Interview with pirate radio pioneer Tony Boylan

Interview with pirate radio pioneer Tony Boylan
Tony Boylan in the Radio Galaxy studio on 28th August 1986 (Anoraks Ireland Collection).

Tony Boylan (RIP) was one of the pioneers of free radio in Ireland, operating one of the country’s first pirate stations in 1945. Set up in his bedroom in Rathmines in Dublin, the Killeen Home Service broadcast on Sunday mornings on 196 metres with a 4-mile radius. The weekly broadcasts continued until 1951 when the family moved to Ballymun, where the station was renamed as Radio 200. There was another move to Santry in 1955, where the station was renamed as Radio Galaxy and a stronger power output and better aerial gave coverage of most of the city. Radio Galaxy continued until 1965 but following pressure from the Department of Posts and Telegraphs, the station changed to Saturdays, moved frequency and was renamed Radio Laxey. Radio Galaxy resumed from the late 1960s until 1986, when Tony retired to the Isle of Man. A feature across Tony’s long broadcasting career was his love of 78s vinyl, making his programmes a unique offering in the pirate era. He died in 2010 in the Isle of Man.

Interview with pirate radio pioneer Tony Boylan
Original cassette inlay from Anoraks Ireland Collection.

This recording features an interview with Tony on Alternative Radio Dublin (ARD) in 1980, where he was presenting a 78s show at the time. The first part of the interview covers his early involvement in pirate radio up to Radio Galaxy and ARD. The second part deals with his extensive 78s collection – then about 6,500 vinyl records – and his love of the popular music of the first part of the 20th Century. The interviewer is Eric Peters and the recording was made at the Crofton Hotel on 15th March 1980. No times or frequency are given but it appears the tape was made from medium wave due to the heterodyne whistle. Audio quality is fair at best and there are a number of edits in the recording, which is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

Dublin stations ARD and Big D in 1978

Dublin stations ARD and Big D in 1978
ARD studio in Belvedere Place in 1978 (courtesy Dave Reddy).

In 1978, the Dublin pirate radio scene took off in earnest as what were previously sporadic or part-time stations moved to full schedules and developed a more professional sound. This recording features Alternative Radio Dublin (ARD) and the Big D, two stations that emerged from splits from the original Radio Dublin. First up is Big D founder James Dillon with plenty of requests of the ‘madly in love’ variety, live-read adverts and a promo for the Big D roadshow. Fellow DJ John Paul’s sung jingles and the voice of Denis Murray are also heard. 11 Chapel Lane is the postal address and the wavelength announced is 273 metres.

Dublin stations ARD and Big D in 1978
Big D sticker (courtesy Bill Ebrill).

The dial is then changed to 257 metres and to the end of Greg Gaughren’s show on ARD. Greg is standing in for Ronan Collins in the afternoon slot. News at the top of the hour is read by Dave C. (RIP) and sponsored by the Sunday World newspaper. This is followed by Jason Maine with Tuesday’s Maineline Music Programme. The ARD segment in particular is noteworthy for its professionalism, a reminder that some pirates were providing a high-quality service long before the arrival of the likes of Radio Nova and Sunshine Radio into the Irish market.

The recording was made from 1530-1630 sometime in October 1978. It is kindly donated by Ian Biggar.

Chris Barry and David Dennehy on ARD/Radio 257

Chris Barry and David Dennehy on ARD/Radio 257
ARD DJs, undated. Back: Eddie West (RIP). Front L-R: David Dennehy, Chris Barry, Aidan Leonard (courtesy Dave Reddy).

Radio 257 was the new name for ARD (Alternative Radio Dublin) when the station relaunched on 4th January 1980. Many of the DJs on ARD/Radio 257 would go on to become household names in Irish radio, including John Clarke, Mike Moran, Tony Allan (RIP), Paul Vincent and Ian Dempsey. The station closed in 1982 as the super-pirates gained dominance in the Dublin radio market.

Radio 257 reverted to the ARD name at a later stage but in this recording from April 1981, both versions are heard in links and idents. First up is Chris Barry with his drivetime show which includes plenty of adverts and generic jingles re-cut with the ‘257’ tagline. He is followed by David Dennehy who has a write-in competition for listeners. Both Chris and David went on to work in larger pirate stations and eventually licensed radio.

Chris Barry and David Dennehy on ARD/Radio 257
Original cassette from Anoraks Ireland Collection.

This recording was made from 99.9 FM on 2nd April 1981 and Part 1 above runs from 1727-1815. Part 2 below is from 1815-1833 on 2nd April and is followed by part of the Night Train show from 3rd April 1981, presented by Gary Edwards.

Part 2 from 2nd and 3rd April 1981.

The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

Dr Don’s final show on ARD

Dr Don's final show on ARD
Don Moore (left) and ARD backer Bernard Llewellyn after a raid on 31.01.78 (photo Eric Luke/Irish Press).

This is a recording of the final show by the late Don Moore on ARD in September 1982, towards the end of the station’s run. Dr Don, as he was known on air, was credited with developing ARD into a serious player in the Dublin radio market at the end of the 1970s and start of the 1980s.

The lunchtime show features Don’s trademark zaniness with comic inserts and jokes, some of which would be off-colour by today’s standards. Don was an irreverant broadcaster, but the fact that ARD was coming to an end probably meant that he was even less concerned about ruffling feathers. Although Don makes no farewell announcement at the end of the show, he doesn’t commit to returning the following day. Taking over at 2pm, the next DJ Seán Hannon hopes that Don will be back sometime in the future. The label on the cassette itself refers to ‘Dr Don final’ so it seems likely that this was his last show.

Dr Don's final show on ARD
Original cassette label from Anoraks Ireland Collection.

The recording was made on Wednesday 1st September 1982 from 99.9 FM between 1301-1413. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson. ARD closed just over two weeks later on 15th September.

Hugh O’Brien and David Dennehy on ARD

Hugh O'Brien and David Dennehy on ARD
ARD’s aerial at the Crofton Hotel in 1981 (courtesy Noel Hiney).

This recording of Alternative Radio Dublin (ARD) was made on a Saturday afternoon in 1981. Hugh O’Brien is on air with mostly oldies and is joined by David Dennehy with sports news. Both would be heard on other pirates throughout the 1980s and on licensed radio thereafter. The recording includes a news flash about the highjacking of an Aer Lingus plane in Paris.

There are plenty of adverts including one for Channel 3 television, later to be known as Channel D. Channel 3 was one of a handful of short-lived pirate television stations broadcasting in the 1980s. It was set up by Don Moore of ARD and Michael Tiernan of the National Independent Broadcasting Organisation, a grouping of commercial pirate stations. Other voices heard on adverts are Paul Vincent, Dave C. and Tony Allan. The cassette has become degraded over time and there is some audio distortion.

Hugh O'Brien and David Dennehy on ARD
Original cassette label from Anoraks Ireland Collection.

The recording was made from 99.9 FM from 1659-1745 on 2nd May 1981. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.