Full recordings Archives - Page 87 of 119 - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

7th May 20217th May 2021

Short-lived adult music station Capitol 98 FM

Capitol Radio was a short-lived Dublin pirate specialising in adult contemporary music and was on air for a few months from mid-1982. Both experienced and up-and-coming broadcasters were involved in the station including Tony Allan, Peter Madison, Steve Marshall, Scott Williams, Paul Allen, Eddie West and Lawrence John. Capitol specialised in adult-oriented contemporary music and was aimed at listeners from 17 to 35 years. It also promised community programmes, advice slots and a local news service. The station was located in Robert Emmet House in Milltown in south Dublin. It closed in the autumn of 1982, probably due to increased competition in the Dublin radio market.

Capitol’s promotional material referred to 999 kHz AM but it’s not clear if the station was ever on medium wave. The FM transmitter was 3 kW in power and 98.3 MHz was announced on air. This recording was made on 11^th September 1982 and although it contains a station ID and ads, there’s no sign of a DJ so the station may have been nearing the end of its run. Audio quality is variable but it’s not clear if this is because the recording was made a distance from the transmitter or due to a technical issue. It seems that this Capitol was linked with another pirate of the same name that ran from 1983-1988 and eventually became an indie music station.

This recording is from the Leon Tipler Tapes Collection, donated to us by Steve England. Thanks to David Baker and Steve Marshall for background information.

5th May 20212nd May 2024

Radio Nova from September 1982

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Continuing our focus on the tapes of British radio enthusiast Leon Tipler, this is a recording of Radio Nova that he made during a trip to Ireland in September 1982. The recording runs from 1728-1808 on Saturday 11^th September and features DJ Hugh O’Brien followed by Bryan Dobson (one of RTÉ’s leading journalists up to his retirement in 2024) and Michael O’Brien reading news. After the news is the US syndicated show The American Country Countdown with Bob Kingsley. Nova was announcing 846 kHz AM and 88 FM at the time.

Ads are heard for Hickson Holidays, the Sunday World newspaper, Tiger shoes and the newly-released film Bladerunner with Harrison Ford. This recording is from the Leon Tipler Tapes Collection, donated to us by Steve England.

3rd May 20213rd May 2021

Sunday afternoon on Radio Leinster

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The British radio enthusiast Leon Tipler visited Ireland regularly in the late 1970s and early 1980s to record the local pirate scene and interview those involved. Pirate.ie has received Tipler’s tapes collection courtesy of Steve England and is delighted to share these as they are digitised.

This is a recording of the easy listening station Radio Leinster on 93 FM from 1440-1607 on Sunday 12^th August 1982 made by Tipler during one of his visits to Dublin. The station also broadcast on 406 metres (738 kHz) and could be heard over a wide area. On air is Mike Moran with an eclectic mix followed by Jean Howard with her choice of easy listening favourites. It was rare enough to hear women’s voices on the pirates but Radio Leinster was an exception and other female presenters included Daphne Mitchell, Anna Craig (aka Chisnell), Shauna Cusack and Anne Kent. Ads are heard for various businesses including the Elvery’s chain of sports shops, Maxime’s Night Club and Lamb Doyle’s restaurant in Sandyford right next door to the station.

30th April 20213rd May 2021

Steve Gordon on Radio Leinster

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This is another early recording of Radio Leinster made just a few days after the station’s launch in 1981. The presenter is the late Steve Gordon who had come from Radio Tees in England and worked in Dublin in the 1980s as a jingle and commercial producer for most stations. The recording was made from 1725-1810 on Friday 1^st May 1981. Steve is standing in for another deceased DJ of the era, Roland Burke. As this was recorded just two days after Radio Leinster’s launch, presumably Roland wasn’t available at the very start of the station.

The music is eclectic including MOR, oldies, disco and pop and clearly Radio Leinster’s easy listening policy was still in gestation. The recording was made in Scotland by Ken Baird and there is severe interference at times. We thank Ian Biggar for the donation.

29th April 202112th May 2024

40 years since the launch of Radio Leinster

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After a fortnight of tests, Radio Leinster launched its new service for Dublin at 7am on Wednesday 29^th April 1981, announcing a frequency of 738 kHz or 406 metres. The first presenter was Eugene Elliott on the breakfast programme who promised competitions, quizzes and a news service in the coming days and weeks. There was easy listening music for the first hour but the style was more varied after 8am. Sports news and a Dublin and European weather forecast also featured. The music policy was fairly mixed in the early days and took a while to settle into the easy listening format for which Radio Leinster became well-known for most of its two-year existence. Formatting was not common in Irish pirate radio at the time but that would soon change with the introduction of strict playlisting by super-pirates such as Sunshine Radio and Radio Nova.

The short airchecked recording above was made in Dublin and includes some of the links in the first show. The longer recording below was made from 0656-0821 but is of poorer quality as it was recorded in Scotland. There is some fading, electrical interference and a heterodyne whistle as the transmitter was slightly off channel in the early days. An FM transmitter on 93 MHz was added at a later stage.

The airchecked recording was made in Dublin by Ger Roe and the longer version was made in Scotland by Ken Baird. Thanks to Ian Biggar for sharing these with us.