Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

1st September 20214th September 2021

Atlantic Sound from Galway

Atlantic Sound broadcast from Galway City from December 1983 until June 1985. It was set up by Alan Russell who had run previous stations in Dublin. Test transmissions were heard before Christmas on 1107 kHz (announcing 273 metres) with a full schedule starting in January 1984. Atlantic had a daytime Top 40 and oldies format and hosted interviews with local personalities, musicians etc. Specialist music interests were catered for in evening programme segments, for instance an Irish traditional programme presented by musician Gary Shannon. As part of news and current affairs coverage the station ran the Time World News series, organised by the late Robbie Robinson.

Alan Russell said: ‘From my background in steering Capitol Radio through a plethora of stations in Dublin, I knew there was little point in providing a “poor man’s RTÉ Radio2” as a local radio choice in Galway city and county. The choice had to be real with local musicians, bands and cultural interests reflected in the overall station content’.

The station was taken over in mid-1984 by former offshore DJs Keith York (RIP) and Don Stevens who moved from South Coast Radio in Cork after it closed down. Steve Marshall, who had worked for WKLR in west Cork, later became involved. Alan recalls that Keith was hired to check over an ex-BBC transmitter to ensure it was fully operational: ‘I recall it had Mercury valves and the transformers had to be removed to lighten the weight before hauling it up to the first floor where the station was based’.

Following the change of management, Atlantic changed its format to a formula of chart music and giveaways, the first of several Galway stations of the 1980s to do so. It also moved to 1026 kHz and added 95.4 FM and 99.1 FM. This recording features Seán Costello playing hits and taking requests. The voice of Don Stevens is heard on promos but there are very few ads. The recording was made from 99.1 FM and runs from 1753-1836 but we don’t have a more precise date than the August bank holiday weekend 1984. Atlantic Sound faded away after the Cork trio set up another station, WLS Music Radio, across the road.

We thank Shay Geoghegan for this donation and Alan Russell for background information.

30th August 202130th August 2021

Dublin Today on Radio Nova

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Dublin Today was a daily half-hour current affairs programme broadcast on Radio Nova after the 7pm evening news. This untimed recording was made from 819 kHz AM on Friday 10^th September 1982 and features presenters Linda Conway and Michael O’Brien with a range of items including a wine review, a preview of motor racing and an interview with a band.

Although part of Nova’s quest for respectability, Dublin Today was a key part of its eventual closure in 1986. The programme was at the heart of the bitter dispute between Nova boss Chris Cary and the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), which began in 1984 after presenters of the programme were sacked without proper notice or redundancy payments.

Peter Mulryan’s book Radio Radio (1988) claims that Chris Cary was still concerned about Dublin Today in 1985, describing it as ‘claptrap’ and ‘dangerous and subversive’. However, when the merger of Radio Nova and Energy 103 was announced in November 1987, an hour-long Dublin Today from 6-7pm was introduced, with an eye to the new broadcasting legislation. For a detailed account of Radio Nova’s history, including the NUJ dispute, see the Radiowaves website.

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

21st August 202117th August 2021

Alternative listening with the Sunshine Cake

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The Sunshine Cake was a specialist programme broadcast by Sunshine Radio on Sunday mornings from 1985 on its FM frequency only, as an alternative to the station’s regular output on AM. It was a good example of the creativity of some of the pirates in using the existing technology to serve a broader audience, and also a reminder that niche programming was not only done by RTÉ.

In a feature in the Sunshine Review of 1985, presenter Justin McKenna wrote: ‘The idea for the Sunshine Cake was hatched when it became obvious that there was not one single programme on Irish radio which catered for the over 30 listener who enjoyed a wide range of music’. The Sunshine Cake included classical, jazz, blues and comedy slots and gained a regular audience around Dublin. In an interesting commentary on the continued dominance of AM radio in 1985, McCarthy wrote: ‘It’s been gratifying to note that a lot of the younger audience, who I would have expected to move down to the medium wave band, have stayed with FM and listened to the Cake’.

This recording was made from 101 FM from 1025-1122 on Sunday 31^st March 1985. It includes the comedy slot and a diverse musical mix, a cinema review with Paul Vincent and a voice competition.

This recording is from the Skywave Tapes Collection. Skywave Radio International broadcast a shortwave station in the 1980s from Baldoyle in northeast Dublin.

