1983 Archives - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

4th July 20252nd July 2025

Sunday afternoon on Wicklow Community Radio

Wicklow Community Radio began as a temporary festival station in the summer of 1982, but due to its success soon became a full-time operation. In 1985, it changed its name to Wicklow Local Community Broadcasting (WLCB) and in 1987 it was relaunched as Viking 105, with a more commercial focus.

This recording begins with the Top 30 countdown and the number 1 record, presented by Gerry Lang. This is followed by Willie Naughton’s Sunday Special show featuring album tracks. Voices on adverts include those of Scott Williams and David Harvey, both of whom would become big names on 1980s pirate radio and who continue to work in the media industry to this day. An announcement of a festival in east Wicklow includes a reference to the popular Radio Nova disco roadshow! The station signs off for the night with a bilingual announcement at 1900.

This airchecked recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 1512 kHz AM, announcing 198 metres, on Sunday 4^th September 1983 between 1700-1900.

9th May 202530th March 2025

Rockabilly show on South Dublin Radio

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South Dublin Radio was a small pirate station broadcasting from Dún Laoghaire in south Dublin in 1983 and 1984. It was one of several such pirates that popped up for short periods from that area, run by enthusiastic kids looking for a break in broadcasting. The station changed its name to South Dublin Community Radio in 1984 but was gone by the end of that year. Some of those involved were behind the popular 1990s pirate DLR that broadcast from the same area.

This tape of South Dublin Radio features a rockabilly show presented by Scottie Moore. There are home-made liners but no adverts, reflecting the nature of the station, but requests come in from listeners around the Dún Laoghaire area. The short airchecked recording was made by Kieran Murray from 102 FM on Sunday 7^th August 1983 from 1200 onwards and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

30th March 202520th February 2025

Sunday afternoon on Bray Local Broadcasting

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Bray Local Broadcasting (BLB), was one of the leading community radio stations in the country during the pirate era of the 1970s-1980s, and was a founding member of the National Association for Community Broadcasting that lobbied for the licensing of non-commerical local radio. It broadcast from Bray in north Co. Wicklow for the best part of a decade from 1979-1988.

This is a short airchecked recording from 1983 of the Sunday Disco Mix show with an unidentified DJ, interspersed with adverts for small businesses in Bray. It is followed by Louis O’Rourke with At Your Service, a programme for Civil Defence, Red Cross and the Order of Malta, an example of the type of community material championed by BLB. The tape was made by Kieran Murray between 1730-1800 on Sunday 1^st May 1983 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. 96.3 FM is noted on the inlay card, but BLB broadcast on 96.7 at the time, as well as 657 kHz AM.

23rd March 202529th March 2025

Sunday afternoon on Wicklow Community Radio

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Wicklow Community Radio (WCR) began broadcasting from Wicklow Town in mid-1982, emerging from a network of temporary community stations set up by the Community Broadcasting Cooperative in Dublin in the early 1980s. It relaunched as Wicklow Local Community Broadcasting (WLCB) in summer 1985, which was more commercially-oriented despite the name. A final change in July 1987 rebranded the station as Viking 105, and it continued as such until the end of 1988.

This is an airchecked recording of WCR from 1983. It begins with the end of the WCR Top 30 Show with David Byrne and is followed by Victor Ryan with Sounds Easy. There are plenty of adverts for businesses around Wicklow and reference to the Maytime festival in Newtownmountkennedy. WCR broadcast on 1512 kHz AM at the time, and station liners feature that frequency. The DJ (and marketing material above) also refers to 198.4 metres, which was unusual as metres were often rounded up or down, sometimes quite generously.

The recording was made by Kieran Murray between 1630-1730 from 1512 kHz on Sunday 1^st May 1983 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

22nd March 202519th February 2025

Northeast series: Evening shows on Radio Carousel Navan

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Radio Carousel Navan began broadcasting in early 1982 as an offshoot of the original Dundalk station, as owner Hugh Hardy expanded his regional radio network in the northeast. By 1982, there were four Carousel stations in Dundalk, Drogheda, Navan and on the border aimed at Newry. The Navan station was based in a glass kiosk in the town’s new shopping centre, so had excellent visibility for its audience.

This short airchecked recording from 1982 begins with Tina Anderson, who signs off at the end of Country Call shortly before 2000. She is followed by Robbie Byrne on his final show on the station and finally by Caroline Carter with Late Night Radio until midnight. Familiar Carousel DJs are heard voicing adverts for businesses around the town. The tape ends with the Radio Carousel theme tune Don’t Stop the Carousel by Roy Taylor and the Nevada.

The recording was made by Kieran Murray, former manager of the station, from 1386 kHz AM (announcing 210 metres) on September 22^nd 1982 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. Audio quality is fair, with some cassette wobble after more than 40 years. After Hugh Hardy began winding down the Carousel network in 1987, the Navan station was the last outlet to close in 1988.