Full recordings Archives - Page 2 of 109 - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

29th October 202429th October 2024

Border series: History of Donegal station WABC

Today we begin a new series of the history of the Donegal pirate station WABC with the assistance of our friend and long-time watcher of the Irish radio scene, Ian Biggar. WABC was a successful station that was on air over three separate periods before and after the introduction of legislation that aimed to silence pirate radio in the Republic of Ireland. WABC first broadcast from September 1987 until the end of December 1988, closing down along with the vast majority of other stations. It returned to the airwaves in June 1989 and continued until April 1991. A final spell of broadcasting occurred for a few months in 2001. The station operator was Paul Barnett (RIP), known on air as Paul Burbank or Paul Bentley, who had a background in land-based pirates in the UK. Paul moved with his Irish-born wife Krissi to Coleraine and set up WABC and both were heard regularly on the station. Following the demise of WABC, Paul took over the ownership of another long-running Donegal pirate, Radio North, which continues to broadcast to this day.

The Anoraks UK Weekly Report of 6^th September 1987 reported that WABC had been heard testing on 106 FM and that AM was due to follow. The station was based at Inishowen Head and was beaming its signal into Northern Ireland. WABC began regular broadcasts on 16^th September on 106 FM only. The Weekly Report of 1^st November referred to ‘WABC – the Hot 107’ following a frequency change and noted that the station was being received well in Blackpool despite the distance, due to a high location for the transmitter. A PO box in Coleraine in Co. Derry was given as the contact address.

The Weekly Report of 8^th November again noted WABC and commented that they ‘must certainly have appealed to young people with their fast disco/Top 40 format and dozens of jingles (all old favourites chopped up, but nice, nevertheless, to hear again). Advertisers were urged to contact the station without delay, and we feel sure that they will be doing just this. It would be interesting to know how far the station is penetrating into Ireland, with a listenable (marketable) signal’. On 6^th December, Anoraks UK noted that WABC was also audible in Blackpool on 1242 kHz once Radio Merseywaves was off the air. The 20^th December 1987 edition of Weekly Report noted that the AM transmitter had an output of 500w but that the aerial was inefficient, while the 107 FM transmitter was running about 350w from a site 4 miles east of Moville. It also noted a new channel of 98 FM in use with just 50w but plans to increase the signal to 1kW. Paul Barnett was quoted as saying that selling ads was not easy due to fierce competition but that a sizeable audience had been built up after just a few months on air. At this time, WABC was operating from 0700-0100 every day with an ‘all hits – no country’ policy aimed at the 15-35 age group.

Our first recording of WABC was made on high ground in East Ayrshire in Scotland and due to the distance from the TX site, includes some fading. The station had recently come on air and was broadcasting from a mobile home near Malin Head. Some adverts are heard for businesses in Derry and Antrim and DJ Dougie Dee plays a hangman competition on air with plenty of phone entries. The tape was made from 1852-1940 from 107 FM on 29^th October 1987 and is courtesy of DX Archive.

28th October 202420th October 2024

Radio Caroline Dublin on October bank holiday 1990

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Radio Caroline Dublin was one of the longest-running pirates in the capital in the post-1989 period, when new legisation was supposed to silence the unlicensed operators. Based in Sutton in northeast Dublin, it broadcast on a part-time basis from 1989-1992 and then introduced a full schedule, operating every evening and all day at weekends. Reception was local at the start but eventually a transmitter site in the Dublin mountains gave good coverage of the city. The station did not take advertising but instead generated income from DJ subscriptions and occasional fundraisers. Radio Caroline Dublin was involved in an unsuccessful application for a community radio licence in 1996 and continued broadcasting until 2000.

In its first two years, Radio Caroline broadcast only on bank holiday Mondays, so about six times a year. The same people were also behind other occasional stations in the Dublin 13 area such as Suburban Radio and ARD. This recording is of Radio Caroline on the October bank holiday Monday 1990 and features one of the station founders Bobby Gibbson (aka Brian Greene of Pirate.ie). He comments on the forthcoming Irish presidential election, reminisces on the 1990 World Cup and laments the state of broadcasting in Ireland. The broadcast ends with the original ‘love and good music’ jingle of the offshore Radio Caroline and then the TX is switched off.

The recording is from the Pirate.ie collection and was made from 94 FM from 2203-2303 on 29^th October 1990.

21st October 202421st October 2024

Death of veteran radio presenter Michael Reade

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The death was announced on 21^st October 2024 of Michael Reade, who presented a current affairs show on the independent radio station for Louth and Meath, LMFM, for the past 21 years. Michael announced in September 2024 that he had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and was very sick. Earlier that year, his long-running show on LMFM was awarded the IMRO radio award for best current affairs programme on local radio. We extend condolences to Michael’s family and friends. RIP.

Like so many other broadcasters of his era, Michael got his first experience in pirate radio as a teenager. He was just 15 when he first broadcast in 1981 and went on to present rock shows on Dublin stations Radio City, Radio Annabel and Capitol Radio. His daily programme on Capitol in 1988 was promoted as the country’s only rock breakfast show, reflecting that station’s alternative music style. He was also one of the presenters of Capitol’s final day of broadcasting on New Year’s Eve 1988, when the station closed in advance of new broadcasting legislation that was meant to silence the pirates. Capitol Radio broadcast from 1983-1988 and became the go-to place to fans of alternative, indie and rock music in Dublin. It relaunched as Capitol-Nitesky 96 in 1986.

This is an extract from Michael’s final show on that day, which features his favourite music and phone calls on a scratchy line from listeners sending New Year’s wishes to friends and to those involved in pirate radio. There are regular promos for the closing-down party later that night at Side’s nightclub in central Dublin. The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made between 1621-1707 on 31^st December 1988 from 95.8 FM.

16th October 20247th October 2024

Sunshine Radio breakfast show in October 1983

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Following the raids on the big Dublin pirates Sunshine Radio and Radio Nova in May 1983, the radio scene settled down again temporarily in the summer of that year. Having returned to the airwaves in June, Sunshine re-established itself as one of the city’s most popular stations particularly among listeners on the northside, reflecting its base in Portmarnock. A jamming campaign by RTÉ against Radio Nova and later Sunshine would soon be cranked up a gear but for the moment the Portmarnock station was able to broadcast unimpeded.

This recording of Sunshine is from autumn 1983 and features part of the breakfast show presented by Deirdre Mulins, who as well as the usual mix of music has horoscopes, a review of the papers and a weather update. News is read by Paula Daly. The tape was made from 101 FM between 0643-0733 on Friday 21^st October 1983 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

14th October 20247th October 2024

Second last 78s Show on Radio Galaxy

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Tony Boylan (RIP) was one of the leading pioneers of pirate radio in Ireland, first broadcasting in 1945. His best-known and longest-running station was Radio Galaxy, which first aired in the mid-1950s and subsequently broadcast from the late 1960s until 1986, mostly on Sundays. By focusing on underserved genres of music, Radio Galaxy was a unique sound among the Irish pirates. Following the closure of the station, Tony retired to the Isle of Man where he died in 2010.

This tape of Radio Galaxy is the penultimate Sunday broadcast from autumn 1986 and features the popular weekly 78s Show with its mixture of classical, instrumental, country and religious music. There are several requests from Tony’s loyal listeners around Dublin, many of whom were no doubt with him for decades.

The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 1512 kHz AM, announcing 196 metres, from 1204-1332 on Sunday 14^th September 1986. Audio quality is fair and resembles slightly weak daytime groundwave reception, so the tape may have been recorded outside the core reception area around Santry in the northeast of the city.