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Community station Radio Ringsend from 1986

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Community station Radio Ringsend from 1986
Local kids visiting Radio Ringsend in the 1980s (courtesy Dave Reddy).

Radio Ringsend was an annual temporary station broadcasting during the Ringsend and District Festival in southeast Dublin during the 1980s. It was one of several pop-up stations under the umbrella of the Community Broadcasting Co-operative (CBC) set up during local community festivals in Dublin and surrounding counties. Radio Ringsend began broadcasting in 1982 and broadcast for the last time in the summer of 1988 before the legalisation of independent radio.

Community station Radio Ringsend from 1986
Radio Ringsend flyer from 1986 (courtesy Ian Biggar).

The CBC stations gave a fascinating insight into the popularity of hyper-local radio complete with small corner stores and competition results from the festival. In 1986, Radio Ringsend was based in a fruit and vegetable shop in Irishtown and this recording contains plenty of adverts for similar small businesses and copious amounts of requests and dedications. There is also a phone-in quiz, listeners’ competitions and karate results from the festival. The presenter is CBC founder Dave Reddy and voices on the adverts include David Baker and Bryan Lambert, familiar names on the CBC stations and indeed other 1980s pirates.

Community station Radio Ringsend from 1986
Original cassette inlay from Anoraks Ireland Collection.

The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 98.4 FM from 1248-1425 on Saturday 26th July 1986. Radio Ringsend also broadcast that year on 1530 kHz / 196 metres.

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Afternoon shows on Kildare Local Broadcasting

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Afternoon shows on Kildare Local Broadcasting
KLB letterhead (Anoraks Ireland Collection).

Kildare Local Broadcasting, known on air as KLB Community Radio, broadcast from Newbridge for approximately two years from 1986-1988. It was launched in October 1986 and claimed that it would be a community service for the town of Newbridge and surrounding areas. An Anoraks Ireland listing from November 1986 noted its broadcasting hours as 1000-2400. KLB was based in Eyre Street in Newbridge and broadcast on 1224 kHz AM and 102.4 FM. A listing from April 1988 noted that it had moved to 103.5 FM and had extended broadcasting hours to 0900-2400. In the Anoraks UK Weekly Report of 24th July 1988, it was noted that the AM transmitter had been off air for approximately two months. It was also reported that the station had changed its name slightly to Kildare Community Broadcasting and was the only pirate operating in the county following the closure of Kildare Community Radio in April 1988. 

The Weekly Report of 8th October 1988 carried a report that a new pirate called County Sound came on air on 12th September from Naas, Co. Kildare. It was set up with the aim of applying for a licence and consisted of DJs from former Kildare pirates KLB (Newbridge), KCR (Naas) and Zee 104 (Naas). County Sound was said to have fully equipped on-air and production studios. It broadcast for only four months, closing down at midnight on 30th December 1988 before the deadline for the pirates to leave the airwaves.

Afternoon shows on Kildare Local Broadcasting
Cassette inlay from Anoraks Ireland Collection.

In this recording of KLB from the run-up to Christmas 1986, Tony Lumsden is first up with a mixture of oldies and ballads. He is followed by Paddy Jones with chart hits. The tape was made from 102.4 FM from 1430-1607 on Saturday 6th December 1986 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

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Afternoon on Centre Radio (Clonmel)

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Afternoon on Centre Radio (Clonmel)
Photo of the exterior to the Centre Radio studio in Clonmel (Anoraks Ireland Collection).

Centre Radio from Clonmel in Co. Tipperary was an offshoot of an existing local station, the Clonmel Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Centre was set up in April 1986 as a more youth-oriented service than the existing CBC, which had been on air since 1981. In 1987, Centre was rebranded as Premier County Radio, which continued until the deadline for the pirates to close at midnight on New Year’s Eve 1988.

This recording features part of an afternoon show presented by an unidentified DJ. Eoin Ryan reads racing results and there is also a news bulletin at five minutes to the hour. Centre’s news service is promoted regularly and the station claims to have the most comprehensive output in the region. Adverts cover Clonmel and surrounding towns.

Afternoon on Centre Radio (Clonmel)
Cassette inlay from Anoraks Ireland Collection.

The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 88 FM between 1527-1612 on Thursday 5th June 1986. Centre Radio also broadcast on 101 FM and on 1251 kHz AM (240 metres).

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Late-night Sunday on ABC Radio

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Late-night Sunday on ABC Radio
1986 advert for ABC Radio (Anoraks Ireland Collection).

Waterford station ABC Radio broadcast from 3rd March 1982 until 29th December 1988 and became one of the country’s most popular and successful pirates. From humble origins in a caravan in the coastal resort of Tramore, it moved into Waterford City in 1985. ABC covered the southeast on 1026 kHz AM and a series of local FM transmitters. In this recording from 1986, Jimmy Ryan is on air with a relaxed late-night Sunday music show, featuring long sets with limited talk and no adverts. A station promo mentions towns in Tipperary and Wexford, emphasising ABC’s coverage beyond Co. Waterford.

Late-night Sunday on ABC Radio
Cassette inlay from Anoraks Ireland Collection.

The recording was made between 2201-2246 on 15th June 1986 from 103.2 FM, a 2 kW transmitter from Tory Hill north of Waterford City that covered a large part of the southeast. The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

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78s Show on Community Radio Galaxy

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78s Show on Community Radio Galaxy
Article about Tony Boylan in the Evening Herald on 18th August 1986 (courtesy DX Archive).

Radio Galaxy was one of the pioneering Irish pirates, broadcasting from as early as 1955 and operating regularly on Sundays from 1969. It was operated by Tony Boylan (RIP) who first experimented with pirate radio in 1945 and operated stations over the years from different parts of Dublin. Tony’s love of 78s made him unique in the pirate radio world and his programmes, co-presented on occasion with his wife Fran, gained loyal listeners across the decades. In 1986, he retired and moved with Fran to the Isle of Man, having sold his extensive 78s collection.

This recording was made just a fortnight before Radio Galaxy closed down for good. It begins with continuous music followed by the weekly 78s Show. There are several requests from listeners around Dublin and from as far afield as Lancashire. Tony announces that he is moving to the Isle of Man shortly and says he hopes to get a slot on Manx Radio, noting the absence of pirate radio in the island. The tape was made from 1512 kHz AM (196 metres) from 1138-1223 and 1230-1315 on Sunday 7th September 1986. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection.

Radio Galaxy’s final broadcast was on 21st September 1986. Tony died in the Isle of Man in 2010.