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

Interview: Declan Meehan (part 1: 1970-1982)
Declan Meehan and John Walsh at the studios of East Coast FM in Bray, where Declan has worked since 1994.

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.

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

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

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 20th October 2018 at the Ballsbridge Hotel in Dublin at a meet-up of people involved in Irish pirate radio over the years.

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

Interview: Denis Murray (Big D/KISS FM (102.7)/Radio Nova/KISS FM Monaghan)
A sticker for the KISS FM on 102.7 set up by Chris Cary, where Dennis Murray worked from 1982-84. Courtesy DX Archive.

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.

Interview: Karl Tsigdinos (ARD and others)

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.

Interview: Karl Tsigdinos (ARD and others)
Karl Tsigdinos (Picture via Christmas FM)