Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

26th August 202420th August 2024

Colm Hayes on Radio Nova breakfast

By the summer of 1984, Dublin super-pirate Radio Nova was benefiting from the end of the RTÉ jamming campaign that had plagued it during the first few months of the year. Pumping out 50 kW on 738 kHz AM and a strong signal on 102.7 MHz FM, Nova was reaching the northwest of England and had opened an advertising office in London. However, a bitter strike with the National Union of Journalists dragged on over the summer and damaged the station’s reputation with advertisers in Ireland. The protracted dispute would eventually contribute to Nova’s closure in March 1986.

This recording features Colm Hayes on the breakfast show the day after Bob Dylan’s concert at Slane Castle in Co. Meath. Reflecting the wide coverage area, weather forecasts are read out for ‘the Bay Area’ and for Wales, northwest England and Scotland. There is also some UK advertising, a postal address in London and audio bumpers for areas around Liverpool. Other features are the Nova Radio Bingo, the daily Job Spot and a sweep of oldies. News headlines are read by the late Bob Gallico.

The tape was made from 102.7 FM on Monday 9^th July 1984 from 0903-0952 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

23rd August 202419th August 2024

Radio Dublin rallies support for pirates following 1983 raids

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Radio Dublin was one of the few stations in Dublin to continue broadcasting following the raids on the super-pirates Radio Nova and Sunshine Radio in 1983. As other stations left the airwaves temporarily as a precaution or closed down entirely, DJs flocked to Inchicore Road to rally support for independent radio, using the microphones of Radio Dublin.

This recording is from two days after the first fateful raid on Radio Nova on 18^th May. Finishing up his show is Dónal Clancy, who says that Radio Dublin is broadcasting on behalf of all the other radio stations around Ireland, somewhat of an exaggeration as many pirates outside Dublin stayed on the air. He is followed by the weekly book show presented by Gerry Jones (of Dusty’s Trail fame), who claims that the station’s phone lines have been jammed. Next up is the country and western show with Paul Downey, which is interspersed by chat with DJs from Radio Dublin and other pirate stations. Listeners are reminded to pick up petitions to lobby politicians for independent radio, and a march is be held in Dublin the following Friday.

The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 1188 kHz AM between 1921-2006 and 2026-2111 on Friday 20^th May 1983.

21st August 202421st August 2024

Island Radio following its launch in December 1981

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Island Radio was a short-lived station broadcasting from the south Dublin suburb of Dalkey in late 1981 and early 1982. In an interview with Pirate.ie, one of the founders Michael McMahon said that Island Radio had a professional set-up and was the first pirate to launch as an FM-only station at a time when AM was dominant in Ireland. In fact, Radio Nova had started on FM only the previous June before adding AM in September, but the decision of Island Radio to concentrate on FM was novel at the time. The station’s music policy was album tracks only and DJs had to source quality music for their shows. Based in the Cliff Castle Hotel, Island Radio closed down after a few months due to an injunction supposedly taken out by local people opposed to the pirate in their midst.

This recording is from the run-up to Christmas 1981, just after Island Radio went on the air on December 12^th. First up is Tommy Greene (now with licensed Wicklow station East Coast FM) with a mixture of pop and oldies, including some Christmas tunes. He is followed by Keith York (RIP), a former offshore DJ who would later move to the successful Cork station South Coast Radio. Professional jingles are heard but virtually no adverts as the station had launched only the previous day.

Island Radio following its launch in December 1981 — Original cassette inlay from Anoraks Ireland Collection

The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 98.2 FM on Sunday 13^th December 1981 from 1530-1705. 229 metres (1314 kHz) is also referenced and was in fact the only frequency logged by DX Archive in its listing from that month. Despite our best efforts, audio quality is fair to poor due to cassette wobble, variable levels and some breaks in audio.

19th August 202418th August 2024

Lawrence John on overnight Radio Nova

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This recording of Dublin super-pirate Radio Nova is of an overnight show presented by Lawrence John, who was involved in a range of 1980s Irish pirates including Radio Leinster, KISS AM/FM (Dublin), Q102 and KISS FM (Monaghan, where he was known as John Friday). Given the time of night, the music is laidback and talk is limited to occasional requests, including one for veteran offshore DJ Don Allen of Radio West in Mullingar. There are no adverts, although a promotion for a £10,000 cash giveaway is heard at the top of the hour.

The tape was made from 102.7 FM between 0036-0125 on Monday 9^th July 1984 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

16th August 20246th August 2024

Music in the early hours on Energy 103

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Energy 103 was one of Dublin’s most popular radio stations in the 1980s. Emerging from the ashes of Radio Nova, it began broadcasting on 29^th April 1986 and quickly built a solid listenership and advertising base. The station closed suddenly on 11^th March 1988.

These days, live radio programming is rare in the evenings, let alone overnight but back in the pirate era, many stations broadcast live around the clock. Although automatic options were sometimes used, larger stations could afford to pay an overnight DJ and maintain a live connection with listeners in the early hours. This recording gives a flavour of such overnight programming on Energy 103 in the autumn of 1986.

First up is Mike Kingston’s show from 0131-0219 on Monday 15^th September. He is followed by Alan Burns from 0127-0215 on Tuesday 16^th September. Given the time of night, the musical mix is relaxed and talk is minimal. There are no adverts or news but a smattering of requests intersperses the records.

The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 103 FM. Energy 103 also broadcast on 738 kHz AM.