Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

29th March 202529th March 2025

Border series: WABC approaches end of second period on air

On 18^th March 1991, Ian Biggar received a note from the owner of Donegal pirate WABC, Paul Barnett (RIP), saying that due to family circumstances, he and his wife Krissi were moving back to England. Because of that WABC would close on 31^st March 1991, the second time for the station to leave the airwaves since its establishment in 1987. This recording was made a little over a week previously as the station was winding down although this is not referred to on air.

Up first is Paul with the final part of the breakfast show until 1100 and he is followed by Krissi with her usual mid-morning programme. There is no reference to the impending closure on air, although a hint is provided by Krissi who says that she will be finishing up the following week. Adverts feature businesses in Antrim, Derry and Donegal, the latter unusual post-1989 as there were strict penalties for advertisers in the Republic. News on the hour is read by Paul and there is also a What’s On Guide. Music is a mixture of oldies and chart.

The tape was made on Friday 22^th March 1991 from 101.7 between 0953-1125 and is courtesy of Ian Biggar.

27th March 202520th February 2025

Northeast series: Drogheda radio split reaches a head in 1982

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Due to a split in the Drogheda station Boyneside Radio in July 1981, the Co. Louth town gained a second station calling itself Community Radio Drogheda (CRD). A detailed history of the split is available here but in summary, the two rival stations attempted to undercut each other for the best part of 10 months in a small town with limited advertising revenue. To complicate matters, Boyneside Radio experimented with television during this period and attempted to open another station in Navan, Co. Meath. By April 1982, the situation had reached breaking point, with CRD running out of money and DJs leaving for other stations in Dublin. After negotiations, the two camps made peace and Boyneside Radio regained its position as the sole Drogheda station in early May.

This recording from April 1982 of both Boyneside Radio and CRD was made before the merger and gives a sense of the situation at the time. First up is Owen Barry (Owen Larkin) with his lunchtime show on Boyneside, including the Angelus bell at midday. Also of interest is an advert by Fianna Fáil, as politicians would later be censured by their parties for doing interviews on pirate radio. Next up is CRD with the voices of Richard Kenny (Richard Crowley), Eddie Caffrey, Dermot Finglas and Gavin Duffy presenting a lunchtime chat show. Gavin refers to plans for a new schedule and even a public meeting to discuss the development of the service with listeners, but the writing was on the wall for CRD at that stage.

The recording of Boyneside was made on 5^th April 1982 from 98.1 FM and that of CRD on 6^th April from 1305 kHz AM, announcing 225 metres. Boyneside also announced 225 but broadcast on 1323 kHz during this time as well as FM. We have done our best during the digitisation process but audio quality is fair to poor due to cassette degradation. The tape was made by Kieran Murray and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

25th March 202520th February 2025

More of Tony Dixon’s Soul Special on Sunshine Radio

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One of Sunshine Radio’s most popular DJs Tony Dixon (RIP) was fondly remembered for his Saturday night Soul Special show in the station’s early years. This edition from 1982 contains the usual mix of the latest soul tracks as well as classics. There are no adverts but several of the familiar Sunshine jingles. Tony mentions three loyal fans who record the show every week and bring the tapes with them to Amsterdam so that friends there can listen to it.

Tony also presented Good Day Sunshine each afternoon, as highlighted by this image from the Sunshine Review, a glossy magazine published by Sunshine in 1985. After a long radio career, he died prematurely in 2010.

This FM recording was made on 11^th September 1982 between 1910-1940. No frequency is noted, but Sunshine was on 101.5 FM at the time, as well as 531 kHz AM. Thanks to Shay Geoghegan for the donation.

23rd March 202529th March 2025

Sunday afternoon on Wicklow Community Radio

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Wicklow Community Radio (WCR) began broadcasting from Wicklow Town in mid-1982, emerging from a network of temporary community stations set up by the Community Broadcasting Cooperative in Dublin in the early 1980s. It relaunched as Wicklow Local Community Broadcasting (WLCB) in summer 1985, which was more commercially-oriented despite the name. A final change in July 1987 rebranded the station as Viking 105, and it continued as such until the end of 1988.

This is an airchecked recording of WCR from 1983. It begins with the end of the WCR Top 30 Show with David Byrne and is followed by Victor Ryan with Sounds Easy. There are plenty of adverts for businesses around Wicklow and reference to the Maytime festival in Newtownmountkennedy. WCR broadcast on 1512 kHz AM at the time, and station liners feature that frequency. The DJ (and marketing material above) also refers to 198.4 metres, which was unusual as metres were often rounded up or down, sometimes quite generously.

The recording was made by Kieran Murray between 1630-1730 from 1512 kHz on Sunday 1^st May 1983 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

22nd March 202519th February 2025

Northeast series: Evening shows on Radio Carousel Navan

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Radio Carousel Navan began broadcasting in early 1982 as an offshoot of the original Dundalk station, as owner Hugh Hardy expanded his regional radio network in the northeast. By 1982, there were four Carousel stations in Dundalk, Drogheda, Navan and on the border aimed at Newry. The Navan station was based in a glass kiosk in the town’s new shopping centre, so had excellent visibility for its audience.

This short airchecked recording from 1982 begins with Tina Anderson, who signs off at the end of Country Call shortly before 2000. She is followed by Robbie Byrne on his final show on the station and finally by Caroline Carter with Late Night Radio until midnight. Familiar Carousel DJs are heard voicing adverts for businesses around the town. The tape ends with the Radio Carousel theme tune Don’t Stop the Carousel by Roy Taylor and the Nevada.

The recording was made by Kieran Murray, former manager of the station, from 1386 kHz AM (announcing 210 metres) on September 22^nd 1982 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. Audio quality is fair, with some cassette wobble after more than 40 years. After Hugh Hardy began winding down the Carousel network in 1987, the Navan station was the last outlet to close in 1988.