20th August 202119th August 2021

Sunshine Radio at the heart of a political storm

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There was a complex relationship between the political class and pirate radio: on the one hand, politicians did not want to be seen to legitimise unlicensed stations but on the other, they needed local publicity at election time. Political instability during this period was a contributing factor to the free-for-all on the airwaves and two general elections were held in 1982, in February and November. Sunshine Radio went as far as to endorse Fianna Fáil, then in opposition, in the February election because of that party’s support for broadcasting legislation. However, Sunshine quickly found itself in hot water over interviews it broadcast with politicians before the November election.

A few weeks previously, in an attempt to weaken the influence of the pirates, RTÉ said it would ban politicians who were interviewed on unlicensed stations. On 22^nd November, two days before the election, interviews with TDs Albert Reynolds of Fianna Fáil and Michael Keating of Fine Gael were aired by Sunshine, causing consternation in political circles and making the front pages of all the daily newspapers. Station boss Robbie Dale (Robinson) took to the air the following day to explain that the interviews had in fact been recored in February before the RTÉ ban came into effect, and apologised to the politicians involved.

In this recording, Robbie Dale explains the background to the case and criticises the media coverage of the story. He also takes several callers live on air, who give their views about the controversy. The recording was made from 100.5 FM from 1130-1200 on 23^rd November 1982 and was donated by Shay Geoghegan.

18th August 202118th August 2021

Irish language show on KISS FM

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The Irish language was marginal on most of Irish pirate radio, although there were notable exceptions such as Saor-Radio Chonamara (1970), which led to the establishment of RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta. The Irish language body Conradh na Gaeilge set up its own station Raidió an Phobail in Dublin in 1979, but it was short-lived and beset with technical problems. In the 1980s, Conradh na Gaeilge collaborated with community stations such as North Dublin Community Radio (NDCR), Bray Local Broadcasting (BLB) and Kilkenny Community Radio (KCR), which had Irish programmes. Belfast’s licensed Irish language community station, Raidió Fáilte, has its roots in a pirate dating back to the 1980s. Other niche stations featured some Irish, such as Radio na nGael in Swords in north Co. Dublin, and Irish was used occasionally on the irregular stations run by republican groups.

Bhí an Ghaeilge imeallach ar an raidió bradach den chuid is mó, cé go raibh eisceachtaí ann ar nós Saor-Radio Chonamara a spreag bunú RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta. In 1979, bhí stáisiún dá chuid féin ag Conradh na Gaeilge, Raidió an Phobail ach bhí fadhbanna teicniúla aige. Ina dhiaidh sin, thacaigh an Conradh le cláracha Gaeilge ar na stáisiúin bhradacha phobail ar fud na tíre. Ba mar stáisiún bradach a thosaigh Raidió Fáilte i mBéal Feirste. Bhíodh roinnt Gaeilge ar shainstáisiúin eile ar nós Radio na nGael agus stáisiúin ócáideacha á rith ag poblachtánaigh.

Irish was notably absent on commercial radio, although some stations offered discounts to advertisers using Irish. This is a rare recording of an Irish programme on none other than the Radio Nova offshoot, KISS FM. It was made from 1005-1112 on Sunday 3^rd April 1983 and the presenter is Jim Cotter. Most notable is the use of Irish to present the chart hits, something that was unheard of in Irish radio at the time. Presenting contemporary pop music in Irish was very far-sighted of Chris Cary and was an approach that would be adopted by the licensed station Raidió na Life in Dublin from 1993. RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta banned songs with English lyrics until 2005, and even then only after 9pm. There has been an online Irish language chart music station, Raidió Rí-Rá, since 2008.

Bhí an Ghaeilge in easnamh ar fad, nach mór, ar an raidió tráchtála, cé gur thairg stáisiúin áirithe lascaine d’fhógraí Gaeilge. Seo taifeadadh neamhchoitianta de chlár Gaeilge ar KISS FM, fostáisiún de chuid Radio Nova. Údar suntais is ea an Ghaeilge a úsáid chun popcheol comhaimseartha a chur i láthair, rud nach ndéantaí ar an raidió in Éirinn ag an am. Ghlacfadh sé deich mbliana eile go dtí go ndéanfaí a leithéid go rialta nuair a bunaíodh Raidió na Life i mBaile Átha Cliath in 1993. Bhí cosc ar liricí Béarla ar RnaG go dtí 2005. Tá an stáisiún popcheoil Raidió Rí-Rá ag sruthú ar líne ó 2008.

This recording is courtesy of Ian Biggar and DX Archive.