Full recordings Archives - Page 27 of 127 - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

5th June 20247th June 2024

Northeast series: FRC show #9 on Radio Rainbow International

Radio Rainbow letterhead (courtesy Ian Biggar).

This is edition #9 of the Free Radio Campaign (FRC) show on Co. Louth shortwave station Radio Rainbow International. Presenter Kieran Murray announces that the station was off the air the previous Sunday because of poor conditions on shortwave and work on the transmitter. He says that the FRC is being relayed on stations in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. Listeners’ letters come from the UK and the Netherlands and the weekly 5 minutes of jingles includes pirates and licensed stations. The station feature comprises an interview with Kenny Everett of Capitol Radio and BBC Radio 1 and excerpts from Capitol Radio in London. The FRC newsdesk covers offshore and Irish pirates and includes a reference to the introduction of compact discs on Q102, sponsored by Sony. Radio Nova is reported to be considering a name change in the next fortnight due to a fall in advertising revenue. On March 19^th, Radio Nova would close down, to be replaced by Zoom 103.

This recording is a studio copy and from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. It was made on Sunday 9^th March 1986 from 1100-1200. Radio Rainbow International broadcast on 6240 kHz shortwave.

29th May 202412th May 2024

Northeast series: FRC show #7 on Radio Rainbow International

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Radio Rainbow International (1985-1988) was a high-powered shortwave station broadcasting from Co. Louth. Set up by Eddie Caffrey of Boyneside Radio, it also involved other Boyneside DJs Jim Agnew and Kieran Murray, who presented a weekly Free Radio Campaign (FRC) show. This recording of edition #7 of the FRC features listeners’ letters from the UK, 5 minutes of jingles from offshore stations, a feature on Sussex station Automatic Radio and promos for Anoraks UK.

This studio copy of the show is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made on Sunday 16^th February 1986 from 1100-1200. There is some wobble due to cassette degradation and the show is truncated because the cassette jammed and it was not possible to complete digitisation. Radio Rainbow International broadcast initially on 6240 kHz shortwave in the 48-metre band, before adding medium wave and FM transmitters.

27th May 202427th May 2024

Lunchtime on Radio Phoenix from Limerick

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Radio Phoenix was a small Limerick station broadcasting in 1984 and 1985 and linked to other later similar pirates in the city. In a report by Tony Donlon for Contact magazine from the World DX Club on 28^th January 1985, Radio Phoenix is listed on 99.4 FM with broadcasting hours from 0730-0000. Tony wrote that the station had previously operated for around eight months as Radio Ormond in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary (November 1983 to end of September 1984). Radio Phoenix went through several name changes over the years including the Limerick Broadcasting Corporation (LBC), Munster Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and Stereo Radio Munster. In his list of 18^th April 1986 in Contact, Tony Donlon includes LBC on 95.5 and 98.5 FM with an address at Blackboy House, Mulgrave Street, Limerick. In a letter to Ian Biggar on 2^nd August 1986, Tony wrote that the Munster Broadcasting Corporation had a notorious habit of changing name, previously calling themselves LBC, Nova Limerick and much earlier Radio Phoenix.

The man behind all of these stations was Bernard Rooney, who called himself Will Rogers on air. This recording of Radio Phoenix was made from 99.3 FM on Wednesday 12^th December 1984 from 1310-1355 and features Will Rogers himself in his usual lunchtime slot. An AM frequency of 1560 kHz or 190 metres is also announced, but this was in fact the spot claimed by rival Limerick station Big L at the same time. There is no log of Radio Phoenix on anything other than FM so the claim to be on AM also may have been wishful thinking.

This recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection. Thanks to Ian Biggar for background information.

24th May 20242nd May 2024

Jessie Brandon and Tony Allan on Radio Nova

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This recording of Dublin super-pirate Radio Nova from 1985 features two of the station’s best presenters during its six years on air. The DJ is the legendary Jessie Brandon, who moved from the US to offshore pirate Laser 558 in 1984, before coming to Radio Nova. Jessie was one of the few female DJs on commercial stations in Ireland at the time. Joining her on news duties is the equally renowned Tony Allan (RIP), whose voice is also heard on several adverts and promos. The chemistry is electric in studio, with both presenters clearly revelling in each other’s company.

The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 102.7 FM between 1730-1815 on Wednesday 16^th October 1985. Radio Nova also broadcast on high power on 738 kHz AM during this time.

22nd May 202412th May 2024

Breakfast show traffic reports on Q102

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One of the stand-out features of Dublin super-pirate Q102 was its live traffic reports every morning from a helicopter flying over the city. The Eye in the Sky service was presented by general manager Mike Hogan from the skies above Dublin and quickly became the go-to place for up-to-date traffic information. In this excerpt from the breakfast show in spring 1986, DJ Greg Gaughren chats to Mike Hogan who is grounded due to helicopter maintenance but nonetheless phones in traffic reports from his car. Greg is joined in studio by another familiar voice, Martin Block. News at 2 minutes to the hour is read by Bryan Jennings and Scott Williams then takes over in the mid-morning slot. All presenters went on to have careers in licensed independent radio or RTÉ.

This recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 103.5 FM on 27^th March 1986 between 0817-0905. The tape was made during an interesting period in the Dublin radio scene, as the city’s biggest station Radio Nova had closed down just over a week previously. Another month would pass before Nova’s successful successor station, Energy 103, hit the airwaves.