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The death of the popular and talented radio presenter Simon Young was announced on 31st October 2021. Like so many other household names in the radio world, Simon began his career in the pirates. In this recording from 1981, he is heard presenting his weekly American soul and disco show on the Big D. A rowdy crowd in the studio is chatting away in the background and enjoying the tunes. There’s a reference to the Big D Boogie Night broadcast from Sloopy’s nightclub on Fleet St. and indeed Sloopy’s is the sponsor of the disco Top 30. Simon, whose real name was Thomas Meade, went on to become a well-known DJ on RTÉ 2FM.
The Big D was a pioneering pirate station that contributed to the transformation of the Dublin radio scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It began broadcasting on April 10th 1978 as a result of a split in Radio Dublin, was run by James Dillon and backed by businessman Noel Kirwan. The station was raided on June 15th but returned to the air after a short time. In addition to Simon Young, many big names of radio in the 1980s and beyond were heard on the Big D including Marty Whelan, Gerry Ryan, John Clarke, Dave Fanning and Declan Meehan. Several were poached by RTÉ when Radio 2 was set up in 1979. The Big D closed in December 1981 in the context of increased competition in the Dublin radio market.
The recording was made from 99.5 FM on 9th March 1981 from 2140-2245. Big D also broadcast on 1116 kHz AM, announcing 273 metres. Thanks to Shay Geoghegan for the donation.