Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

19th April 202317th May 2023

Border series: Radio Star Country bids farewell to 2004

Monaghan station Radio Star Country was still going strong 16 years after the licensing of independent radio in Ireland. In this recording, Country Girl Claire shares New Year’s greetings from listeners in her final programme of 2004. Adverts are heard from north and south of the border, including as far away as Larne. There’s the first reference in this series to euro prices in the Republic and traffic and travel news is also broadcast. The date is significant because on New Year’s Eve 1988, the vast majority of Ireland’s pirates fell silent to comply with the new laws. Radio Star Country was one of the few that stayed on air.

The tape was made in Troon in Scotland from 981 kHz AM between 1302 and 1348 on 31^st December 2004. Thanks to Ian Biggar for the donation.

16th April 20239th April 2023

New Q102 breakfast show presenters

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Q102 changed the presenters of its Good Morning Dublin breakfast show in April 1985 just a few months after the new station’s launch. Scott Williams took over as DJ and Gary Hamill (aka Seán McCarthy) became newsreader. In this recording, we hear the usual morning gossip from the papers and news is read by Gary at the top of the hour and at 0820. There are agency adverts and a promo for a holiday giveaway. The jingle package ‘828, you’re looking great’ refers to Q102’s then AM frequency. It sounds fresh and was an example of the distinctive station imaging.

This recording was made from 0744-0832 on Thursday 16^th April 1985 from 102 FM. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

14th April 202331st December 2023

Border series: Radio Star Country enters 2003

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This recording of Monaghan station Radio Star Country was made on New Year’s Day 2003. On air is Country Girl Claire with requests and dedications phoned in to a Monaghan number. An advertising promo includes numbers for sales representatives in the North and there are plenty of adverts from both sides of the border, including for country music stars. News from IRN is heard on the hour and the tape finishes with the Wednesday morning gospel programme, evidence of the station’s religious backing.

This recording was recorded in Scotland on 981 kHz AM from 0903-1003 on 1^st January 2003 and suffers from electrical interference at times. Thanks to Ian Biggar for the donation.

12th April 202322nd September 2024

Final Q102 breakfast show with Chris and George

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This recording is of the final breakfast show presented by duo Chris Barry and George Long (Henry O’Donovan, RIP (2024)) on new Dublin super-pirate Q102 in 1985. There’s the usual chat between the hosts including a birthday file and review of the morning papers. News is read by George at the top of the hour and at 0820. The agency adverts reflect Q102’s growing impact on the radio advertising market in Dublin.

The tape was made from 102 FM on Friday 12^th April 1985 from 0738-0826. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

7th April 202324th March 2024

Radio Nova on Good Friday 1985

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This is a recording of the popular breakfast show with John Clarke and Bob Gallico on Radio Nova from Good Friday 1985. There is no paper review given the holiday but the programme features the normal friendly banter between the hosts and Bob reads out a fan letter from a group of listeners. John gives a traffic report for the northwest of England but by contrast the streets of Dublin are quiet. Although Nova was still a leader in the Dublin radio market in early 1985, new Irish-owned station Q102 would soon make its presence felt and Chris Cary’s radio empire began to unravel by the autumn of that year. Nova closed suddenly on March 19^th 1986.

The recording was made from 102.7 FM from 0703-0751 on 5^th April 1985 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.