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Late night on South Coast Radio

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Late night on South Coast Radio
South Coast poster (adapted from DX Archive image).

South Coast Radio was one of the popular Cork pirates of the early 1980s and broadcast on 1557 kHz (announced as 194 metres) and 104 FM. This recording was made from FM from 2204-2304 on 12th April 1982. Alan Reid (aka Henry Condon, RIP) has just taken over from John Kenny and is on the late night shift until 1am. The voice of the late Hugh Browne can be heard on some of the ads. There’s some warble towards the end, reflecting the age of the cassette.

Along with other high-powered stations in Dublin, South Coast Radio was jammed by RTÉ in 1983 and closed down temporarily following the raids on Radio Nova and Sunshine Radio in May that year. This recording was donated to us by Paul Buckle.

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Breakfast on Community Radio Fingal

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Breakfast on Community Radio Fingal
CRF car sticker (courtesy DX Archive).

This is a recording of Community Radio Fingal (CRF) made by Leon Tipler during a visit to Dublin in 1982. It features a short extract from the breakfast show presented by Damien from 0848-0858 on Monday 13th September 1982 recorded from 1584 kHz (189 metres). The local FM transmitter on 96 MHz is also mentioned. CRF would later move slightly up the AM band to 1575 kHz, which was a clearer channel.

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

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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.