1984 Archives - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

Northeast series: Afternoon Delight on Boyneside Radio from 1984 — Eddie Caffrey at Boyneside in 1986 (courtesy of Eddie himself).

Eddie Caffrey is one of Ireland’s longest-serving broadcasters, having spent a decade with the Drogheda pirate, Boyneside Radio, before moving to licensed local station LMFM. This recording is of his daily Afternoon Delight programme from summer 1984. It includes the Golden Hour, news on the hour with Shane Harrison (who went on to a career with the BBC), the tea break feature with three songs by Queen, racing results and the birthday spot. The large number of requests reflects the popularity of Eddie’s programme with listeners. Also of interest is an advert for a Drogheda venue hosting the Radio Nova Night Out, a popular club arranged by the Dublin pirate.

The airchecked recording runs from 1400-1620 on Thursday 16^th August 1984 from 98.1 FM. It was made originally by Kieran Murray and is part of the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

19th October 202618th October 2026

Northeast series: Mid-morning show on Boyneside Radio

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By 1984, the Drogheda station Boyneside Radio was 6 years on air and had grown into a large regional station with offshoot services across the northeast. This recording features the end of Daire Nelson’s breakfast show followed by the mid-morning programme presented by Don (Donagh) McKeown. Donagh would go on to present the first show on border station Zee 103 in 1986 and later worked for Downtown Radio in Belfast. News is read by Shane Harrison, who later had a career with the BBC in Belfast and Dublin.

The airchecked recording was made by Kieran Murray from 98.1 FM between 0930-1103 on Monday 13^th August 1984 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

14th August 202613th August 2026

Sunshine Radio during jamming campaign

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This short recording of Sunshine Radio was made during a night-time slot in the spring of 1984, when RTÉ was relentlessly jamming the station’s signal as part of its campaign against the pirate. First up is the end of the Radio Romance slot with David Dennehy. News at midnight is presented by Justin McKenna and includes reference to the jamming, which was causing serious problems for Sunshine by this time. The iconic Desiderata, which used to be played before closedown of Sunshine every night, is heard before the midnight news as the station had long since moved to round-the-clock broadcasting. After news is Paul Vincent with the overnight show.

The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 100.5 FM between 2352-0015 on Thursday 22^nd into Friday 23^rd March 1984.

5th June 20262nd June 2026

Sunday evening on Sunshine Radio

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Before it was relaunched in 1986, the large Dublin pirate Sunshine Radio broadcast specialist programmes at the weekends, sometimes offering a choice of services on AM and FM. This recording from a Sunday evening in 1984 gives a sense of some of that variety. First up is Greg Merriman with a mixture of new and old tunes including the Famous Five slot featuring five tracks by Steely Dan. He is followed by Colin Russell who is standing in for Bill McLaughlin with Sunshine Country. News is read by Caroline Callaghan and an advert for Tamango’s nightclub next door to Sunshine is heard during a commercial break.

The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 101.5 FM. Part 1 was recorded from 1949-2038 and part 2 from 2103-2152 on 22^nd April 1984.

26th November 202522nd November 2025

More Gareth O’Callaghan on Sunshine Radio

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This is another recording of long-time Irish radio DJ Gareth O’Callaghan on Dublin pirate Sunshine Radio. Using the name Tony Garreth by which he was known on air in his early pirate career, Gareth presents a mid-morning show in 1984. News on the hour is read by Cathy Cregan.

The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was recorded from 101.5 FM between 1036-1147 on Monday 27^th February 1984.