Dr Don (left) after the raid on ARD in 1978 (photo Irish Press).
Don Moore (Dr Don) was one of the pioneers of early pirate radio in Ireland, and developed Alternative Radio Dublin (ARD) into a credible and professional station in an increasingly competitive market at the end of the 1970s. This recording is of Dr Don in the lunchtime slot on ARD, featuring his usual zany and fast-paced style. There’s a listeners’ postal quiz to win cinema tickets and new headlines at half past the hour.
The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 1151 kHz, announcing 257 metres, between 1304-1334 sometime in 1978.
Leon Tipler by the Radio 270 pirate ship in 1966/67 (courtesy Steve England)
In this post, we bring you more highlights of Dublin radio in 1979 as recorded by English anorak Leon Tipler (RIP) during one of his regular visits to Ireland. This recording begins with Tony Allan (RIP) on his afternoon show on ARD, including news and requests. Later in the tape, Tony conducts an interview with the Friends of Medieval Dublin about the controversial development of the Wood Quay site in Dublin for new civic offices. Simon Young (RIP) is interviewed by another DJ on Big D, and talks about the various gigs that he did around town. There are also snippets of Radio Dublin and Capitol Radio. Parts of these recordings were used in Leon’s acclaimed documentary series The Irish Pirates.
The tape was made on 29th August 1979 from various AM frequencies. We thank Steve England for his donation of the Leon Tipler Collection to Pirate.ie.
Tony Allan in the ARD studio in 1979 (courtesy DX Archive).
Continuing our series on recordings made by English radio anorak Leon Tipler in Dublin, today’s tape features the sounds of an August afternoon in 1979 after he returned to Ireland for another visit. Tipler put his microphone up against a radio in his hotel room and recorded snippets of the city’s leading pirate, Alternative Radio Dublin (ARD) and a commentary on his impressions of the city at the time. This extracts were later used in his acclaimed documentary series The Irish Pirates that can be heard on this website.
The recording features the voice of the legendary Tony Allan (RIP) presenting the afternoon show on ARD and reading news headlines on 28th August 1979. Tipler was staying in the Ormond Hotel overlooking the River Liffey and gulls and passing traffic can be heard in the background. Audio quality is variable due to degradation of the cassette. We thank Steve England for donating Leon Tipler’s collection to us.
Leon Tipler at British pirate station Radio 270 in the late 1960s (courtesy Steve England)
Continuing our series featuring the tapes of English radio enthusiast Leon Tipler (RIP), today’s recording is of a bandscan made in July 1979, during one of Leon’s frequent visits to Dublin. Recorded mostly from AM, it begins with an excerpt from the Citizen’s Band legal advice programme on Alternative Radio Dublin (ARD) presented by Sylvia McClelland, an example of the diversity of programming on the station at the time. ARD news airs on the half-hour. This is followed by an unidentified DJ on Big D, who reads out requests from listeners and refers to Dublin’s iconic Dandelion Market. There are adverts for small businesses, some read live by the DJ, and a mention of a Big D social night the following Friday.
Towards the end of the recording, the dial is tuned around the AM band and we hear snippets of the new RTÉ Radio 2, Radio Dublin and UK stations. At the very end some FM stations are heard. The tape was recorded on 18th July 1979 from around midday. Audio quality is fair at best due to cassette degradation over time. Thanks to Steve England for the donation of Leon’s invaluable recordings and to Ian Biggar for additional information.
English radio enthusiast Leon Tipler was fond of recording bandscans during his visits to Dublin in the late 1970s and early 1980s, giving us a unique insight into the sound of the AM and FM bands at the time. In this recording from July 1979, he tunes along both bands late at night and again in the morning, providing snippets of the pirates and RTÉ. Among the content captured here is Paul Vincent with a late-night phone-in on ARD (Alternative Radio Dublin), Vincent Stewart on the Big D and a science fiction show also on the Big D. There are extracts from Mike Murphy’s breakfast programme recorded from RTÉ Radio 1 on FM and part of the Big D breakfast show, again from FM. As the knob is turned along the AM band, some British stations are also heard, as well as other unidentified Irish pirates.
This undated recording is from the Leon Tipler Collection, donated to us by Steve England.
