Posted on

Interview: Kildare pirates

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Interview: Kildare pirates

Despite its proximity to Dublin, Kildare had its own pirate stations down the years, including Radio Cill Dara (Naas), Kildare Community Radio (Naas) and KLB Community Radio (Newbridge). In this interview, Liam Kett and Anthony McAllister reminisce about their involvement in Kildare stations as well as a stint spent at Radio Dublin. They recall that in the early years, there were fall-back transmitters and premises across the county in the case of raids and they remind us that high-profile RTÉ broadcasters Ray D’Arcy and Ronan Collins cut their teeth in the Kildare stations. Liam Kett is now a presenter on the local Kildare station KFM.

The interviewer is Eolann Aitken and the interview was recorded at a meet-up organised by Pirate.ie in Dublin in 2018 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the closedowns.

Posted on

Aircheck: remix of Gay Byrne Show announcing legalisation of radio

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

This recording is a remix of the Gay Byrne Show on RTÉ Radio 1 from 17 October 1988, the day that the newly-established Independent Radio and Television Commission published advertisements for the first independent radio licences designed to put the pirates off the air. Byrne seems dismissive of the initiative which would of course threaten his show’s dominance in the market, and appears to be imitating a folksy but clumsy pirate radio presenter. His kitsch portrayal of an amateur local pirate is part of Byrne’s theatre of the mind and evokes stereotypical illegal broadcasters of an earlier era. 

Gay Byrne’s voice, remixed by Brian Greene with Queen’s Radio Gaga, was broadcast on Centre Radio in Bayside, Dublin 13 at the end of 1988 up to the closedown.

RIP Gay. Your voice was part of the soundtrack of our youth during the pirate era.

Posted on

Interview: Paul Kelly (Radio Clare, Radio Munster, Hits 954)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Interview: Paul Kelly (Radio Clare, Radio Munster, Hits 954)
The corner of Parnell Street and Shannon Street in Limerick. One of the bigger Limerick pirates of the 1980s, City Centre Radio (CCR), was located in the yellow building.

In this interview, Paul Kelly remembers working as a presenter on pirate radio stations in Clare and Limerick in 1987 and 1988. He began at Radio Clare in Ennis in 1987 and recalls the very basic studio and transmitter set-up before better equipment was installed with the assistance of Big L in Limerick. Paul then moved on to Limerick city stations Radio Munster and the more formatted Hits 954. He also discusses the bandscans that he did in Limerick in the final weeks and days of the pirates in December 1988. The interviewer is Mary Ryan.

Posted on

Full recording – South Coast Radio (Cork)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Full recording - South Coast Radio (Cork)
South Coast Radio sticker (courtesy of DX Archive)

We are grateful to Ken O’Sullivan for his donation of this recording from the final days of the first incarnation of South Coast Radio in Cork.

The first South Coast began in 1982 and broadcast from studios above Henchy’s pub in St. Luke’s, Cork only to close on Friday 13th July 1984. This is a recording from the previous Sunday, 8th July. The station was revived temporarily in studios on North Main Street shortly afterwards but this was mostly a rebranding of another station and didn’t last long. There was a third generation when the station known as WBEN which broadcast from Cook Street changed its name to South Coast in 1987. They used some of the original equipment (record decks, cart machines and desk) and kept the name until closedown in December 1988. This was the final incarnation of South Coast Radio.

The disc jockey on this recording is Ken O’Sullivan under his pirate name Ken Regis with jingles and stings made by the late Keith York. Tony Allan and Rob Allen (still with Cork’s 96FM) provided voiceovers for the ads and promos. South Coast used 1557 kHz AM (announcing 194 metres), also trying 1566 for a time, and the FM frequency was 104 MHz. You can listen to jingles from South Coast Radio here and WBEN here.

Posted on

Interview: Ken Murray (LRD, Boyneside Radio, Radio Leinster)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Interview: Ken Murray (LRD, Boyneside Radio, Radio Leinster)
L-R: Ken Murray, Eric Vaughan, Gavin Duffy & Eddie Caffrey at Boyneside in 1981 (photo courtesy Eddie Caffrey)

In this interview, journalist Ken Murray recalls his memories of pirate radio in Louth and Dublin in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1979, he began working with Local Radio Drogheda which evolved into Boyneside Radio.

While in Drogheda, Ken set up ‘The Green Scene’ which is now the longest running programme on Irish commercial radio, presented on LMFM by Eddie Caffrey. Ken then moved to the Dublin station Radio Leinster which closed down suddenly in 1983 during the period of raids against the larger stations Sunshine Radio and Radio Nova. He went on to work as a journalist for RTÉ, LMFM and Independent Radio News and is now editor of EC Radio Ireland. Ken is interviewed by Mary Ryan.

Interview: Ken Murray (LRD, Boyneside Radio, Radio Leinster)
The former site of Boyneside Radio in Mill Lane, Drogheda

Eddie Caffrey was himself a leading figure in the Louth pirates of the 1970s and 1980s. Listen here to him in a panel about the Louth pirates and here to an individual interview about his involvement in shortwave pirates.