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On 30th November 2024 one of Ireland’s longest-running radio stations, St. Ita’s Hospital Radio in north Co. Dublin, closed down. Based at the former St. Ita’s Hospital complex in the seaside village of Portrane, the radio station began broadcasting as a pirate in December 1983. A report by Anoraks Ireland from March 1984 lists ‘Hospital Radio, c/o The Rehabilitation Hospital, Portrane, Co. Dublin’ and the station features on 97.1 FM in logs from 1985 onwards. There are few known recordings of the station so we are delighted to share this short extract from a show presented by Seán Cahill. The undated tape is in the Pirate.ie collection but we estimate it to be from October 1985.
St. Ita’s Hospital Radio was one of a handful of pirates to continue broadcasting after new broadcasting laws came into effect in 1989. However, unlike others who risked stiff penalties if caught, St. Ita’s was granted a dispensation from the requirement to close down by the then Minister for Communications, Ray Burke, in whose constituency the station was located. St. Ita’s Hospital Radio manager from 1989, Tom Noctor, said that it was in effect the first independent station in Ireland to be licensed, as the dispensation was granted before licences were awarded to larger commercial stations. Apart from a brief break in 1994, St. Ita’s broadcast continuously on low power (89.5 FM) to Portrane and later also online but on 23rd November 2024, it announced on its Facebook page that it would close down a week later on 30th November. A new online station replaced the original FM service.
After serving St. Ita’s Hospital for over 40 years, the station will officially go off the air, marking the end of an era for the cherished service that has brought comfort, entertainment and a sense of connection to countless listeners, staff, family and friends at St. Ita’s Hospital Campus, Portrane, Co. Dublin.
“This is a deeply emotional moment for all of us,” said Tom Noctor, Station Manager. “For decades, St. Ita’s has been more than just a radio station; it’s been a lifeline for all connected to St. Ita’s Hospital and the surrounding area of North County Dublin. We are incredibly proud of the legacy we leave behind and grateful to everyone who has supported us on this journey.”
Despite the closure, the station’s team hopes its spirit will live on in the memories of those it touched.
No official reason was given for the closure of St. Ita’s Hospital Radio but there have been no patients in the original hospital buildings since 2013 and today the campus is a designated architectural conservation area and the site of the National Forensic Mental Health Service. It is unfortunate that the Health Services Executive did not seize the opportunity to develop the station as a way of supporting mental health and wellbeing in the community.
Brian Greene of Pirate.ie visited St. Ita’s Hospital Radio in 2019 and interviewed Tom Noctor about the station’s history and its role in the community. This interview was first broadcast on the media show Wireless on Flirt FM in Galway in April 2019.
