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Island Radio on St. Stephen’s Day 1981

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Island Radio on St. Stephen's Day 1981

Island Radio was a short-lived pirate broadcasting from the Dalkey area of south Dublin in late 1981 and 1982. It launched as an FM operation only but later added AM due to the reality of radio listening at the time. The station tried out a format of album tracks only and DJs were expected to bring quality music for their shows. Island Radio never really got off the ground though and was closed in early 1982 after objections from local residents.

This recording is of Island Radio on St. Stephen’s Day 1981, just two weeks after its launch. First up is Tony Adams and he is followed by Tommy Greene, who continues to broadcast today on licensed Wicklow station East Coast FM. There are sung jingles and a live-read advert for a local business. 229 metres (1314 kHz) is mentioned, a frequency that was logged by DX Archive at the time.

The airchecked recording was made on 26th December 1981 from 98.1 FM beginning after 1500 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

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Sunshine Radio on Christmas Day 1981

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Sunshine Radio on Christmas Day 1981
Group shot of the early Sunshine crew in 1980 (from Sunshine Review 1985).

This recording features snippets from Christmas Day 1981 on Dublin pirate Sunshine Radio, by then one of the city’s two leading stations alongside Radio Nova. The station was still on 91.6 FM at that stage, as well as its AM frequency on 531 kHz. DJs in this airchecked recording from throughout the day are Declan Meehan, Stevie Dunne, David Lyons and John Lewis. News on the hour is read by a hungry Siobhán Walls, who is dreaming of her Christmas dinner.

The recording was made by Kieran Murray from 91.6 FM on December 25th 1981 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. Audio quality is fair with some cassette wobble due to the passing of time.

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Drivetime on Centre Radio from Cork

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Drivetime on Centre Radio from Cork
Eric Young (Kevin Cussens) at Centre Radio in 1987 (Anoraks Ireland Collection).

Centre Radio was a Cork pirate broadcasting from late 1986 to the end of 1988. It was first located in Shandon Street in the city centre and then moved to Dublin Hill on the northside. An FM station only, it first broadcast on 101.5 and then 101, before moving to 95 MHz.  

This recording from towards the end of its run features the end of the 95 FM Drive show with station boss Eric Young (aka Kevin Cussens), consisting mostly of chart music with short links. The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 95 FM between 1832-1903 on Thursday 3rd November 1988.

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Anoraks Show on Radio West from spring 1988

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Anoraks Show on Radio West from spring 1988
West National Radio 3 notepaper (courtesy DX Archive).

The Anoraks’ Show on Radio West, later West National Radio 3, was a weekly review of the Irish pirate radio scene. It was presented by station boss Shaun Coyne and was renowned for being unpredictable and heavy on gossip and rumour. This edition of the Anoraks’ Show from spring 1988 includes news about the closure of Radio Carousel in Dundalk and Drogheda, the new KISS FM in Monaghan, Longford Community Radio, Breffni Radio and Northern Star. Shaun also recounts how West National Radio 3 was considering buying Hits 954 in Limerick, but that station was recently acquired by Coast 103 in Galway. There is also reference to revisions of the impending legislation to silence the pirates and introduce licensed local radio. Shaun is joined in studio by Willie Harte, who can barely get a word in!

The tape was made from 702 kHz AM between 1057-1131 on Sunday, 24th April 1988 and is partially airchecked. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

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Drivetime on Magic 103

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Drivetime on Magic 103
Magic 103 studios (courtesy DX Archive).

Magic 103 was launched by Radio Nova on April 29th 1985, promoting itself as an easy-listening and information service for Dublin. This placed the station more in competition with RTÉ Radio 1 than Radio 2, but it never really found its feet and presentation and production standards were mixed during its short period on air. Magic 103 closed on 22nd September and the laying off of staff worsened a dispute with the National Union of Journalists, which would ultimately contribute to the demise of Radio Nova.    

The tape begins with the end of the afternoon show with Mark Weller (Costigan) and Linda Conway, which includes an interview related to one of the day’s news stories. ABC Network News on the hour is broadcast on both Magic 103 and Radio Nova. Shane Mac Gabhann and Dave Johnson (Andrew Hanlon) follow the 1700 news with a drivetime news and music show, including a newspaper review, sports news, community information, a book feature and an entertainment guide.

The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 103.5 FM between 1645-1818 on Wednesday 17th July 1985.