donation.
Radio Sligo t-shirt featuring station logo (courtesy Ian Biggar)
The history of pirate radio in Sligo is complicated by the existence of different stations of the same name during various periods, with no clear link to each other. The first period dates began in 1979 with two pirates based in the town – the first station calling itself Radio Sligo on 1166 kHz and the other called Radio City on 1300 kHz, which renamed itself Community Radio Sligo by 1980. Neither station was mentioned in the August/September 1980 edition of Sounds Alternative, so there may have been no pirates operating in the town at that time.
The second period is from autumn 1981 when a new Radio Sligo was logged on 1260 kHz, announcing 237 metres. This station featured in pirate radio listings in the Sunday Journal from late 1981 into 1982. The Danish Shortwave Clubs International Irish radio reports gave an address of 4 Castle Street, Sligo for this station. It continued to be logged in various sources up to 1984.
The third period is from 1985 with the arrival of another station called Radio Northwest, which later renamed itself Radio Sligo. According to a list published by Anoraks Ireland on 7th October 1985, this was also based at 4 Castle Street, so it may have been connected with the previous station of the same name, although probably not with the original Radio Sligo from 1979.
This short airchecked recording of Radio Sligo is from the second period and features an unidentified DJ and adverts for local businesses in Sligo. It was recorded from 1745-1805 on Saturday 29th January 1983 from 1260 kHz. The tape is from the Leon Tipler Collection, donated to us by Steve England. Thanks to Ian Biggar for additional background information.
Concord Community Radio flyer (Alan MacSimoin Collection).
Concord Community Radio began broadcasting in March 1983 to the Artane district of the northside of Dublin, before changing its name to North Dublin Community Radio (NDCR) in 1984. It was one of a number of stations committed to developing licensed community broadcasting in Ireland and a leading member of the National Association of Community Broadcasters. Like the other pirates, NDCR closed at the end of 1988 but many of those involved went on to form NEAR FM, the licensed community station for northeast Dublin that launched in 1995.
This short recording of Concord Community Radio includes an unidentified DJ and a promo outlining the philosophy of community radio, reflecting the political debate about the licensing of local radio at that time. It was made from 891 kHz AM on Saturday 21st May 1983, just days after the raids on the large commercial Dublin stations Radio Nova and Sunshine Radio. The tape is from the Leon Tipler Collection, donated to us by Steve England.
