Big Tree Radio was a shortlived station broadcasting from above a pub in Swords in north Co. Dublin in 1983. Called after the Big Tree pub (now the Estuary Bar) on North Main Street, some of the station’s DJs sounded very young and inexperienced, a reminder that everyone had access to the airwaves during the freewheeling pirate era. In this recording, Angie plays an easy listening format until 10pm and is followed by ‘Jeremy James’ until midnight who probably borrowed the name of the Voice of Peace DJ. Audio quality is fair with crackly vinyl and a bad hum on the microphone and there are no adverts to be heard. An address care of the pub is given for listeners to write in and request songs.
Original cassette label from Anoraks Ireland Collection.
The tape was made from 94 FM on 4th March 1983. Part 1 above runs from 2137 and part 2 below from 2229.
Part 2 from 2229.
This recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.
Radio Dublin sticker from the mid 1980s (courtesy Andy Carter)
This recording of Gerard Roe’s Free Radio Campaign (FRC) show was made from Radio Dublin Channel 2 in the autumn of 1983. As usual, the FRC starts with news from the same week the previous year and there are archive recordings of KELO, Capitol Radio and Radio Dublin itself. A promo for Anoraks Ireland is voiced by Kieran Murray. Interestingly, Gerard refers to the newly launched Radio Annabel on 1035 kHz, which began regular programmes the previous weekend. He would soon move to Radio Annabel and bring his FRC to a bigger audience because of the superior signal to Channel 2.
Original cassette from Anoraks Ireland Collection.
The tape was made from 98.7 FM on 21st September 1983 from 2000-2108. There is some bleedthrough from the main Radio Dublin transmitter and audio levels are variable. The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson. Listen here to Pirate.ie Podcast #10 featuring our interview with Gerard Roe about his memories of pirate radio.
A march on 27th May 1983 following the raids on pirate radio (courtesy Joe King).
Following the raids by the Department of Posts and Telegraphs on the large Dublin stations Radio Nova and Sunshine Radio, fear spread through the pirate radio world in Dublin and further afield. Many stations closed temporarily as a precaution and Radio Leinster left the airwaves for good. It was expected that the long-running Radio Dublin in Inchicore would be the next to be raided and the premises and equipment were secured as a precaution. During Thursday 19th May, the date of Radio Nova’s official closedown, Radio Dublin opened its phone lines and studios to listeners concerned that they were to lose their favourite pirate stations.
This recording of that afternoon captures both the growing sense of panic among the pirates and the deep loyalty of listeners to Radio Dublin. First up is DJ Damien McCloskey who chats to other DJs and listeners both in studio and by phone, all of whom express their anger at the Department of Posts and Telegraphs. A protest march to support local radio is announced for the following week and there are references to the demise of Radio Leinster and the forthcoming Nova closedown. There are plenty of technical glitches and the Department is accused of jamming the phone lines preventing listeners from getting through. At 4pm Seán Day (Murphy) takes over and continues in the same style.
Audio quality is fair with some cassette degradation and wobble. The recording was made on 19th May 1983 from 1188 kHz, announcing 253 metres, and there is ample use of the iconic Radio Dublin 253 jingle package and station theme ‘I Like It’ by the Da Band. Radio Dublin was not on FM that day, probably as a precaution against removal of transmission equipment. Part 1 of the recording above begins at 1510 and Part 2 below at 1608 but there are minor edits in both.
Part 2 from 1608 with Seán Day
The recording is from the Skywave Tapes Collection. Radio Skywave International was a 1980s shortwave station from Baldoyle in northeast Dublin.
Radio Dublin antenna c. 1985 (courtesy Andy Carter)
This recording of Gerard Roe’s Free Radio Campaign (FRC) show on Radio Dublin Channel 2 was made on one of the most dramatic days in Irish pirate radio history, 18th May 1983. That morning, Radio Nova and KISS FM were raided and put off the air, and Sunshine Radio would be closed the following day. The rumour mill was in overdrive and as panic spread among pirate stations, many closed temporarily in case of further raids.
After starting the FRC with his customary look back at news from the same week the previous year, Gerard then notes that Channel 2 is off FM as a precaution. He plays recordings of coverage of the raid on Radio Nova as heard on RTÉ and Sunshine Radio and predicts that it was unlikely that Nova would be back for a few weeks. In, fact Nova returned the following morning on low power. The FRC also includes tapes of Big D on 14th November 1980 about interference on the AM band in Dublin and of Declan Meehan on Sunshine Radio on 5th July 1981.
Original cassette label from Anoraks Ireland Collection.
The recording was made from 1152 kHz, announcing 269 metres, from 1958-2104. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson. Listen here to Pirate.ie Podcast #10 featuring our interview with Gerard Roe about his memories of pirate radio.
Rear of Radio Dublin studios in Inchicore (courtesy DX Archive).
This is another Free Radio Campaign (FRC) programme presented by Gerard Roe on Radio Dublin Channel 2 in April 1983. The FRC includes a recording of the launch of Channel 2 two years previously in April 1981. Gerard plays a tape of the Community Broadcasting Cooperative (CBC) announcing a summer schedule of temporary stations for Sandymount, Ringsend, Mount Merrion, Wicklow, Ashbourne, Rathcairn, Glasnevin and Donnybrook. He informs listeners that a senior source in Radio Leinster has said the station will close in a few weeks due to financial difficulties – that would prove to be a prescient warning. There’s also part of a BBC history of pop radio including offshore stations and a report from UK radio magazine Airspec News on the Irish scene. A listener to the shortwave relay in Belfast writes in to say that the 1983 World Radio and TV Handbook includes the Irish pirates for the first time.
Once again there is bleedthrough from Radio Dublin Channel 1, meaning that audio quality is poor in places. This tape was made from 1152 kHz, announced at 269 metres, from 2000-2108 on 13th April 1983. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson. Listen here to Pirate.ie Podcast #10 featuring our interview with Gerard Roe about his memories of pirate radio.
