Big D Archives - Page 5 of 5 - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

4th April 202018th September 2022

Gerard Roe on Radio Annabel (May/June 1984)

This is a great recording of the popular Free Radio Campaign programme hosted by Gerard Roe on Dublin station Radio Annabel in the mid 1980s. The first part is from 20^th May 1984 and was recorded from 1035 kHz AM. It includes an interview with Kenny Everett from a BBC documentary about the offshore pirates, information about the new offshore station Laser 558, news about Radio Caroline, Gay Byrne celebrating 50 years of Radio Luxembourg and the 6th anniversary of Radio Carousel. The second part, probably from a week or two later, features Big D Radio and London pirate Thameside Radio. Audio quality is fair because the AM signal was over-modulated.

11th July 201925th May 2020

Interview: Declan Meehan (part 1: 1970-1982)

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We met one of Ireland’s most experienced broadcasters Declan Meehan recently to discuss his significant contribution to Irish pirate radio history and Irish radio in general over the past 50 years.

In the first part of a long interview, Declan discusses the early years of his involvement in the Dublin pirate scene spanning small stations such as Radio Vanessa and Radio Milinda and larger, more professional operations like ARD. He describes his unhappy move to the new RTÉ Radio 2 in 1979 and how he went on to work for the first of the superpirates, Sunshine Radio, where he met Chris Cary.

The interview includes references to many of the best-known names in Irish radio over the past half-century.

31st December 20182nd December 2022

Interview: Ken Harley (Nova, Big D, ARD, Radio Leinster)

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In this interview, Daragh O’Sullivan talks to Ken Harley who worked on Big D, ARD, Radio Nova, Q102 and Radio Leinster. He also worked in Bay City Studios making adverts for Nova.

The interview was conducted on 20^th October 2018 at the Ballsbridge Hotel in Dublin at a meet-up of people involved in Irish pirate radio over the years.

23rd December 201830th May 2020

Interview: Denis Murray (Big D/KISS FM (102.7)/Radio Nova/KISS FM Monaghan)

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On October 20th 2018 over 100 radio anoraks gathered in the Ballsbridge Hotel in Dublin. The purpose was to meet and record oral history of the pirate radio era.

John Walsh interviewed Denis Murray about his pirate radio past including the early days of Big D, Radio Nova, KISS FM (102.7) in Dublin and another KISS FM (103.7) in Monaghan.

22nd December 20185th January 2019

Interview: Karl Tsigdinos (ARD and others)

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On October 20th 2018 over 100 radio anoraks gathered in the Ballsbridge Hotel Dublin. The purpose was to meet and record oral history of the pirate radio era.

Karl Tsigdinos worked on the pirates from the mid seventies to early eighties going on to work with Radio Ireland / Today FM, Dublin City FM and RTE Gold. In this interview he explains how Hotpress (where he worked as a journalist) had a radio show that travelled around between Big D, Radio Dublin and ARD in the late seventies.