The Pirate.ie Podcast #10: Interview with Gerard Roe

The Pirate.ie Podcast #10: Interview with Gerard Roe
Gerard Roe at Phantom FM in its licensed days.

We’re delighted to bring you an interview with Gerard Roe, one of the most respected voices in Irish pirate radio circles from the 1980s to the 2000s. Gerard presented weekly Free Radio Campaign (FRC) shows on various pirate stations in Dublin, bringing the latest free radio news and industry gossip to fans of the medium in Ireland and further afield. Gerard’s first FRC aired on Radio Dublin Channel 2 in 1982, a specialist offshoot of the original Radio Dublin. A recording was carried on shortwave station Westside Radio International on Sunday mornings, bringing the FRC to a wider European audience.

The Pirate.ie Podcast #10: Interview with Gerard Roe
Radio Dublin Channel 2 studio (courtesy Gerard Roe).

Poor technical standards and unreliable coverage prompted Gerard to move to new station Radio Annabel when it was established in autumn 1983, where he remained until its closure in 1985.

The Pirate.ie Podcast #10: Interview with Gerard Roe
Part of 1985 letter from Gerard Roe of Radio Annabel to Brian Greene.

FRC-style programmes on 1990s pirates run by Simon Maher also benefited from Gerard’s input and expertise. He contributed to the Anorak Hour on Coast FM (1991-1996), Spectrum FM (1996-1997) and Phantom FM (1997-2003). Gerard became CEO of Phantom when it was licensed as a full-time alternative rock station in 2006.

The Pirate.ie Podcast #10: Interview with Gerard Roe
Gerard (second from right) at the launch of Phantom FM’s licence application in 2004.

In this interview with Brian Greene, Gerard reflects on his long career in radio from the pirate years of the 1980s and 1990s to the licensing and eventual demise of Phantom FM.

The Pirate.ie Podcast #9: Our audio tribute to Don Moore (RIP)

The Pirate.ie Podcast #9: Our audio tribute to Don Moore (RIP)
L-R Ian Biggar, Roger Lloyd and Don Moore at the Pirate.ie meet-up in October 2018.

It was with sadness that we learned recently of the death of Don Moore, one of the early pioneers of Irish pirate radio in the crucial period of the mid- to late-1970s. Dr Don, as he was known on air, was the operator of Radio Westside, a shortwave station later called Westside Radio International. He became involved in the early days of Radio Dublin before moving on to its great rival, ARD which he developed into a professional station around the turn of the decade.

In episode #9 of the Pirate.ie podcast, Brian Greene and John Walsh interview various people who knew Don, either in person or over the air, and get their assessment of his influence on the development of Irish radio: Roger Lloyd (Prince Terry), Derek Jones, Declan Meehan and Ian Biggar.

The Pirate.ie Podcast #8: Our audio tribute to Robbie Robinson

The Pirate.ie Podcast #8: Our audio tribute to Robbie Robinson
Robbie Dale in the Radio Caroline days (photo courtesy of Sunshine Review 1985).

We’ve compiled an audio tribute to the radio legend Robbie Robinson who died on August 31st 2021 at the age of 81 in Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. In episode #8 of the Pirate.ie podcast, colleagues, friends and listeners share their memories of Robbie and his station, Sunshine Radio, which transformed the Irish radio scene when it hit the airwaves in 1980.

Many thanks to everyone for taking the time to remember Robbie and honour his legacy in this way: Cathy Cregan, Aidan Cooney, David Baker, Lawrence John, Eddie Bohan, Cathy Dunne, John Fleming, Lillian O’Donoghue, Paul Allen, Simon Maher, Kevin Branigan, Pat Courtenay and Andy Preston.

The Pirate.ie Podcast #7

The Pirate.ie Podcast #7
A collage of pirate radio in Northern Ireland from 1969-1975 (courtesy of Eddie Bohan).

In episode #7 of the Pirate.ie podcast, we look at aspects of the history of pirate radio in Northern Ireland. Brian Greene and John Walsh talk to broadcast historian Eddie Bohan about his research into the pirates of Derry and Belfast during the period 1969-1975. At that time, pirate radio was a tool of both nationalist/republican and unionist/loyalist communities during the turbulent early years of the Troubles.

The Pirate.ie Podcast #7
A map of Belfast’s pirate stations at the time (courtesy of Eddie Bohan).

The podcast covers stations such as Radio Free Derry, Radio Free Belfast, Radio Shankill and Radio Orange and describes how they fanned the flames of violence and sectarianism. Pirates on both sides were popular in their communities but were a headache for the British authorities and no-one was ever prosecuted for involvement in them.

We thank Eddie Bohan for sharing his fascinating research with us which will be presented in a book in the near future. See his blog for further updates about his work.

The Pirate.ie Podcast #6

The Pirate.ie Podcast #6

In episode #6 of the Pirate.ie podcast, we analyse the politics and economics of Irish pirate radio from 1978-1988. The pirates emerged because of the political failure to develop diversity in radio and became a thorn in the side of the authorities, especially from the early 1980s with the arrival of high-powered, professional operators.

The Pirate.ie Podcast #6
Sunshine Review 1985 (DX Archive). Sunshine raised a lot of money for the Central Remedial Clinic in Dublin.

Many stations practised corporate social responsibility in an effort to appear respectable but once they began to attract advertising revenue away from RTÉ, they were raided or jammed. Political instability and ideological differences stymied the development of legislation to regulate the radio sector, with several failed radio bills in the 1980s.

The Pirate.ie Podcast #6
Political influence in high places: Mike Hogan in the Q102 helicopter over Dublin in 1986 (pic Irish Times).

In this episode, listen to Brian Greene and John Walsh explore the politics and economics of the era with the help of extracts from our archive including news programmes, interviews, commercial breaks and advertising promos. This discussion is based on our article published in 2020 in the Journal of Radio and Audio Media.