Continuing our series on the Early Cork Pirates, this is a recording of John Dolan on Cork City Local Radio (CCLR) from sometime in 1980. 261 metres is the announced wavelength. Adverts are heard for Keating’s Butchers and Molloy’s Footwear. Lillian McCarthy (O’Donoghue) gets a mention, as John plays his old signature tune from the Cork Broadcasting Company (CBC) for her. The recording of John’s show runs from 1534-1601 and he is followed by Bob Wilson with Cork’s Top 20.
Some of the original CCLR DJs (courtesy of Lillian O’Donoghue).
We’re delighted to return to our Early Cork Series with a number of recordings of Cork City Local Radio (CCLR). CCLR was launched as Cork City Radio in February 1978 in competition with the Cork Broadcasting Company (CBC), which had begun broadcasting in January of that year. According to The Jolly Roger: Pirate Radio Days in Cork, CCLR was set up by Dubliner Shay Curran, who moved to Cork to set up a record store on Patrick Street. Pirate radio was a natural progression, and Curran remembered climbing across roofs near Paul Street of Half Moon Street to set up an antenna and being questioned by a Garda. The station was initially called Radio Shandon, a reference to another city centre district, because its signal was not travelling far.
‘There was a great buzz about it but, for me at least, a certain amount of paranoia because of the threat of Department of Posts and Telegraphs and Garda raids. There was a certain amount of fear involved’, Curran said. Initially CCLR was announcing 199 metres although its exact frequency is not known. From 1979 it announced 261 metres and frequencies around 1143 kHz were noted. The station was logged by DXers on more than one occasion in 1980 operating around 1119 kHz.
One of those involved with CCLR in the early days was John Creedon, now a well-known broadcaster on RTÉ. Using the on-air name of Jill St Clair, Patricia Deeney was one of the few women to be heard on pirate radio in Cork at the time. Another DJ, Philip Johnston (Philip Knight), remembered getting involved when a sales rep from CCLR came into the clothes shop where he worked. Neil Prendeville (Jim Lockhart) recalled doing outside broadcasts from gigs in 1979-80. Other CCLR presenters who would go on to have careers in the media were Paul Byrne, PJ Coogan, Ken Tobin, Trevor Welch, Rob Allen, Ken O’Sullivan and Colin Edwards.
Former CCLR DJs at a reunion in recent years (courtesy of Lillian O’Donoghue).
Based originally on Sheares Street, CCLR later moved to French Church Street within a short distance of CBC. In September 1982 the station introduced FM transmissions on 95.6 MHz for the first time in its existence. At this time, CCLR was still being run by two full-time people without any major backing.
Ian Biggar remembers: ‘Whilst working at ERI we heard that there had been a cash injection to CCLR. This was around Christmas 1982. Sure enough, new jingles by CPMG were introduced as well as a new transmitter. The transmitter site was around Glanmire where, strangely enough, the ERI DJ house was. The signal strength was massive in that area, but modulation was low. If I remember correctly, the medium wave transmitter had always been at the studio site in the city centre and the power was low, probably around 100 watts. I seem to remember being told the new transmitter was running around 500 watts.
The station revamped its programming during 1983 and introduced new station management. CCLR now included a lot more community items in its programming, rather than being just another jukebox. CCLR closed on 4th November 1983 and in the December issue of Offshore Echos, it was reported that it was off the air due to problems with the medium wave transmitter. They had done some tests on FM, but the feeling was that the station was set to close. And so, with ERI and South Coast cleaning up in the city and beyond and using much higher powered transmitters, CCLR was destined to join the likes of Capital Radio and Radio City, both of which closed during 1982.
Karl Johnson (Dan Noonan) pictured at another pirate CBC in 1979 (courtesy Lillian O’Donoghue).
This recording was made in January or February 1980 and features Karl Johnson (Dan Noonan) with the Sunday ‘Afternoon Delights’ show from 1615 until about 1700 but airchecked. Audio quality is poor and there is some background noise as this was recorded by placing a tape recorder up to a radio. Thanks to Lillian O’Donoghue for the donation. CCLR was featured in Leon Tipler’s documentary about the Irish pirates.
