Tag: Anoraks Ireland Collection

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Sound Channel reminisces about 10 years of pirate radio in Limerick

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Sound Channel reminisces about 10 years of pirate radio in Limerick
Sound Channel logo from 1988 (courtesy Andy Carter).

Sound Channel broadcast from Limerick City from 1986-1988, adding the tagline Power 98 in its final six months on air. This recording was made a short time before the station closed down for good at the end of 1988 and includes part of a late-night programme presented by Tom O’Donnell, a stalwart of the Limerick entertainment scene and one half of comedy duo Tom and Paschal. Tom had earlier presented on Big L and would later be heard on Radio Limerick One, a station that lost its licence in 1996 and continued to broadcast as a pirate. In the recording, Tom is joined in studio by local radio anorak Tony Punch and fellow DJs Ger McNamara and George Lee. The second half features a ‘kaleidoscope’ of Limerick pirates from the period 1978-1988, including clips from Sound Channel/Power 98, Independent Radio Limerick, Raidió Luimní, Radio Vera, Big L, Radio Munster, Hits 954, Radio Avalon and Galtee Regional Radio.  

No times are noted on the cassette but the recording was made on the evening of Thursday 29th December 1988 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.  

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Southside Radio FRC show from March 1981

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Southside Radio FRC show from March 1981
The Victor Hotel in Dún Laoghaire, home to Southside from 1980 (courtesy DX Archive).

An early pioneer in news for radio anoraks was the weekly Free Radio Campaign (FRC) show on Southside Radio from Dún Laoghaire in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Presented by Marc Boland, it was often relayed on shortwave pirate Westside Radio International. This short recording of the end of one edition of the FRC from 1981 includes correspondence from a listener in Leeds who wants to swap recordings of pirate stations from both sides of the Irish Sea.

The tape was made from 999 kHz AM (300 metres) on Sunday 29th March 1981 between 1248-1930 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

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Free radio show on Radio Dublin Channel 2 (6th July 1983)

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Free radio show on Radio Dublin Channel 2 (6th July 1983)
Radio Dublin poster from 1983 (courtesy DX Archive).

This recording of the Free Radio Campaign (FRC) show on Radio Dublin Channel 2 dates from summer 1983. It is presented by Tony Healy, who is filling in for Gerard Roe and making his first appearance on the station. The FRC features a Christmas recording from Radio Snowflake on 99.9 FM from December 1982, operating from Dollymount. There are medium wave, FM and shortwave bandscans and a recording of British pirate Radio Veronica recorded in Liverpool. The edition also features an Anoraks UK tape of interviews with Bob Gallico, Declan Meehan and Mike Moran.

The tape was made from 98.7 FM between 1958-2105 on Wednesday 6th July 1983 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.  

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Sunday evening on Sunshine Radio

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Sunday evening on Sunshine Radio
Sunshine Radio sticker from mid-1980s (Anoraks Ireland Collection).

Before it was relaunched in 1986, the large Dublin pirate Sunshine Radio broadcast specialist programmes at the weekends, sometimes offering a choice of services on AM and FM. This recording from a Sunday evening in 1984 gives a sense of some of that variety. First up is Greg Merriman with a mixture of new and old tunes including the Famous Five slot featuring five tracks by Steely Dan. He is followed by Colin Russell who is standing in for Bill McLaughlin with Sunshine Country. News is read by Caroline Callaghan and an advert for Tamango’s nightclub next door to Sunshine is heard during a commercial break.

Sunday evening on Sunshine Radio
Colin replaces Bill in the recording and Caroline reads news (Sunshine Review 4, courtesy DX Archive).

The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 101.5 FM. Part 1 was recorded from 1949-2038 and part 2 from 2103-2152 on 22nd April 1984.

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Border series: Evening show on KIKX 102

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Border series: Evening show on KIKX 102

KIKX 102 was the new name for the short-lived Monaghan pirate FM 100, that broadcast for a few months from 26th July 1989. Using the former studios and transmitter of previous pirate KITS in Monaghan Town, FM 100 had big plans to secure a music radio licence for Northern Ireland following the closure of the pirates south of the border at the end of 1988. After moving to 102 FM in November 1989, FM 100 relaunched as KIKX 102 but only lasted for another few weeks before closing down. This was an unstable period for the pirates due to the introduction of draconian new broadcasting laws in the Republic.

Our recording features an evening show with mostly chart music and adverts for businesses in Antrim (including Belfast), Armagh and Monaghan. The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 102 FM sometime in November 1989 between 2134-2219. The DJ calls himself ‘the Gooseman’.