Early Q102 car sticker from 1985 (Anoraks Ireland Collection).
This is a recording of Jason Maine on his afternoon show on Q102 in 1985, about 10 months after the successful Dublin station went on air. There are plenty of adverts in the run-up to Christmas, a competition to win a Fiat Uno car and a £10 giveaway to listeners on the streets who said they listened to Q102. Jason Maine had worked previously with other Dublin pirates including Radio Nova.
Clipping about Jason Maine in Sunday World, 1986 (Anoraks Ireland Collection).
News is read by Anne Cassin, who went on to become a journalist with RTÉ and is now a presenter of Nationwide.
Original cassette label from Anoraks Ireland Collection.
This recording was made from 102.1 FM on Wednesday, 27th November 1985. Part 1 above runs from 1321 and Part 2 below from 1411.
Part 2 from 1411.
It is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.
Radio Skywave International was a shortwave station that broadcast from Baldoyle in northeast Dublin on Sunday mornings from 1985 to 1988. Skywave was one of many hobby shortwave stations broadcasting from Ireland during the pirate era. It was heard on 6260 kHz in the 48-metre band for the first two years or so and later moved to 6850 kHz.
These recordings were made on Sunday 1st December 1985. The first hour above runs from 1100-1200 and is an edition of the Free Radio Programme presented by Dominic Dillon and Fergal. The show includes historical recordings including Radio Leinster on its final day, 19th May 1983, a Christmas Day pantomime from Sunshine Radio (undated but possibly 1984) and Radio Dublin from Christmas Day 1984. There are the usual features on the medium wave, FM and shortwave bands. Free radio news includes mention of a test broadcast by Skywave later in the month on 7475 kHz. The address of PO Box 1686, Dublin 1 is given and there is a promo for Anoraks Ireland.
Original cassette from Anoraks Ireland Collection.
The second hour below consists of the Mailbag Show presented by station operator Michael Caine (Hegarty) from 1200-1300. He reads out letters and reception reports from Sweden, England and several from East Germany. There are more promos for Anoraks Ireland and Wavelength magazine.
Mailbag show from 1200.
Radio Skywave International began broadcasting on 29th July 1985 and continued intermittently on Sunday mornings until 12th June 1988. Both recordings are studio copies and are from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson. Radio Skywave International itself donated a large collection of recordings to Pirate.ie.
Undated photo of Gareth O’Callaghan in the Nova studio (courtesy Noel Hiney).
This recording is of popular DJ Tony Gareth (Gareth O’Callaghan) on Radio Nova in December 1982. There is a large number of adverts in the pre-Christmas period, emphasising the growing commercial success of Nova. Gareth promotes a competition to give away a music system and uses the tag line ‘clutterfree’, the format of continuous music and limited chat for which Nova became renowned. There’s also the 2.15 ‘hit and pick’ request spot for a local business. News is read by Sybil Fennell and the weather forecast covers Northern Ireland and the northwest of England, reflecting Nova’s coverage area. Gareth O’Callaghan went on to work in many other pirate and licensed stations and is still broadcasting today.
This tape was recorded from 88.2 FM from 1400-1450 (news is cut) on 1st December 1982. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson. Nova also broadcast on 819 kHz at this time.
Coast 103 was a popular Galway station broadcasting from the middle of 1987 until the end of 1988. Run by Keith York and Steve Marshall who had been involved with previous Galway stations Atlantic Sound and WLS, Coast later merged with Limerick station Hits 954 and eventually claimed to cover a large area from Galway to the outskirts of Cork City. This recording was made towards the end of Coast’s run and features Ger Sweeney’s upbeat breakfast show, sponsored by the Happy Spud. A promo refers to Coast being heard in Limerick, Tipperary, Kerry and Cork but all of the adverts are from Galway. Ger must have been in a rush to leave as there is continuous music at the end of his show before Shane Martin takes over.
Original cassette label from Anoraks Ireland Collection.
The recording was made from 102.95 FM on 8th November 1988 from 0836-0924. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.
Big Tree Radio was a shortlived station broadcasting from above a pub in Swords in north Co. Dublin in 1983. Called after the Big Tree pub (now the Estuary Bar) on North Main Street, some of the station’s DJs sounded very young and inexperienced, a reminder that everyone had access to the airwaves during the freewheeling pirate era. In this recording, Angie plays an easy listening format until 10pm and is followed by ‘Jeremy James’ until midnight who probably borrowed the name of the Voice of Peace DJ. Audio quality is fair with crackly vinyl and a bad hum on the microphone and there are no adverts to be heard. An address care of the pub is given for listeners to write in and request songs.
Original cassette label from Anoraks Ireland Collection.
The tape was made from 94 FM on 4th March 1983. Part 1 above runs from 2137 and part 2 below from 2229.
Part 2 from 2229.
This recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.
