Anoraks Ireland Collection Archives - Page 29 of 51 - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

19th May 20232nd May 2024

Sunshine Radio is raided

Gardaí and officials from the Department of Posts and Telegraphs raided Sunshine Radio on the morning of 19^th May 1983. This a recording of the final minutes of Sunshine from 0924 before the closedown at 0938. There are adverts right up to the end, including a promo for a Sunshine Radio car sun visor, although Sunshine boss Robbie Robinson comments that ‘this may be your last chance’. News headlines at 0930 with Cathy Cregan make no reference to the situation but shortly afterwards Robbie Robinson announces that the station is being raided and invites listeners to come down to the Sands Hotel and ring their TDs to protest. Sunshine’s theme song ‘You are my Sunshine’ is played and then goes off the air. The station returned on June 12^th.

The recording was made from 100.58 FM stereo, announcing 101. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

12th May 202311th May 2023

Sunshine Radio breakfast with Pat Courtenay

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Pat Courtenay was a familiar voice on many 1980s pirates including the Portmarnock-based station Sunshine Radio. This recording from summer 1985 features him on Sunshine’s breakfast show. It’s a Monday morning but Pat promises to drag listeners into the working week with the usual blend of music and chat. News at the top of the hour is read by Bob Powell (the headlines at half-past are cut). There are the customary agency adverts and commercials for businesses around Dublin and a promo for a £1,000 giveaway as part of the Sunshine Summer Lotto. Pat Courtenay continues to broadcast on radio in Dublin and Bob Powell went on to become a journalist with RTÉ.

The recording was made from 100.5 FM from 0657-0740 on 15^th July 1985 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

4th May 20231st August 2024

Final day of Radio Sandymount 1984

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Radio Sandymount was one of several pop-up community radio stations run by the Community Broadcasting Co-operative (CBC) in Dublin and surrounding counties between 1982 and 1988. Set up by Dave Reddy and Al O’Rourke, Radio Sandymount was the first such station and proved so popular that the idea was replicated in other parts of Dublin as well as Wicklow and Meath. The CBC stations coincided with local community festivals and were a regular part of the radio scene on the east coast during the 1980s. Another CBC station was Radio Snowflake, which came on air at Christmas.

Radio Sandymount broadcast each year during the Sandymount and Merrion Community Week in late May or early June. This recording features the last day of the station’s run in 1984 . On air is David Baker, a familiar voice on the CBC stations and on numerous other pirates throughout the decade. There are plenty of requests, competition winners and references to local talent competitions and dinner dances – local radio at its finest!

The recording was made from 103.3 FM on 28^th May 1984 between 1048-1135. Radio Sandymount also broadcast on 1116 kHz during the same period. The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

1st May 202329th April 2023

Northeast series: first broadcast of Radio Rainbow International

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Radio Rainbow International was a high-powered shortwave pirate broadcasting on Sundays from Co. Louth between the summer of 1985 and the end of 1988. It was operated by Boyneside Radio DJ and engineer Eddie Caffrey and several other Boyneside presenters were also involved. In an interview with Pirate.ie, one such DJ, Kieran Murray, described Radio Rainbow as the ‘Radio Nova of shortwave’, such was its high power output in contrast with other Irish shortwave pirates of the era. Using the tagline ‘broadcasting from the east coast of Ireland’, Radio Rainbow put out about 1 kW of power on 6240 kHz in the 48-metre band. The station received reception reports from all over Europe during its three years on air.

Northeast series: first broadcast of Radio Rainbow International — Original cassette label from Anoraks Ireland Collection.

This is a studio recording of the first broadcast of Radio Rainbow International on Sunday 28^th July 1985. The DJ is Jim Agnew on his first shortwave broadcast. There are no times and the tape is airchecked. It was made by Kieran Murray and is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated by Paul Davidson.

24th April 202322nd April 2023

Radio Carousel reports on Bisto Soapbox Derby

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Soapbox derby competitions began in the United States in the 1930s and were revived in Ireland in the 1980s where they are often known as go-karting. The All-Ireland Soapbox Derby was held in Dunleer, Co. Louth in 1982 and sponsored by gravy company Bisto. Dundalk pirate station Radio Carousel was at the event and broadcast a special half-hour programme in the Carousel Tonight slot on Monday 16^th August. Presented by Kieran Murray, the programme consisted of interviews with organisers and participants at the event, including with local TD Bernard Markey and a representative of Bisto. As the pirates gained listeners during the 1980s, political parties attempted to prevent elected representatives from being interviewed on the pirates but politicians knew that they would gain publicity if heard on their local station.

This is a studio copy of the programme provided by Kieran Murray. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson. Watch an RTÉ television report on the same event here.