Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

31st August 202229th August 2022

Steve Marshall and Richie O’Shea on WLS

This recording of Galway pirate WLS was made towards the end of the station’s life in June 1987. It begins with the end of Steve Marshall’s show and a promo for the Solid Gold Sunday programme with Don Stevens. The top-of-the-hour ident mentions ‘VHF stereo’ only as AM had been discontinued at this time. Steve is followed by Richie O’Shea from midday who mentions a £1,000 giveaway. Commercials include local businesses and agency adverts. The sound is tight with good music and slick jingles but WLS would be gone within the next few weeks.

Made on 4^th June 1987, part 1 above runs from 1150-1238 and part 2 below from 1238-1326. The tape was recorded from 96.4 FM in stereo with excellent audio quality.

Part 2 from 1238.

This recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

28th August 202226th August 2022

Richie O’Shea on WLS Music Radio

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By mid-1986, WLS was well-established as the leading pirate in Galway city. Professional on-air standards led to strong advertising revenue, as this recording from May of that year indicates. Commercial breaks feature local businesses including a private bus company and there are agency adverts for national brands. A station newsletter from late 1986/early 1987 claimed a market share of at least 54 percent of listeners in the city and included testimonials from a range of advertisers.

In this recording, Richie O’Shea takes over from Steve Marshall for his early evening show which includes an interview with Galway band Manic Depression. A top-of-the-hour promo for WLS mentions both AM and FM and describes it as the ‘West’s local station’.

Part 1 above is from 7th May 1986 from 1757-1842 and part 2 below from 1843-1928.

Part 2 from 1843.

Both were made from 102.7 FM and are from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

27th August 202226th August 2022

The Pirate.ie Podcast #10: Interview with Gerard Roe

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We’re delighted to bring you an interview with Gerard Roe, one of the most respected voices in Irish pirate radio circles from the 1980s to the 2000s. Gerard presented weekly Free Radio Campaign (FRC) shows on various pirate stations in Dublin, bringing the latest free radio news and industry gossip to fans of the medium in Ireland and further afield. Gerard’s first FRC aired on Radio Dublin Channel 2 in 1982, a specialist offshoot of the original Radio Dublin. A recording was carried on shortwave station Westside Radio International on Sunday mornings, bringing the FRC to a wider European audience.

Poor technical standards and unreliable coverage prompted Gerard to move to new station Radio Annabel when it was established in autumn 1983, where he remained until its closure in 1985.

FRC-style programmes on 1990s pirates run by Simon Maher also benefited from Gerard’s input and expertise. He contributed to the Anorak Hour on Coast FM (1991-1996), Spectrum FM (1996-1997) and Phantom FM (1997-2003). Gerard became CEO of Phantom when it was licensed as a full-time alternative rock station in 2006.

In this interview with Brian Greene, Gerard reflects on his long career in radio from the pirate years of the 1980s and 1990s to the licensing and eventual demise of Phantom FM.

26th August 202217th August 2022

Summer shows on WLS Music Radio

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These recordings of Galway station WLS Music Radio were made in the summer of 1986, when the station was well established as the leading pirate in Galway. Part 1 above was made on 1^st May 1986 from 2143-2228 and features Barry Williams with a requests show. Among the adverts is one for Supermac’s, now a highly successful fast-food company.

Part 2 below was made from 1559-1644 on 2nd May 1986 and features news with an unidentified presenter followed by Steve Marshall, one of the station’s founders.

Recording from 2nd May 1986.

Both recordings were made from 102.7 FM and are from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

19th August 202219th August 2022

Overnight on WLS Music Radio

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Automated overnight radio is the norm these days, but many pirate stations broadcast live programmes around the clock. In this recording of Galway station WLS from winter 1985, Mike Hosty finishes his late night show before handing over to JJ (Jeremy James, formerly of the Voice of Peace) from midnight to 0600. The voice of the late Tony Allan is heard on adverts and the station’s AM frequency of 846 kHz is also announced.

This recording was made on 28^th and 29^th November 1985 from 2340-0025. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.