Full recordings Archives - Page 76 of 119 - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

12th November 202110th November 2021

Dr. Don hosts a phone-in on ARD

ARD (Alternative Radio Dublin) first broadcast on July 31^st 1976 on 217 metres. It was set up by Declan Meehan, Mark Story and Davitt Kelly (RIP). Following a split at Radio Dublin, the late Don Moore (Dr. Don) joined ARD and it moved to 1161 kHz (announcing 257 metres), next to its rival on 253 metres. The competition between Radio Dublin and ARD forced up standards as both stations experimented with extending broadcast hours and more professional programming. Don Moore developed ARD into a credible station in its own right and planned to seek a licence.

In this recording from 1978, Dr. Don is heard hosting a lively phone-in on a Sunday afternoon. Listeners sing their favourite songs on air and appreciate Don’s zany style, corny jokes and canned laughter. We get a real sense of a rapport with listeners and this recording reminds us that Don was a gifted and natural broadcaster. The voices of the late Tony Allen and Dave C are heard on ads and promos.

This recording was made from 1161 kHz (announcing 257 metres) from 1620-1700 on 4^th June 1978. Thanks to Ian Biggar for the donation.

10th November 20219th November 2021

Dr. Don closes Radio Dublin in 1976

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Under the direction of the late Don Moore, Radio Dublin began night-time broadcasting in 1976, expanding the station’s presence on air beyond the usual Sunday afternoon slot. However, the extended hours drew the attention of the authorities and Radio Dublin was raided on Wednesday 15^th September 1976.

This recording was made from 227 metres medium wave on Friday 17^th September and was the station’s final night-time broadcast for the foreseeable future. A subdued Dr. Don opens the half-hour broadcast, which contains plenty of pirate-themed music. There are also recordings of other DJs such as Dave C., Paul Downey and John Walsh (nothing to the John Walsh of this site!).

Listeners are urged to join the Radio Dublin club to support the station. It would be another year before Radio Dublin began periods of full-time broadcasting in September 1977, prompting the transition from the pirates as hobbyists to more serious stations. This recording was made originally by Kieran Murray and was kindly shared by Ian Biggar.

3rd November 20212nd November 2021

Disco Top 30 with Simon Young on Big D

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This is another recording of popular DJ Simon Young (RIP) presenting the Top 30 Disco Survey on the Big D in 1981. Sloopy’s Nightclub sponsors the survey and Simon promos the Big D Boogie Night held in Sloopy’s on Tuesday nights. The voices of the late Dave C and Tony Allen are heard on ads and station idents. Simon Young went on to become one of the leading DJs on RTÉ 2FM.

Below is a letter sent by Simon in 1979 to Ian Biggar, confirming his reception report of Big D in Scotland.

This recording is undated but it was made from 99.5 FM on a Monday evening from 2215-2300 sometime in the spring of 1981. Thanks to Shay Geoghegan for the donation.

1st November 202130th October 2022

Simon Young (RIP) on the Big D

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The death of the popular and talented radio presenter Simon Young was announced on 31^st October 2021. Like so many other household names in the radio world, Simon began his career in the pirates. In this recording from 1981, he is heard presenting his weekly American soul and disco show on the Big D. A rowdy crowd in the studio is chatting away in the background and enjoying the tunes. There’s a reference to the Big D Boogie Night broadcast from Sloopy’s nightclub on Fleet St. and indeed Sloopy’s is the sponsor of the disco Top 30. Simon, whose real name was Thomas Meade, went on to become a well-known DJ on RTÉ 2FM.

The Big D was a pioneering pirate station that contributed to the transformation of the Dublin radio scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It began broadcasting on April 10^th 1978 as a result of a split in Radio Dublin, was run by James Dillon and backed by businessman Noel Kirwan. The station was raided on June 15^th but returned to the air after a short time. In addition to Simon Young, many big names of radio in the 1980s and beyond were heard on the Big D including Marty Whelan, Gerry Ryan, John Clarke, Dave Fanning and Declan Meehan. Several were poached by RTÉ when Radio 2 was set up in 1979. The Big D closed in December 1981 in the context of increased competition in the Dublin radio market.

The recording was made from 99.5 FM on 9^th March 1981 from 2140-2245. Big D also broadcast on 1116 kHz AM, announcing 273 metres. Thanks to Shay Geoghegan for the donation.

29th October 202123rd October 2021

Irish Christian Broadcasting Service

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Masthead of an ICBS flyer from c. 1986 (courtesy Ian Biggar).

Christian and Catholic pirate stations were among the niche unlicensed broadcasters of the 1980s. The longest running station was the Irish Christian Broadcasting Service which went on air in 1981 and continued until midnight on 30^th December 1988. In the early days, it broadcast from a convent in Finglas in northwest Dublin and later moved to Chapelizod and then Ballsbridge. The station was listed on 1071 kHz in logs spanning 1981 to 1985, when it moved to 891 kHz and then to 981 kHz, where it remained until the end of 1988. An Evening Herald report from 5^th May 1983 said that ICBS was test broadcasting for a few hours each evening on 1404 kHz.

The same article reported that ICBS intended to apply for a licence and a spokesman Jim Sherlock was quoted as saying that they did not wish to defy the authorities. He claimed that the Catholic Church was interested in ICBS and that the minister with responsibility for broadcasting, Ted Nealon was ‘sympathetic’ with their case. It was reported that ICBS did not carry advertisements and was financed by voluntary contributions. The schedule consisted of 70 percent religious and other music and 30 percent religious interviews and news.

This recording was made from 1071 kHz on 5^th April 1982 and consists of biblical extracts read by a woman with an American accent, interspersed with religious music. It may have been a tape sent to ICBS by a US religious group. Recordings of this type were occasionally used as income streams by Irish pirates, both religious and non-religious. Thanks to Shay Geoghegan for the donation.