North Atlantic Radio car sticker (courtesy DX Archive).
North Atlantic Radio was a breakaway station from Donegal pirate Radio North, broadcasting from November 1989 until January 1994, when it reverted to the Radio North name. Both stations were based on the Inishowen peninsula and fishing in the same advertising pool locally and across the border. First up is DJ Laura with a lunchtime mix of requests, country and Irish music and long commercial breaks featuring businesses in Donegal, Derry and Antrim. She is followed by Harry with the afternoon show.
The recording was made from 954 kHz AM on 22nd June 1991 from 1230-1400 and is kindly donated by Ian Biggar. Audio quality is consistent with AM but there is some distortion in places.
Studio shot of CRF from 1984 (Anoraks Ireland Collection).
Community Radio Fingal (CRF) broadcast to the region of Fingal in north Co. Dublin between 1982 and 1988. A mostly community-oriented service, it was based initially at the Rockabill Hotel in the coastal town of Skerries and then moved to founder Brian Matthews’ house in the village of Loughshinney. At a later stage the station was based at the Swords shopping centre. CRF began broadcasting on 1584 kHz but later moved to the better channel of 1575 kHz. 189 metres was announced throughout.
This short airchecked recording from summer 1982 begins with an unidentified DJ and is followed by a double-hander with Debbie and Damien presenting a music and requests show. There are adverts for small businesses around Swords but in very low audio. The recording was made by Kieran Murray from 1584 kHz on Sunday 18th July 1982 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.
North Atlantic Radio 1st birthday poster in 1990 (courtesy DX Archive)
There were many splits in the Radio North camp during its long existence since 1986. One such offshoot station was North Atlantic Radio that began broadcasting around the beginning of November 1989 from Carndonagh, also on the Inishowen peninsula where Radio North was based. It was run by Tommy Cunningham and specialised in classic gold and country hits. A report in the Donegal Democrat on 2nd March 1990 listed North Atlantic as one of five pirate stations operating in Inishowen alone, taking advantage of the proximity to the border and listeners in Derry and beyond. In a letter to Ian Biggar on 6th March 1990, Francis Callaghan of Radio North said that North Atlantic was set up by former DJs who took over the station’s previous premises and telephone number. On 18th January 1991, the Donegal Democrat reported that North Atlantic Radio was proposing the establishment of a community broadcast co-operative to seek a licence for the Inishowen peninsula, claiming that the new licensed station Highland Radio had fallen short of providing public information and entertainment. Tommy Cunningham was quoted as saying that North Atlantic Radio would act as sponsors for such a co-op and called for the support of listeners, advertisers, community organisations and individuals.
The plethora of pirate stations in one small area of Donegal was clearly untenable, and Radio North closed down sometime near the end of 1991. On 16th February 1992, North Atlantic Radio was logged by Ken Baird of DX Archive on the old Radio North frequency of 846 kHz. Although there were brief appearances by Radio North in 1992 and 1993, on 13th January 1994, the Donegal Democrat reported that North Atlantic Radio was the only pirate left on air in the county. A short time later on 31st January 1994, North Atlantic reverted to the original Radio North name.
This recording of North Atlantic Radio features Mickey Bradley and DJ Heather with lunchtime shows. There are plenty of requests from both sides of the border and adverts from Donegal, Derry and Antrim, some voiced by Paul and Krissi from other pirate station WABC. The tape was made from 1125 kHz between 1217-1353 on 1st August 1990 and is courtesy of Ian Biggar.
Westside Radio advert in Irish Radio News in 1983 when the station had big plans (courtesy Ian Biggar).
Westside Radio was a small station broadcasting to Dublin in 1982 and 1983. It had its origins in Double R Radio in Inchicore and moved around different premises in Dublin, later broadcasting from a site in Mulhuddart in the west of the city. Westside was one of a small number of pirates to stay on air following the infamous raids of May 1983 but did not last for long as it ran into trouble due to claims of interference, a common charge levelled against the pirates.
This short recording of Westside Radio was made on a Sunday evening in early summer 1982. Up first is Chris Byrne and he is followed by DJ Lynne. Both DJs read out a letter from the Irish Wheelchair Association thanking Westside for promoting them during a recent sponsored run in the Phoenix Park. Audio quality is fair to poor due to an over-modulated signal and cassette degradation.
The airchecked recording was made by Kieran Murray from around 2000 on 16th May 1982 from 1035 kHz, announcing 290 metres and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.
Telstar Community Radio letterhead from 1981 (courtesy Ian Biggar).
Telstar Community Radio (1980-1988) was a long-running pirate station broadcasting from in and around Dundalk in Co. Louth. Despite stiff competition from other stations in the small county, especially Radio Carousel, it held its own and carved out a niche in the local market.
This short recording of Telstar gives a flavour of afternoon programming in 1982. Dave Ritchie reads out plenty of requests from listeners, there is an oldies spot and sports results are promised. The station also offers a chance to win tickets to a concert by Irish traditional band Clannad, who were making waves at the time. One of the most familiar voices on Telstar, Ray Stone, is heard on many of the adverts for businesses in and around Dundalk.
This airchecked recording was made by Kieran Murray from around 1400 on 13th May 1982 from 1197 kHz (announcing 250 metres) and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. Audio is of DX quality as the recording was made outside the core listening area in north Louth.
