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Roland Burke on Radio Leinster

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Roland Burke on Radio Leinster
Radio Leinster logo (courtesy of David Baker)

This is an early recording of Radio Leinster made from 1722-1809 on 28th May 1981 from its AM frequency of 738 kHz (406 metres). Roland Burke (RIP) is on air with what he admits himself is a musical mixture, ranging from current pop artists such as Kim Wilde and Toyah Wilcox to the Eagles, Manhattan Transfer and Linda Ronstadt. it’s all a bit confusing and clearly Leinster was still finding its niche and was yet to become the easy listening station which became its hallmark in later times.

Surprisingly there are no ads to be heard in this 45-minute recording even though Radio Leinster was on air for a month at this stage. There’s no sign either of the news service that was promised when the station launched.

Reception is fair as the recording was made in Scotland. We thank Ken Baird for this donation.

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Tom Hardy on Sunshine Radio

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Tom Hardy on Sunshine Radio
Tom Hardy (bottom right) with Robbie Robinson (L) and Stevie Dunne (undated, courtesy Pat Herbert).

Tom Hardy (RIP) worked in the offshore pirate Radio Caroline before coming to Sunshine Radio in Dublin in 1981. He was also a DJ on Radio Nova and its offshoot KISS FM as well as the other KISS FM in Monaghan in 1988, before going on to licensed radio in the 1990s. Tom died in 2022.

Tom Hardy on Sunshine Radio
A rusty sign for Tamango’s at the current White Sands Hotel in Portmarnock (photo by John Walsh).

This recording from 1829-1856 on Tuesday 20th July 1982 features Tom on Sunshine Radio. As well as presenting an eclectic mix of music, he reads news headlines and a gig guide. The commercial break includes an ad for Tamango’s nightclub, located next door to Sunshine at the Sands Hotel in Portmarnock. A very young Cathy Cregan, one of Sunshine’s newsreaders, is also heard voicing an ad.

We thank Paul Buckle for this donation. An interview with Tom Hardy is available here.

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Punk and reggae on Concord Community Radio

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Punk and reggae on Concord Community Radio
Concord Community Radio flyer (courtesy Alan MacSimoin collection).

Concord Community Radio broadcast from the Artane/Coolock area of northeast Dublin from 1982 and would become North Dublin Community Radio (NDCR), which continued until the end of 1988. It was an AM-only station, announcing 337 metres or 890 kHz (presumably 891). This is a recording from 18th May 1983, the day of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs raid on Radio Nova, which sent shockwaves through the pirate world. No time is given, but the choice of music suggests an evening programme. The unnamed presenter plays punk and reggae and takes requests from listeners but there is no mention of the raid that morning. In the following days many pirates closed down temporarily as a precaution.

This recording is from the Leon Tipler Tapes Collection, donated to us by Steve England.

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Sunday morning on Radio Nova

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Sunday morning on Radio Nova
Radio Nova studio in 1982 (courtesy of DX Archive).

This is a recording of Radio Nova as heard on 88 FM on Sunday morning 12th September 1982 from 0930-1016. It begins at the end of the religious programme ‘Good News Tracks’ and is followed by the late Eddie West, who announces that Nova and KISS FM cars will be racing at the Mondello Park motorsports venue later that day. Ad breaks include regular spots for the Sunday World newspaper and the Red Corner Shop and a request is received from the Isle of Man. News is read by Bryan Dobson, who would become a well-known RTÉ journalist.

Eddie West worked at many pirates including Capitol and ARD as well as Nova and became Programme Controller at Downtown Radio and Cool FM in Belfast. He died in 2017 after an illness.

This recording is from the Leon Tipler Tapes Collection donated to us by Steve England.

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Peter Madison on Capitol 98 FM

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Peter Madison on Capitol 98 FM
Capitol rate card from September 1982 near the end of the station’s run (courtesy of Ian Biggar).

Capitol Radio on 98 FM was a short-lived station specialising in adult-oriented music that broadcast to Dublin on 98.3 FM in 1982. Despite having many big names involved, a good studios and powerful transmitter, the station ran into financial difficulties and closed down after only a few months.

Recordings of the station are rare, so we are delighted to bring you this 45 minutes from Tuesday 20th July 1982 from 1358-1443. Scott Williams signs off and hands over to offshore veteran DJ Peter Madison (RIP), who was heard on many Irish pirates in the 1980s. Peter is clearly in anorak mood and plays songs by the Fortunes associated with the British offshore pirates Radio City and Radio Caroline. Despite Capitol’s promise to provide a news service, there are no headlines at the top of the hour although a news flash is heard about the infamous London bombings that day.

We thank Paul Buckle for this donation.