Anoraks Ireland Collection Archives - Page 47 of 51 - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

27th April 202226th April 2022

Shannonside Community Radio from Limerick

Shannonside Community Radio was a short-lived pirate broadcasting to Limerick city in 1987. Information about the station is scant but it appears that it started around February of that year and broadcast on 97.5 FM with an address at 37 Catherine Street in the city centre.

The first recording above is a series of airchecks and is undated, but estimated to be from March 1987. DJs include Leonard Scott, Mark Young and Johnny Reggae (John Dronay), who had previously worked on popular Limerick pirate Big L. Aspiring DJs are asked to send a demo tape to the station. The second recording below is from 2^nd March 1987 and begins with the Wonderworth sponsored programme, presented by Johnny Reggae. Other DJs are Mike Patton and Liz Dronay, who possibly had a connection with John.

Recording from 2nd March 1987

There was plenty of competition in the Limerick radio market in early 1987. The bigger stations were Sound Channel and City Centre Radio, both aimed at younger listeners, and Raidió Luimní which focused on speech content and music for older cohorts. Shannonside Community Radio does not feature in listings by Anoraks Ireland from July 1987 so it appears that it lasted only a few months. It is not to be confused with the similarly named Shannonside Local Radio, that broadcast from north Kerry from 1987-1988.

These recordings are from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

22nd April 202221st April 2022

‘Media Network’ on Radio Rainbow International

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‘Media Network’ was a weekly radio programme broadcast on the international service Radio Netherlands Worldwide from the early 1980s until 2000. Produced and presented by Jonathan Marks, it covered various aspects of communication and broadcasting. Radio Netherlands Worldwide stopped broadcasting in 2012 after its budgets were slashed.

This 1988 edition of ‘Media Network’ features the Irish pirate radio scene as it was about to be regulated by new broadcasting legislation. It includes interviews with Eddie Caffrey about his Louth stations Boyneside Radio and Radio Rainbow International, and with the late Peter Madison who was heard on various pirates in the 1980s. Radio Nova’s satellite broadcasts from the UK are also covered on the show.

This programme was recorded on 6^th November 1988 from Radio Rainbow International on 6240 kHz shortwave. Reception is fair to good, with some fading. The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

20th April 202216th April 2022

More from oldies station Swinging Radio Impulse

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Swinging Radio Impulse was a hobby station specialising in oldies. On air in 1987 and 1988, it broadcast at night and at weekends on 95.89 FM from Galway city centre with just 5 watts of power. This recording from 2044-2130 on 21^st November 1987 features the late John Steele (on-air name Carl Turner) presenting a live show. There’s a real hobby feel to the programme with plenty of reverb in idents and even live voiceovers. John also mocks the midlands station Radio West which was then available on a local Galway relay and there’s a request for the late Keith York of large Galway station Coast 103.

This recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

18th April 20229th April 2022

Galway oldies station Swinging Radio Impulse

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Swinging Radio Impulse (SRI) was a small hobby pirate station broadcasting from Galway city centre in 1987 and 1988. It was run by the late John Steele (on-air name Carl Turner), who had a large vinyl collection and was something of an authority on various musical styles from the 1950s on. SRI dubbed itself ‘Ireland’s only oldies station’ and was on air mostly in the evenings and at weekends. Precise dates are unknown, but in July 1987 Anoraks Ireland listed a ‘Radio Impulse’ on 95.3 or 96.1 FM in Galway and Swinging Radio Impulse was logged in an Anoraks UK Weekly Report in November that year. It’s not clear when the station closed down. An Anoraks Ireland survey from November 1987 recorded that SRI broadcast on 95.89 FM in mono, announcing 96, with a power of just 5 watts from a house in Bohermore, Galway city centre. Broadcasting hours were 2100-0100 during the week, 0900-1500 on Saturday and 1100-1700 on Sunday.

This recording was made on 10^th November 1987 from 0026-0100 and features Carl Turner with what appears to be a pre-recorded programme for the first half-hour. Audio quality is poor with a lot of hiss but improves when programming goes live. There is an American advert for Old Spice shampoo from the 1960s and music is interspersed with home-made and generic station idents. A promo for Anoraks Ireland is voiced by a young John Walsh, co-founder of Pirate.ie.

Carl Turner also presented an oldies programme on Sunday mornings on commercial Galway station Coast 103. He was also an active member of Galway Radio Club. Thanks to Ciaran McCarthy and Shane Martin for background information. This recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

13th April 20229th April 2022

Oldies on Galway’s Coast 103

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Coast 103 was a successful station broadcasting from Galway from mid-1987 until the end of 1988. It later merged with Limerick pirate Hits 954, rebranded as Coast Hots Hits and covered the west and mid-west region from Galway to the outskirts of Cork. One of the two big Galway stations at the end of the pirate era, Coast played mostly chart music but also had some specialist programming outside peak times.

One such programme was the ‘Hitback’ oldies show presented by the late Carl Turner (aka John Steele) on Sunday mornings. This recording was made from 103 FM in stereo on 3^rd April 1988 from 0900-0945 and features an eclectic mix including rhythm and blues, swing, rock and roll, country, soul and folk rock. John Steele had an impression collection of vinyl and also ran his own hobby pirate Swinging Radio Impulse late at night from his home in Galway city centre.

This recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.