1981 Archives - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

21st July 202520th July 2025

Daphne Mitchell on Radio Leinster

Radio Leinster was a talk and specialist pirate station broadcasting to Dublin from 1981-1983. This recording from a snowy day in winter 1981 shows how, with a fraction of the resources, Radio Leinster mounted a credible challenge to RTÉ Radio 1 during its time on air. The recording begins with the final few minutes of a lunchtime show presented by show band and cabaret singer, Sonny Knowles (RIP). He is followed at 1500 by the much-loved Daphne Mitchell, whose afternoon programme is sponsored by Apollo 1 Discount Store in Dublin’s Moore Street. Daphne’s popular show includes a featured artist, country interlude, poet’s corner, single of the week, horoscopes, a song from the musical and a classical corner. There are references also to other specialist shows on Radio Leinster and a charitable appeal by the presenter of a religious programme, Fr Michael Culloty. News headlines at half past the hour are read by Gordon Sommerville and Daphne is followed at 1630 by Mick McKenzie.

The recording was made from 738 kHz AM, announcing 406 metres, between 1448-1651 on Tuesday 8^th December 1981, and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. There is increasing co-channel interference as night falls.

13th November 202418th November 2024

Southside Radio FRC programme from 1981

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Southside Radio was one of the early Irish medium wave pirates of the late 1970s and early 1980s, based in various places in north Wicklow and south Dublin. It began broadcasting in December 1978 from a caravan to Bray for a few hours daily before extending its coverage. Southside Radio was raided in 1979 but a rate card and schedule from December that year showed an ambitious full-time schedule including accomplished broadcasters such as Bryan Dobson, Cathy Cregan, Sybil Fennell, Hugh Browne (RIP) and Paul Nicholas (Andy Ruane). Southside claimed to be the ‘major radio station on the southside of Dublin’ and said it had a community emphasis in its programmes. In spring 1980, a lightning strike and a break-in damaged equipment and disrupted broadcasts. In June that year, Southside moved to the Victor Hotel in Dún Laoghaire and became a round-the-clock operation. A report by DX Archive from April 1982 said that Southside was on its last legs and that the station closed the following month for good.

Of interest in the Southside schedule was the weekly Free Radio Campaign (FRC) show by Mark Boland on Sunday mornings, which was also relayed on shortwave stations Westside Radio International and Radio Condor and therefore heard well beyond Ireland. This recording is of an edition of the FRC that includes free radio and station news, a report from Liverpool, a tape of Australian station OZFM and Radio Caroline jingles from the 1960s. There are plenty of adverts for local businesses on the southside, including the voice of Tony Allan (RIP), who also features on station idents.

The tape was made on Easter Sunday 19^th April 1981 between 1133-1305 from 999 kHz, announcing 300 metres. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

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.

14th August 20245th August 2024

Evening show on KELO from Swords

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KELO broadcast from Swords in north Co. Dublin for about nine months in 1981. Although short-lived, the station broke the mould by playing chart and album tracks back to back with a minimum of talk and many talented DJs were heard on the air. For most of its existence KELO broadcast on 1233 kHz, announcing 244 metres, and DX Archive reported that a weak signal could be heard in Scotland. However, 1981 was a turning point in Dublin radio due to the arrival of Radio Nova and the growth of the other large pirate Sunshine Radio, causing many smaller stations, including KELO, to go to the wall.

This recording from about a week after KELO began broadcasting on 15^th March features an aircheck of the first show by Marty Moore in his early evening slot from 1700-1900. Branded station jingles and adverts for local businesses are heard and the musical choice is mostly chart and pop. There is a sense of a new station still finding its feet: the DJ slips up once or twice, audio levels are variable and the signal is fair, perhaps because the recording was made outside the core reception area in north Dublin.

The tape was made on Monday 23^rd March 1981 from 1233 kHz and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

2nd August 20242nd August 2024

Peter Madison in the afternoon on Big D

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English DJ Peter Madison (RIP) was a familiar voice on Irish pirates big and small in the 1980s, ranging from Big D and Boyneside Radio to Sunshine Radio and Radio Nova. In this recording of Big D from summer 1981, Aidan Cooney signs off at the end of his lunchtime show before handing over to Peter, who is presenting his final show using the name Skip Cameron although he says that ‘Peter Madison’ is to take over the slot on Monday. There are listeners’ favourites, plenty of requests and the ‘mystery voice’ competition, featuring none other than Chris Cary, who had launched Radio Nova about a month previously.

Peter chats in studio to his producer John Kenny (now with RTÉ Sport), Jason Maine and Tony Allan (RIP) who jokes that many DJs are moving to Portmarnock, referring to the success of Sunshine Radio that was launched the previous autumn. Advertisements include a live-read for Jett’s Nightclub near Dublin Airport, from where Big D broadcast live on Saturday nights.

Big D (1978-1982) broadcast on 1116 kHz AM (announcing 273 metres) and on 98.5 FM at this time. The airchecked recording was made on Friday 26^th June 1981 from AM and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.