This is edition #9 of the Free Radio Campaign (FRC) show on Co. Louth shortwave station Radio Rainbow International. Presenter Kieran Murray announces that the station was off the air the previous Sunday because of poor conditions on shortwave and work on the transmitter. He says that the FRC is being relayed on stations in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. Listeners’ letters come from the UK and the Netherlands and the weekly 5 minutes of jingles includes pirates and licensed stations. The station feature comprises an interview with Kenny Everett of Capitol Radio and BBC Radio 1 and excerpts from Capitol Radio in London. The FRC newsdesk covers offshore and Irish pirates and includes a reference to the introduction of compact discs on Q102, sponsored by Sony. Radio Nova is reported to be considering a name change in the next fortnight due to a fall in advertising revenue. On March 19th, Radio Nova would close down, to be replaced by Zoom 103.
This recording is a studio copy and from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. It was made on Sunday 9th March 1986 from 1100-1200. Radio Rainbow International broadcast on 6240 kHz shortwave.
Don pictured at Cork station ERI in 1983 (courtesy Svenn Martinsen).
The late Don Allen was one of the best-known DJs of the pirate era in the UK and Ireland. Arriving in the UK from Canada in 1965, the Canadian drew on his life-long passion for country music to promote the genre on the airwaves and he gained huge followings on numerous stations big and small over the next 30 years, including into the licensed era. This fascinating interview with Don from 1982 was broadcast on Radio Carousel Navan, which he had recently joined. It covers in depth his early radio experience in Canada and the US and the story of his decision to come to Europe after reading an article about offshore station Radio Caroline.
Don recounts the story of his involvement in Caroline from 1965-1968 including conditions on board the ship off the Isle of Man, the annoyance of the Manx government with the decision to outlaw the station, the letters from fans and his friendship with other DJs such as Tony Blackburn, Tony Prince, Keith Skues and Simon Dee. In 1969, Don became programme controller of Manx Radio and drew on his Caroline experience to tighten the station’s sound and promote the personality of the DJ. In the 1970s, he describes how he worked simultaneously for the pirates and the ‘establishment’, dividing his time first between BBC Radio Merseyside and the unlicensed offshore Radio North Sea International.
Ian Biggar, who worked in Radio Carousel at the same time, recalls his memories of this period and of Don:
Don’s appearance at Carousel coincided with my time there. I can remember being in the Dundalk studio and station owner Hugh Hardy mentioned that Don Allen had been on the phone looking for work. Hugh was wary of Don due to his reputation as THE country jock. I clearly remember Don was not allowed to broadcast on the Dundalk station as that was Hardy’s patch.
I remember one morning in Drogheda tuning in to the Navan station and hearing Don on air. What’s more I was following him on the schedule. You can imagine how excited I was heading across to Navan on the bus in anticipation of meeting one of my heroes from Radio Nordsee International. Don was a gentleman and we had many conversations about the old offshore radio days.
I think Hardy had once again bitten off too much with starting a station in Castleblaney and trying to establish Carousel in Drogheda. So, Don and I were let go on early June 1982. I last saw him in the Drogheda studio in the Boyne Valley Hotel as I was about to catch the train to Belfast for the onward ferry to Scotland. Don asked if I was interested in joining the Voice of Peace off Israel as he had been in contact with them. ‘No need for a demo, if I say your good enough you’re in’, he said. I answered that I was interested but just wanted to take a short holiday in Scotland and would call him.
In the end neither Don nor I went to the Peace Ship. I headed to Cork for the start of ERI and Don went back to Carousel when Hardy’s finances improved. He was there for a few more months, but assume at the same time was planning for Royal County Radio, a rival Navan station.
Screenshot of a VHS interview with Don Allen at Radio Star Country in 1989 (courtesy Miles Johnston).
This interview with Don Allen was broadcast between approximately 1900-2000 on Tuesday 11th May 1982. The presenter is Pádraig Walsh and the tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. This is a studio copy but Radio Carousel Navan broadcast at the time on 1386 kHz, announcing 210 metres. Don Allen’s final pirate was Radio Star Country in Monaghan, one of a handful of stations to defy the 1989 legislation outlawing unlicensed radio. He later took up a post on licensed station Midlands Radio 3 where his Country Jamboree was a hugely popular show up to his untimely death in 1995.
Radio Rainbow’s transmitter in 1986 (courtesy Andy Carter).
Radio Rainbow International (1985-1988) was a high-powered shortwave station broadcasting from Co. Louth. Set up by Eddie Caffrey of Boyneside Radio, it also involved other Boyneside DJs Jim Agnew and Kieran Murray, who presented a weekly Free Radio Campaign (FRC) show. This recording of edition #7 of the FRC features listeners’ letters from the UK, 5 minutes of jingles from offshore stations, a feature on Sussex station Automatic Radio and promos for Anoraks UK.
This studio copy of the show is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made on Sunday 16th February 1986 from 1100-1200. There is some wobble due to cassette degradation and the show is truncated because the cassette jammed and it was not possible to complete digitisation. Radio Rainbow International broadcast initially on 6240 kHz shortwave in the 48-metre band, before adding medium wave and FM transmitters.
Radio Phoenix studio in December 1984 (Anoraks Ireland Collection).
Radio Phoenix was a small Limerick station broadcasting in 1984 and 1985 and linked to other later similar pirates in the city. In a report by Tony Donlon for Contact magazine from the World DX Club on 28th January 1985, Radio Phoenix is listed on 99.4 FM with broadcasting hours from 0730-0000. Tony wrote that the station had previously operated for around eight months as Radio Ormond in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary (November 1983 to end of September 1984). Radio Phoenix went through several name changes over the years including the Limerick Broadcasting Corporation (LBC), Munster Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and Stereo Radio Munster. In his list of 18th April 1986 in Contact, Tony Donlon includes LBC on 95.5 and 98.5 FM with an address at Blackboy House, Mulgrave Street, Limerick. In a letter to Ian Biggar on 2nd August 1986, Tony wrote that the Munster Broadcasting Corporation had a notorious habit of changing name, previously calling themselves LBC, Nova Limerick and much earlier Radio Phoenix.
The man behind all of these stations was Bernard Rooney, who called himself Will Rogers on air. This recording of Radio Phoenix was made from 99.3 FM on Wednesday 12th December 1984 from 1310-1355 and features Will Rogers himself in his usual lunchtime slot. An AM frequency of 1560 kHz or 190 metres is also announced, but this was in fact the spot claimed by rival Limerick station Big L at the same time. There is no log of Radio Phoenix on anything other than FM so the claim to be on AM also may have been wishful thinking.
This recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection. Thanks to Ian Biggar for background information.
Jessie Brandon on offshore pirate Laser 558 in 1984 (courtesy offshoreradio.co.uk / Offshore Echoes magazine).
This recording of Dublin super-pirate Radio Nova from 1985 features two of the station’s best presenters during its six years on air. The DJ is the legendary Jessie Brandon, who moved from the US to offshore pirate Laser 558 in 1984, before coming to Radio Nova. Jessie was one of the few female DJs on commercial stations in Ireland at the time. Joining her on news duties is the equally renowned Tony Allan (RIP), whose voice is also heard on several adverts and promos. The chemistry is electric in studio, with both presenters clearly revelling in each other’s company.
Original cassette inlay from Anoraks Ireland Collection.
The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 102.7 FM between 1730-1815 on Wednesday 16th October 1985. Radio Nova also broadcast on high power on 738 kHz AM during this time.
