L-R: Eddie Caffrey, Ken Harley, Brian Greene and Don Moore at the Pirate.ie meet-up in 2018.
This recording features two of the early pioneers of Radio Dublin, Dr Don (Don Moore, RIP) and Prince Terry (Roger Lloyd). It was made from 253 metres on Sunday 22nd February 1976 from about 2pm and is airchecked. Don is his usual flamboyant self and the canned laughter and Tarzan sound effects only add to the atmosphere of anarchy. Other DJs who get a mention are ‘Cool Enough Seamus’ and ‘Jiving Joey’ and we hear a few links from Seamus whose real name is the less exotic Des Byrne. He is followed by Roger Lloyd who is very happy to have received 10 letters during the week. The postal address given is 90 Ranelagh, Dublin 6.
Thanks to Ian Biggar for sharing this recording, which was made originally by Kieran Murray.
Don Moore in 2015 (courtesy of Don’s Facebook page)
One of the early pioneers of pirate radio in Dublin and Ireland, Don Moore (Dr Don), died in 2021. Here is an early recording of Don on Radio Dublin on Sunday 28th December 1975 from 1400-1630. Don bemoans the fate of another Dublin pirate, Capitol Radio, which had been raided on 21st December and returned to the air on the 28th for a farewell broadcast. Clips from Capitol’s final broadcast are heard, featuring Alan Russell and Ed McDowell, and Don advises listeners to write to the newspapers and the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs to complain. He also refers to Radio Mi Amigo on 252 metres, and says that Radio Dublin is blocking reception of their signal locally. Later in the recording, Prince Terry (Roger Lloyd) reads out some letters from listeners including one in Irish which is translated by Dr Don. Skywave interference from Mi Amigo is heard towards the end of the broadcast.
We thank Ian Biggar for donating this recording, which was made originally by Kieran Murray.
Masthead of an ICBS flyer from c. 1986 (courtesy Ian Biggar).
Christian and Catholic pirate stations were among the niche unlicensed broadcasters of the 1980s. The longest running station was the Irish Christian Broadcasting Service which went on air in 1981 and continued until midnight on 30th December 1988. In the early days, it broadcast from a convent in Finglas in northwest Dublin and later moved to Chapelizod and then Ballsbridge. The station was listed on 1071 kHz in logs spanning 1981 to 1985, when it moved to 891 kHz and then to 981 kHz, where it remained until the end of 1988. An Evening Herald report from 5th May 1983 said that ICBS was test broadcasting for a few hours each evening on 1404 kHz.
The same article reported that ICBS intended to apply for a licence and a spokesman Jim Sherlock was quoted as saying that they did not wish to defy the authorities. He claimed that the Catholic Church was interested in ICBS and that the minister with responsibility for broadcasting, Ted Nealon was ‘sympathetic’ with their case. It was reported that ICBS did not carry advertisements and was financed by voluntary contributions. The schedule consisted of 70 percent religious and other music and 30 percent religious interviews and news.
This recording was made from 1071 kHz on 5th April 1982 and consists of biblical extracts read by a woman with an American accent, interspersed with religious music. It may have been a tape sent to ICBS by a US religious group. Recordings of this type were occasionally used as income streams by Irish pirates, both religious and non-religious. Thanks to Shay Geoghegan for the donation.
L-R: Alan Edwards, Pete Andrews and Tony Allen at CBC, January 1979 (courtesy Lillian O’Donoghue).
Our final recording of CBC is of Alan Edwards on 21st August 1979. It is a partial aircheck of his show from 1930-2130 and begins with Alan thanking Noel Evans (aka Welch) who was on air before him. Of interest are the live-read and pre-recorded adverts for various businesses including Greg Anthony Fashions, Adam and Eve’s Restaurant and Cork Joinery. Requests include one ‘for the girl in the green blouse from the dancer’ at the Ballyphehane disco and another for ‘Miss Ballinacurra’, a village near Cork. People from Blackrock are asked to ring in requests and they duly do so, followed by listeners in Douglas and then Farranree. The next DJ Conor O’Sullivan can’t make it because he has no transport so Alan announces that CBC is to close down at 2130. At the end of the recording is an advert for the ‘Alan Edwards disco roadshow’, a sign of how pirate DJs relied on gigging around town to make ends meet. There’s also a request for Lillian McCarthy (O’Donoghue) and the recording is followed by two personal messages recorded for Lillian by Alan and Noel. The music is fantastic and Alan is an enthusiastic DJ who clearly has many loyal listeners.
As often happens in the world of pirate radio, there was a split in the CBC ranks which led to Stevie Bolger and Con McParland starting Alternative Broadcasting Cork (ABC) from the same building that originally housed CBC in Montenotte. ABC began testing in July 1978 on an announced 233 metres. This station continued into 1979, but again a split from ABC led to the formation of Capital Radio which was on air until 1982. Stevie went on to work with RTÉ Cork Local Radio. Thanks as ever to Lillian O’Donoghue for the photo and recording and to Gearóid Quill and Ian Biggar for background information.
CBC DJs Joe Horgan, Barry Jones, Noel Evans, John Dolan, Gratton Woods, Luke Ward and Steve Taylor (courtesy Lillian O’Donoghue).
This is a recording of Susan James (O’Connor) on CBC on Friday 3rd August 1979 from 2009-2051. The station was on 1394 kHz at the time, announcing 230 metres. As well as spinning the latest hits and her favourite classics, Susan reads a live advert for Seán Jennings’ carpet shop and plugs Tom Duffy’s circus and other local events. It’s a lively, upbeat show from a woman DJ, a rarity in the pirate era. Unfortunately Susan isn’t in the group photo above, which was taken in August 1979.
