1983 Archives - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

18th July 202513th July 2025

Sunday evening on Dublin country music station Treble TR

Dublin’s country and Irish music station Treble TR broadcast from spring 1981 until the end of 1988, building up a loyal listenership during that time. This recording was made on a Sunday night in 1983 and features some of the variety of programmes on the station.

Shay Eustace is up first with the final part of his Irish traditional and folk music show. He is followed by John Deane with his mixture of country and ballads until midnight. There are some agency adverts and commercials for various Dublin businesses, including the Red Corner Shop, a regular advertiser on the pirates.

The airchecked recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 99.5 FM between 2000-2230 on Sunday 9^th October 1983.

11th July 20253rd July 2025

Sunday afternoon on Metro Radio

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Metro Radio was a small short-lived AM pirate station broadcasting from Clontarf on the northside of Dublin in 1983. Anoraks UK first logged it on 1557 kHz on 31^st May but it does not appear consistently in listings and seems to have been an irregular or hobby rather than a full-time operator. The same frequency was also used by another irregular pirate, Diamond Radio, around this time and indeed Diamond reoccupied 1557 kHz in 1984 after the apparent demise of Metro Radio by the end of 1983.

This short airchecked recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 1557 kHz, announcing 192 metres, between 1300-1500 on Sunday 16^th October 1983. The DJ is John Young and only one advert is heard during the broadcast.

4th July 20252nd July 2025

Sunday afternoon on Wicklow Community Radio

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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.