This is a recording of Dublin station the Big D in the early hours of New Year’s Day 1980. To mark the occasion, there is a link-up with Dennis Murray by a poor quality phone line to a pub at John’s Lane Church in the city centre. Revellers, many of them worse for wear, come on the line to talk to Vincent Stewart in the studio. Clearly Big D is delighted at the departure of rival station ARD, judging by the canned laughter when Vincent announces that the other station has just closed down.
Other DJs and staff are in the studio with best wishes for the new decade. There are pleas for peace given the ongoing horrors of the Troubles and the broadcast ends with the Garda Síochána choir singing ‘Let There be Peace on Earth’. This is followed by pre-recorded music through the night. The recording was made from 273 metres (1116 kHz) from 0054-0120 on 1st January 1980. Thanks to Shay Geoghegan for the donation.
The late 1970s was a key period of growth for pirate radio in Dublin, with hot competition developing between Radio Dublin and rival breakaway stations ARD and the Big D. This recording from the medium wave band on 31st December 1979 gives a flavour of how the pirates rang in the new decade that would prove so crucial for Irish radio. It runs from 2351-0035 and switches between ARD on 273 metres, which was due to close down that night, and the Big D on 273 metres.
Paul Vincent winds down ARD in the company of the late Dave C and financial backer Bernard Llewellyn, who explains that the station is closing down in order to apply for a licence. Optimistically, he predicts that local radio will be legalised by June 1980. The late Don Moore, who invited Llewellyn into ARD, is also heard in the background and one of the DJs to say his goodbyes is none other than Ian Dempsey. ARD left the airwaves just after half past midnight but pretty much everyone involved in it – bar Llewellyn – returned in the form of Radio 257 within a few days.
The recording also includes snippets of the Big D’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, including a scratchy phone connection with Dennis Murray who is in the company of drunker revellers in the city centre. We thank Shay Geoghegan for his donation.
L-R: Chris Barry, Ed McDowell and Alan Russell in December 1978 (courtesy Alan Russell).
Here’s a selection of Christmas jingles from Capitol Radio (226 metres) from 1980. Capitol’s first Christmas on air was in 1978 and Alan Russell has shared his memories of that period with us.
‘I have some memories of that particular December being our first Capitol Christmas. The founder of ALONE Willie Bermingham was a fireman based in the nearby Pearse Street fire station and I can recall several interviews with Willie in the run-up to Christmas encouraging folks to look out for elderly neighbours. On Christmas Day we had live programmes and presenters. Back in 1978, the buses were off until St. Stephen’s Day and taxis were non-existent. On tuning in after Christmas lunch at my family home, I was horrified to hear the presenter getting progressively drunker! I had forgotten a small bottle of Smirnoff left in the postal boxes for any guests or business associates and the presenter was availing of the Christmas spirit – literally. I was five miles from the city centre and with no immediate transport other than walking or hitching, it was a nightmare (though probably entertaining for some!) that continued for a while, until Chris Barry reached Bachelors Walk and restored normality. The weather was particularly wintry with heavy ice on the ground, so hopping on a cycle or even a motorcycle to reach the station in the city centre was not an option’.
Copy of cassette of original Capitol jingles supplied by Bryan Lambert (courtesy Alan Russell).
The jingles were a package used by a Capitol Radio in South Africa, and were heard also on the later station of the same name in Dublin (1983-1988). Alan Russell remembers that a few days after they began using the jingles, two men purporting to be from the South African embassy called to Capitol, telling them to cease using them. ‘Although they never gained admittance to the studios and were kept outside the main door – reinforced with a steel plate and a barrier – I spoke to them and they weren’t Irish guys having a laugh. This was around the time of the anti-apartheid movement in Ireland and we had interviewed Kadar Asmal, so they seemed plausible. I noted their complaint and reminded them they were in Ireland not South Africa so the heavy attitude wasn’t going to work’.
These jingles were kindly donated by Alan Russell.
