Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

28th August 20248th September 2024

Border series: Evening requests and hits on Riverside 101

Riverside 101 was one of the second wave of pirates that defied the new legislation in 1988 that was supposed to silence unlicensed radio in Ireland. It was set up by Frankie McLoughlin and managed by Steve Marshall, both of whom had worked at Radio Nova (1986-88) in Fahan on the Inishowen peninsula in Donegal. Previously, Steve had co-founded Galway pirates WLS and Coast 103.

Broadcasting from just over the border in Bridgend, Co. Donegal, Riverside initially focused on Derry City before expanding to cover a larger area of the northwest. It was first noted on 101 FM by Rodney Neil in May 1989 but was broadcasting overnight only from 11pm to 7am at the time. In a letter to Ian Biggar, he said that the station was running quite a few adverts. It was thought that the signal strength was around 100 watts initially. The final edition of Anoraks UK Weekly Report on 9^th September 1989 noted that Riverside could be received in Derry City but not much further afield. Around this time the station began a 24-hour schedule.

In an entry on DX Archive, Steve Marshall said that he formatted Riverside and ran a £500 giveaway in the early days to attract listeners. He recalled that the station received a visit from the Department of Communications in Dublin but that they could not carry out a raid because the transmitter was on a raft in a river straddling the border and the studios were located in Derry.

Riverside 101 took over the transmitter of the other pirate WABC on 101.7 in Shroove, Co. Donegal after it closed down on 1^st April 1991. That gave the station coverage in the likes of Coleraine as far as the Causeway Coast, whereas before that Riverside aimed at Derry. An advertising leaflet published after the expansion of coverage claimed 500,000 potential customers in the northwest. The station had 22 staff at that time and claimed a 42% market share in Derry, Donegal and Tyrone.

Riverside 101 closed just after 1am on 21^st October 1993 after receiving a licence to broadcast to the northwest region. The transmitter on the border on 100.1 was switched off but the station returned the following morning at 6am from the same studio as Q102 and later became part of Northern Ireland’s Q Radio network. Interestingly the former WABC transmitter on 101.7 remained on air relaying Q102 but was eventually moved to 102.9.

This recording of Riverside 101 is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 100.1 FM from 2130-2306 on Thursday 28^th December 1989. The DJ is Mike Henry and there are plenty of requests from listeners on both sides of the border and adverts from the northern side, reflecting the new legislation in the Republic that penalised businesses advertising on pirate radio. There is some distortion in the audio either due to the recording itself or an issue with transmission. Thanks to Ian Biggar for assistance with research.

26th August 202420th August 2024

Colm Hayes on Radio Nova breakfast

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By the summer of 1984, Dublin super-pirate Radio Nova was benefiting from the end of the RTÉ jamming campaign that had plagued it during the first few months of the year. Pumping out 50 kW on 738 kHz AM and a strong signal on 102.7 MHz FM, Nova was reaching the northwest of England and had opened an advertising office in London. However, a bitter strike with the National Union of Journalists dragged on over the summer and damaged the station’s reputation with advertisers in Ireland. The protracted dispute would eventually contribute to Nova’s closure in March 1986.

This recording features Colm Hayes on the breakfast show the day after Bob Dylan’s concert at Slane Castle in Co. Meath. Reflecting the wide coverage area, weather forecasts are read out for ‘the Bay Area’ and for Wales, northwest England and Scotland. There is also some UK advertising, a postal address in London and audio bumpers for areas around Liverpool. Other features are the Nova Radio Bingo, the daily Job Spot and a sweep of oldies. News headlines are read by the late Bob Gallico.

The tape was made from 102.7 FM on Monday 9^th July 1984 from 0903-0952 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

23rd August 202419th August 2024

Radio Dublin rallies support for pirates following 1983 raids

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Radio Dublin was one of the few stations in Dublin to continue broadcasting following the raids on the super-pirates Radio Nova and Sunshine Radio in 1983. As other stations left the airwaves temporarily as a precaution or closed down entirely, DJs flocked to Inchicore Road to rally support for independent radio, using the microphones of Radio Dublin.

This recording is from two days after the first fateful raid on Radio Nova on 18^th May. Finishing up his show is Dónal Clancy, who says that Radio Dublin is broadcasting on behalf of all the other radio stations around Ireland, somewhat of an exaggeration as many pirates outside Dublin stayed on the air. He is followed by the weekly book show presented by Gerry Jones (of Dusty’s Trail fame), who claims that the station’s phone lines have been jammed. Next up is the country and western show with Paul Downey, which is interspersed by chat with DJs from Radio Dublin and other pirate stations. Listeners are reminded to pick up petitions to lobby politicians for independent radio, and a march is be held in Dublin the following Friday.

The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 1188 kHz AM between 1921-2006 and 2026-2111 on Friday 20^th May 1983.

21st August 202421st August 2024

Island Radio following its launch in December 1981

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Island Radio was a short-lived station broadcasting from the south Dublin suburb of Dalkey in late 1981 and early 1982. In an interview with Pirate.ie, one of the founders Michael McMahon said that Island Radio had a professional set-up and was the first pirate to launch as an FM-only station at a time when AM was dominant in Ireland. In fact, Radio Nova had started on FM only the previous June before adding AM in September, but the decision of Island Radio to concentrate on FM was novel at the time. The station’s music policy was album tracks only and DJs had to source quality music for their shows. Based in the Cliff Castle Hotel, Island Radio closed down after a few months due to an injunction supposedly taken out by local people opposed to the pirate in their midst.

This recording is from the run-up to Christmas 1981, just after Island Radio went on the air on December 12^th. First up is Tommy Greene (now with licensed Wicklow station East Coast FM) with a mixture of pop and oldies, including some Christmas tunes. He is followed by Keith York (RIP), a former offshore DJ who would later move to the successful Cork station South Coast Radio. Professional jingles are heard but virtually no adverts as the station had launched only the previous day.

Island Radio following its launch in December 1981 — Original cassette inlay from Anoraks Ireland Collection

The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 98.2 FM on Sunday 13^th December 1981 from 1530-1705. 229 metres (1314 kHz) is also referenced and was in fact the only frequency logged by DX Archive in its listing from that month. Despite our best efforts, audio quality is fair to poor due to cassette wobble, variable levels and some breaks in audio.

19th August 202418th August 2024

Lawrence John on overnight Radio Nova

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This recording of Dublin super-pirate Radio Nova is of an overnight show presented by Lawrence John, who was involved in a range of 1980s Irish pirates including Radio Leinster, KISS AM/FM (Dublin), Q102 and KISS FM (Monaghan, where he was known as John Friday). Given the time of night, the music is laidback and talk is limited to occasional requests, including one for veteran offshore DJ Don Allen of Radio West in Mullingar. There are no adverts, although a promotion for a £10,000 cash giveaway is heard at the top of the hour.

The tape was made from 102.7 FM between 0036-0125 on Monday 9^th July 1984 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.