Anoraks Ireland Collection Archives - Page 2 of 68 - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

21st October 202621st October 2026

Radio West Anoraks’ Show (15th June 1986)

This edition of the Radio West Anoraks’ Show was recorded in June 1986, a few months after the show first occupied its weekly slot on the midlands pirate. On air in this show are Phil Hilton and station boss Shaun Coyne, who reports on the pirate scene in London following a recent visit. There is a phone call from ABC Radio in Waterford and other stations featured include new Galway station Emerald FM, new Louth pirate East Coast Radio and the large Cork station ERI, which is temporarily off the air. Commercial breaks include a promo for Anoraks UK voiced by the legendary Bob Gallico (RIP) and the programme is relayed by shortwave pirate Radio Rainbow International.

The recording was made from 765 kHz AM between 1111-1159 on Sunday 15^th June 1986 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

19th October 202618th October 2026

Northeast series: Mid-morning show on Boyneside Radio

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By 1984, the Drogheda station Boyneside Radio was 6 years on air and had grown into a large regional station with offshoot services across the northeast. This recording features the end of Daire Nelson’s breakfast show followed by the mid-morning programme presented by Don (Donagh) McKeown. Donagh would go on to present the first show on border station Zee 103 in 1986 and later worked for Downtown Radio in Belfast. News is read by Shane Harrison, who later had a career with the BBC in Belfast and Dublin.

The airchecked recording was made by Kieran Murray from 98.1 FM between 0930-1103 on Monday 13^th August 1984 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

16th October 202615th October 2026

Sunday morning oldies on Quincentennial Radio

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Quincentennial Radio was a short-lived Galway pirate that came on air just after the deadline for the unlicensed stations to leave the airwaves at the end of 1988. Named after the city’s 500^th anniversary celebrations in 1984, Quincentennial began broadcasting continuous music on 2^nd January 1989. It was run by ex-Coast 103 people such as Shane Martin, Steve Marshall and Tony Allan (RIP) and promoted itself as the city’s only local station filling the vacuum left by the closure of the pirates. Quincentennial was warned by the authorities in April 1989 and closed down around that time.

This recording features a Sunday morning oldies show presented by Carl Turner (John Steele, RIP), who had broadcast previously on Coast 103 and on his own hobby pirate station, Swinging Radio Impulse. It also includes station liners voiced by Tony Allan, including one stating that Quincentennial Radio was ‘owned and operated by local radio people who prefer not to be unemployed’.

The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 98.4 FM on the morning of Sunday, 5^th January 1989. No times are given in the recording.

14th October 202610th October 2026

Radio West Anoraks’ Show (18th May 1986)

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This is part of the weekly Radio West Anoraks’ Show from spring 1986, presented by Phil Hilton and station boss Shaun Coyne. Stations discussed include Centre Radio in Kildare, the new Independent Radio Longford, Big M in Monaghan, Cavan Community Radio and Boyneside Radio. There are letters from people selling AM and FM transmitters and reference to DX programmes broadcast on public broadcasters around Europe.

The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 765 kHz AM between 1136-1200 on Sunday 18^th May 1986.

27th September 202627th September 2026

Radio West Anoraks’ Show (21st June 1987)

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This recording of Radio West from summer 1987 begins with the end of Don Allen’s easy listening programme just before the weekly Anoraks’ Show presented by Don and Radio West boss Shaun Coyne. There are the usual letters from listeners, one asking for an exchange of pirate recordings and another providing a report from Dublin. From Scotland, Jock Wilson of Radio Stella International is looking for someone to operate a 200w shortwave transmitter in Ireland and is interviewed on the programme.

Shaun Coyne comments on the busy pirate scene in London where raids take place a few times a week. He also announces that Radio West is to return on high-powered FM in Dublin and is planning to install a transmitter in Galway. There are round-ups from around the country and a promise to publish an anoraks’ magazine, which never materialised. A promo for Anoraks Ireland is voiced by David Baker.

The recording from the Anoraks Ireland Collection was made from 702 kHz AM on Sunday 21^st June 1987 between 1045-1145 and is partially airchecked. There is some cassette wobble at the start and reception is consistent with a daytime groundwave signal as heard in Dublin.