Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

30th December 20187th August 2021

Aircheck: Capitol Radio/Nitesky 96

Capitol Radio/Nitesky 96 specialised in indie and alternative music and was one of the last stations in Dublin on air on New Year’s Eve 1988, broadcasting live from Side’s nightclub. This recording from our collection is from 30th December 1988 and features Conor Brooks promoting the listeners’ all-time Alternative Top 30 that was to be broadcast the following day, the final day. The suggested bands and songs give a good indication of Capitol’s unique musical style. The Alternative Top 10 based on listeners’ votes was a popular weekly feature on the station.

30th December 20187th August 2021

Aircheck: Dusty’s Trail on Radio Dublin

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Dusty’s Trail was a popular programme on Radio Dublin presented by Gerry Jones aimed at teenage listeners. Trailers, as they were called, wrote into the programme requesting music and even met up at organised gatherings every weekend at the band stand at Stephens Green (it wouldnt be allowed nowadays with GDPR and all the regulations of safety). In this recording from 1985, a listener sends in a copy of a response she received from Minister of State for Broadcasting Ted Nealon to her letter expressing concern that stations such as Radio Dublin would be shut down. Audio quality was never great on Radio Dublin but is worse on this recording due to a loud heterodyne. This is from our own collection.

30th December 20187th August 2021

Jingles and promo: Sunshine Radio Review

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The Dublin super-pirate Sunshine Radio published several editions of a magazine to keep in touch with its listeners. A form of multimedia in the pre-internet age, the first Sunshine Radio Review was published after it was raided and closed down temporarily in 1983, as a way of keeping in touch with its listeners. Here is a promo for another edition of the Review from 1985 to mark the station’s 5^th birthday.

30th December 20189th September 2023

Interview: Joe Doyle (Moonlight Radio, NDCR, Ballymun Community Broadcasting, Radio Dublin)

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This is an interview with Joe Rossa (aka Joe Doyle), a former manager of Radio Dublin for the later part of this station’s history. Joe also recalls his involvement in earlier pirates such as the hobby station Moonlight Radio, community station NDCR and Ballymun Community Broadcasting, which continued until July 1988. The interviewer is Walter Hegarty and the conversation took place at a meeting of radio anoraks in Ballsbridge in October 2018.

30th December 20187th August 2021

Interview with Radio Dublin on its ‘last day’ of broadcasting

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Centre Radio in Bayside was one of the last stations to close at midnight on New Year’s Eve 1988. Rumours abounded that Radio Dublin was going to defy the new legislation and continue broadcasting so early on the morning of the 31^st December, Bobby Gibbson (Brian Greene) decided to call Radio Dublin live on air. In this recording, he speaks to breakfast presenter Robbie Prior who says all presenters have been told that this is their final day. However he adds that station owner Eamon Cooke could well have something up his sleeve. The recording includes poor quality live audio from Radio Dublin’s AM broadcast on 1188 kHz.