Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The raid of August 1990 did little to dent the success of Radio Star Country, and the Monaghan pirate station carried on unimpeded into 1991, although facilities were basic. The Glasgow Herald mentioned the station in a news feature on the Monaghan/Tyrone border on July 13th 1991, commenting on ‘maudlin country and western’ and ‘repetitive ads for farm machinery suppliers and discount stores’.
There is a dramatic account of the station during this period in a book by Cathal ‘Ray’ McSherry (RIP), A Different Wavelength: The Pirate Radio Days from 2004: My first visit to Radio Star headquarters was unforgettable. After leaving the main road and travelling for twenty minutes, I arrived at an old ramshackle single storey dwelling at the side of a narrow boreen. Cement or breeze blocks filled out the windows. Inside was a bare earthen floor which was more likely to the found the days of the Famine. There was a fireplace minus a grate and in all honesty the whole thing looked so absurd and surreal. It was a spectacle I’ll never forget but this was our “studio”. From here we would defy the powers that be and from here we would broadcast our shows, send out our music and entertainment and silently wonder, or think to ourselves often as not, if we weren’t completely coco-pops. Within this hampered house was a mixing desk, microphones, turntables, and all the paraphernalia of radio pirating. A mast was located two miles away to receive the FM signal. Cathal McSherry died in 2021.
Free Radio News (January 1991) reported problems at Radio Star Country due to a strong harmonic on 1962 kHz (2 x 981). This was in the amateur radio band and operators could be heard discussing the signal. They were obviously not happy and apparently reported the harmonic to the UK Department for Trade and Industry. The problem was seemingly caused by technical work being carried out at the transmitter site. This continued on and off for a few days before being finally corrected and luckily no action was taken by the authorities.
This tape of Radio Star Country is a rare FM recording made on 11th May 1991 from 98.6 MHz. Station owner Gerry Byrne is on air with the Star Country Top 20 and his voice is heard on the large number of adverts from both sides of the border. Part 1 above runs from 1126 and Part 2 below from 1214.
Thanks to Ian Biggar for the donation and for assistance with the text.
