Letterhead of Radio Rainbow International (courtesy Eddie Caffrey).
Radio Rainbow International was a high-powered shortwave station broadcasting from Co. Louth between 1985-1988. It was set up by the engineer of Boyneside Radio, Eddie Caffrey and other Boyneside presenters were also involved, including Kieran Murray with the weekly Free Radio Campaign (FRC) show featuring radio news from home and abroad. Initially, Radio Rainbow broadcast every Sunday morning across Europe on 6240 kHz in the 48-metre band. Local transmitters were later added on AM and FM.
In edition #28 of the FRC, Kieran Murray welcomes listeners hearing relays on Radio Veronica in Liverpool and Radio Crystal in Surrey and reminds other free radio stations in Europe that they are welcome to carry the programme. Promos for Anoraks UK are voiced by the late Bob Gallico. Listeners’ letters come from Ireland and the UK and there is the usual 5-minute sweep of jingles. The feature covers a recording of London pirate Thameside Radio from 1980 and is followed by the weekly FRC newsdesk.
Original cassette inlay from Anoraks Ireland Collection.
The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made on Sunday 3rd August 1986 from 1100-1200. This is a studio copy in stereo but there is some wobble of the cassette due to degradation over time.
Radio Rainbow International letterhead (courtesy Kieran Murray).
This is an episode of the weekly Free Radio Campaign (FRC) show on Louth station Radio Rainbow International from autumn 1986. Presented by Kieran Murray, it includes the usual 5-minute sweep of jingles this week featuring British ILR and BBC stations. The featured station is BBC Radio Stoke-on-Trent, which includes an interview with Dave Cash formerly of Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s. The free radio newsdesk includes references to various proposed new stations that did not materialise: a new music station operated by Boyneside Radio covering an area from Dublin to Belfast called Laser FM and three new stations from the stable of Sunshine Radio in Dublin.
The recording of episode #34 of the FRC was made from 1100-1200 on Sunday 5th October 1986. Radio Rainbow International broadcast on 6240 kHz shortwave at this stage, later adding AM and FM. This is a studio copy and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.
KISS FM advert in The Sunday World in 1986 (Anoraks Ireland Collection).
Countless Irish pirates were called KISS FM in the 1980s and 1990s, including a station based in Foley Street in Dublin’s north inner city for about 18 months in 1985 and 1986. This KISS FM had its origins in Dublin Community Radio, set up in 1984 in nearby North Frederick Street. The new station was owned by two German businessmen and was managed by Dublin pirate stalwart David Baker. KISS FM aimed for high production standards and carved out its own corner in the competitive Dublin radio market, going through a number of format changes during its short time on air. On 3rd October 1986, KISS FM was the first Irish pirate to be raided in several years as a result of complaints due to interference and it closed down shortly afterwards.
One highlight of KISS FM’s time on air was its charity campaign on behalf of the Irish Society for Autistic Children over St. Patrick’s weekend 1986, which culminated in a disco dance marathon in the North Star Hotel around the corner from the station. This recording gives a sense of the lead-up to the charity weekend with David Baker doing live link-ups from the streets of Dublin in an attempt to drum up support for the charity fundraiser. Audio quality on the links is poor to fair at best and it sounds as if the first generation of mobile phone technology was used (Telecom Éireann had established the Eircell network the previous December). An interesting aspect of the recording is the re-cut of an ARD ident from the late 1970s, itself based on a jingle from KACY 1520 in California. KISS FM’s AM frequency at the time was 1116 kHz, announced as 273 metres.
Foley Street today – KISS FM was in a building right of the tree, long since demolished (photo by John Walsh)
Other voices include DJ Gareth Scully and newsreaders Rachel Walsh and Maurice Nevin (RIP). Rachel Walsh, whose real name is Fionnuala Sweeney, went on to other larger pirates and eventually a career in RTÉ and CNN. Another feature of note is the occasional jingle or insert from other pirates including Radio Nova, which was on the verge of closing down. This fact is mentioned in one of the KISS FM news bulletins, which regrets the departure of Nova from the Dublin radio scene.
This airchecked recording tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection and was made on Tuesday 11th and Friday 14th March 1986. No frequency is noted but presumably the tape was recorded from 104.1 FM. KISS FM also broadcast on 94.8 FM and on AM.
