An undated photo of Tony, possibly from the early Sunshine days (courtesy Marisa Dixon).
The late Tony Dixon’s 3-hour Saturday Soul slot on Dublin pirate Sunshine Radio gained a big following in the 1980s. Here he is from 1985 with the usual laid-back mix and requests and dedications. News is read by Kate McLean and a commercial break contains a promo for the Sunshine girls who are giving away £25 cash prizes in public places.
The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made on Saturday 2nd November 1985 from 101.5 FM between 1803-1935.
Radio Dublin banner from 1977 (courtesy Ian Biggar).
This recording is of what was billed as the final broadcast by Radio Dublin following a raid in February 1977 that led to most of the station’s equipment being confiscated. In a publicity stunt that would be repeated by future pirate stations, Radio Dublin returned to the air with a fanfare in order to sign off for the last time. Paul Downey is at the helm and says that they are using borrowed equipment to bid farewell to listeners because ‘the powers that be’ want them silenced. He also urges people to write to the Department of Posts and Telegraphs to demand that Radio Dublin be licensed.
February 1977 was by no means the end of Radio Dublin, which had its equipment returned in June 1977 after a court case found a flaw in the 1926 act. The station in fact extended its hours over the summer and in September held a marathon 36-hour broadcast that broke the mould for pirate radio in Dublin, leading to a shift from hobby operators to full-time broadcasters. Dr Don would leave Radio Dublin in June 1977 to set up his own station ARD.
This recording was made by Kieran Murray from 1187 kHz AM, announcing 253 metres, on 27th February 1977 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. Audio quality is mixed given the rudimentary technical set-up and passage of time since the cassette was recorded.
Energy logo from a newspaper advert in 1986 (Anoraks Ireland Collection).
On the August bank holiday weekend 1986, Dublin pirate Energy 103 broadcast the Listeners’ Top 100. Presented by Gareth O’Callaghan, the marathon broadcast lasted the entire day and was based on phone votes from listeners. News on the hour is read by Cathy Kelly.
The tape was made from 103 FM between From 1540-1628 and 1636-1724 on Monday 4th August 1986 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.
Sunshine sticker from the mid-1980s (Anoraks Ireland Collection).
This short recording of Sunshine Radio was made during a night-time slot in the spring of 1984, when RTÉ was relentlessly jamming the station’s signal as part of its campaign against the pirate. First up is the end of the Radio Romance slot with David Dennehy. News at midnight is presented by Justin McKenna and includes reference to the jamming, which was causing serious problems for Sunshine by this time. The iconic Desiderata, which used to be played before closedown of Sunshine every night, is heard before the midnight news as the station had long since moved to round-the-clock broadcasting. After news is Paul Vincent with the overnight show.
The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 100.5 FM between 2352-0015 on Thursday 22nd into Friday 23rd March 1984.
Energy 103 studios at 144 Upper Leeson Street (courtesy Andy Carter).
This recording features the new Dublin station Energy 103 from summer 1986. Energy emerged from the ashes of Radio Nova, beginning broadcasting on 28th April and quickly becoming a leader in the Dublin radio market. The first part of the recording features a late-night show presented by Alan Burns, from 0113-0201 on Tuesday 29th July 1986. The second part is from 2357-0045 on Tuesday and Wednesday 29th and 30th July. It begins at the end of the syndicated programme American Music Magazine presented by Rick Dees and continues with Alan Burns again. The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.
