Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive
Open Free Radio Archive
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Jason Maine was a popular DJ from the Dublin pirate scene in the late 1970s and 1980s, presenting on stations such as Big D, Radio 257, Sunshine Radio and Q102. Here he is with a laid-back evening show on Radio Nova from spring 1982.
The partially airchecked recording was made from 88 FM in mono between 2145-2300 on Good Friday 9th April 1982 and is courtesy of Shay Geoghegan. Nova also broadcast on 846 kHz AM at this time.
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This recording of the weekly Radio West Anoraks’ Show dates from summer 1987. Presented by station boss Shaun Coyne and Don Allen (RIP), it begins with a discussion of surveys of pirate radio listenership. Radio West’s new AM frequency is about to go live on 711 kHz in Galway and there are plans for a promotional campaign in the city and county. In other news from Galway, WLS is off the air following a dispute. Other stations mentioned include KTOK in Donegal, Longford Community Radio, Kandy Radio, Power 102 and the new pirate Independent Radio Mayo. There is also speculation about forthcoming changes in the Irish media landscape as the government discusses licensing of independent radio and television.
The partially airchecked recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 702 kHz AM on Sunday, 28th June 1987 from 1045-1145.
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This recording of Radio West from summer 1987 begins with the end of Don Allen’s easy listening programme just before the weekly Anoraks’ Show presented by Don and Radio West boss Shaun Coyne. There are the usual letters from listeners, one asking for an exchange of pirate recordings and another providing a report from Dublin. From Scotland, Jock Wilson of Radio Stella International is looking for someone to operate a 200w shortwave transmitter in Ireland and is interviewed on the programme.
Shaun Coyne comments on the busy pirate scene in London where raids take place a few times a week. He also announces that Radio West is to return on high-powered FM in Dublin and is planning to install a transmitter in Galway. There are round-ups from around the country and a promise to publish an anoraks’ magazine, which never materialised. A promo for Anoraks Ireland is voiced by David Baker.
The recording from the Anoraks Ireland Collection was made from 702 kHz AM on Sunday 21st June 1987 between 1045-1145 and is partially airchecked. There is some cassette wobble at the start and reception is consistent with a daytime groundwave signal as heard in Dublin.
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Liberties Local Community Radio (LLCR) began broadcasting in March 1986 from Weaver Square in Dublin 8. It was run by Sammy Prendergast who was well known for installing aerials for pirate stations. LLCR broadcast on 1035 kHz AM using the old Capitol Radio rig which had been on 1017 kHz until shortly before then. It was also heard on 104 FM at a later stage and was renamed Liberty 104.
In this short clip from the Pirate.ie collection recorded on 30th August 1988, Teena Gates reads the news, when the station was known as Liberty 104. Teena can still be heard on radio in Dublin today and in 2026 was inducted into the IMRO Radio Hall of Fame for her contribution to the medium.
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This edition of the Radio West Anoraks Show from Mullingar was made just as legislation to legalise radio in Ireland was brought before the Oireachtas. The topic dominated the discussion on the show that week, with station boss Shaun Coyne giving his views and co-presenter Neil McLeod struggling to get a word in. Leading Cork station ERI is reported to be upgrading its studios in the hope of getting a licence under the new regime and Radio Nova is poised to make a high-profile return in Dublin. There is also an interview with Eddie Caffrey of Boyneside Radio, who speculates that pirates along the border could be raided because of the addition of high-powered transmitters. Shaun Coyne also announces that Radio West will go off the air for a few moments at 1800 that evening in memory of the victims of the Enniskillen bomb, which exploded the previous weekend.
The airchecked recording was made in Britain from 702 kHz AM between 1045-1130 on Sunday 15th November 1987. It is from the Leon Tipler Collection, donated by Steve England.