This is edition #9 of the Free Radio Campaign (FRC) show on Co. Louth shortwave station Radio Rainbow International. Presenter Kieran Murray announces that the station was off the air the previous Sunday because of poor conditions on shortwave and work on the transmitter. He says that the FRC is being relayed on stations in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. Listeners’ letters come from the UK and the Netherlands and the weekly 5 minutes of jingles includes pirates and licensed stations. The station feature comprises an interview with Kenny Everett of Capitol Radio and BBC Radio 1 and excerpts from Capitol Radio in London. The FRC newsdesk covers offshore and Irish pirates and includes a reference to the introduction of compact discs on Q102, sponsored by Sony. Radio Nova is reported to be considering a name change in the next fortnight due to a fall in advertising revenue. On March 19th, Radio Nova would close down, to be replaced by Zoom 103.
This recording is a studio copy and from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. It was made on Sunday 9th March 1986 from 1100-1200. Radio Rainbow International broadcast on 6240 kHz shortwave.
Don pictured at Cork station ERI in 1983 (courtesy Svenn Martinsen).
The late Don Allen was one of the best-known DJs of the pirate era in the UK and Ireland. Arriving in the UK from Canada in 1965, the Canadian drew on his life-long passion for country music to promote the genre on the airwaves and he gained huge followings on numerous stations big and small over the next 30 years, including into the licensed era. This fascinating interview with Don from 1982 was broadcast on Radio Carousel Navan, which he had recently joined. It covers in depth his early radio experience in Canada and the US and the story of his decision to come to Europe after reading an article about offshore station Radio Caroline.
Don recounts the story of his involvement in Caroline from 1965-1968 including conditions on board the ship off the Isle of Man, the annoyance of the Manx government with the decision to outlaw the station, the letters from fans and his friendship with other DJs such as Tony Blackburn, Tony Prince, Keith Skues and Simon Dee. In 1969, Don became programme controller of Manx Radio and drew on his Caroline experience to tighten the station’s sound and promote the personality of the DJ. In the 1970s, he describes how he worked simultaneously for the pirates and the ‘establishment’, dividing his time first between BBC Radio Merseyside and the unlicensed offshore Radio North Sea International.
Ian Biggar, who worked in Radio Carousel at the same time, recalls his memories of this period and of Don:
Don’s appearance at Carousel coincided with my time there. I can remember being in the Dundalk studio and station owner Hugh Hardy mentioned that Don Allen had been on the phone looking for work. Hugh was wary of Don due to his reputation as THE country jock. I clearly remember Don was not allowed to broadcast on the Dundalk station as that was Hardy’s patch.
I remember one morning in Drogheda tuning in to the Navan station and hearing Don on air. What’s more I was following him on the schedule. You can imagine how excited I was heading across to Navan on the bus in anticipation of meeting one of my heroes from Radio Nordsee International. Don was a gentleman and we had many conversations about the old offshore radio days.
I think Hardy had once again bitten off too much with starting a station in Castleblaney and trying to establish Carousel in Drogheda. So, Don and I were let go on early June 1982. I last saw him in the Drogheda studio in the Boyne Valley Hotel as I was about to catch the train to Belfast for the onward ferry to Scotland. Don asked if I was interested in joining the Voice of Peace off Israel as he had been in contact with them. ‘No need for a demo, if I say your good enough you’re in’, he said. I answered that I was interested but just wanted to take a short holiday in Scotland and would call him.
In the end neither Don nor I went to the Peace Ship. I headed to Cork for the start of ERI and Don went back to Carousel when Hardy’s finances improved. He was there for a few more months, but assume at the same time was planning for Royal County Radio, a rival Navan station.
Screenshot of a VHS interview with Don Allen at Radio Star Country in 1989 (courtesy Miles Johnston).
This interview with Don Allen was broadcast between approximately 1900-2000 on Tuesday 11th May 1982. The presenter is Pádraig Walsh and the tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. This is a studio copy but Radio Carousel Navan broadcast at the time on 1386 kHz, announcing 210 metres. Don Allen’s final pirate was Radio Star Country in Monaghan, one of a handful of stations to defy the 1989 legislation outlawing unlicensed radio. He later took up a post on licensed station Midlands Radio 3 where his Country Jamboree was a hugely popular show up to his untimely death in 1995.
