This is another recording of Northside Radio, to which Radio North changed its name after some of those involved stepped back from the pirate station in 1989 to apply for a licence for the north Donegal franchise. On air at lunchtime is station manager Francis Callaghan with country and Irish music and plenty of requests from both sides of the border. Francis also reads out community notices and presents the daily Helpline slot. Most but not all adverts are from the North and there is a promo for a Northside Radio roadshow in Co. Derry. The station reverted to Radio North a few weeks later after the licence application was unsuccessful.
This recording of Northside Radio was made from 846 kHz AM on Wednesday 23rd August 1989 between 1309-1440 from 846 kHz AM (the station also broadcast on 98 FM at the time). Reception is fair and consistent with daytime groundwave reception as this tape was recorded in Scotland. Thanks to Ian Biggar for the donation.
Northside Radio rate card from 1989 (courtesy Ian Biggar).
On 16th January 1989, Radio North was relaunched as Northside Radio complete with new jingles, promos and studios and a move to Redcastle on the banks of Lough Foyle. The Donegal Democrat of 20th January reported that a split in the Radio North camp led to the new name, with the original owner Paddy Simpson deciding to apply for the north Donegal licence. At this time, Anoraks UK reported that Northside Radio’s listenership was obviously strong, due to a large number of requests and regular promos for public appearances of DJs on both sides of the border. In March there were rumours that the station was raided and the FM transmitter confiscated but these were not confirmed.
The Donegal News of 15th April 1989 carried a report about a hearing of the Independent Radio and Television Commission (IRTC) with applicants for the Donegal radio licences (the county was divided into north and south for the purposes of the new legislation). Among the applicants for the northern licence, the consortium linked to Radio North was called North Donegal Community Broadcasting Services Ltd. and Paddy Simpson was among its directors. IRTC chairperson Séamus Henchy took some interest in the pirate background of applicants and asked about the consortium’s links to Radio North/Northside Radio. Paddy Simpson said that he was aware that Radio North had continued to broadcast after the 1989 deadline but denied that he was in any way connected with either it or Northside Radio. The consortium promised a musical policy of middle-of-the-road, country and traditional, very much in the same style as Radio North. Another high-profile pirate name, Tony Allan (RIP) was to be appointed programme director.
On 4th August 1989, the Donegal Democrat reported that Highland Radio had been awarded the licence for North Donegal, the only applicant that was not linked to a former pirate. On September 4th, the name of Northside Radio reverted to Radio North once again when Paddy Simpson took back control, according to Anoraks UK. The Donegal Democrat of 8th September reported that Radio North made no secret of the fact that it would continue to broadcast without a licence.
This recording of Northside Radio was made towards the end of its existence and features a mixture of country and Irish music, with some classics, oldies and pop thrown in. Rockin’ Raymond presents the Hits and Memories show, which includes a listeners’ competition. Adverts include new releases by Irish country music stars and promotions for gigs, an important function served by stations such as Northside/Radio North. Most adverts are from businesses in the North, reflecting the stricter new broadcasting laws in place in the Republic. Of interest is one for boat trips to Rathlin Island off the Antrim coast.
The recording was made from 846 kHz AM on Tuesday 15th August between 1038-1210 and is courtesy of Ian Biggar. There is some electrical interference as the tape was made in Scotland.
Radio North from Co. Donegal is one of Ireland’s longest-running pirate stations, operating under various guises more or less continuously from 1986 to the current day. It began broadcasting from Carndonagh on the Inishowen peninsula on 18th November 1986 on 1386 kHz, later moving to 1404. By mid-1987, it had moved to the clearer channel of 846 kHz, which gave it better coverage over a wider area.
Radio North closed down along with the vast majority of the other pirate stations on 31st December 1988 but its frequencies were not silent for long. The station was among a handful of pirates to defy the new broadcasting laws and continue broadcasting in 1989. Radio North returned on tape on 5th January 1989 and resumed live programmes the following day on 97.9 FM and 846 kHz AM putting out its usually good signal into Britain, according to the Anoraks UK Weekly Report. Promos were aired to raise funds for the station’s court case against the 1988 legislation with £30,000 required, £10,000 of which would be provided by Radio North. Adverts from both sides of the border were plentiful but an address in Ballymoney in Co. Antrim was used for advertising in order to circumvent the provisions of the new laws banning advertising on pirate radio in the Republic.
This recording was made from 1005-1155 on Sunday 8th January 1989, just three days after Radio North returned to the air. DJ James plays a mixture of country, oldies and pop and there are requests and adverts from both sides of the border along with an appeal for donations to help the station fight the new broadcasting legislation in the High Court. The recording was made in Scotland and reception is fair with some electrical interference as would be expected given the distance from the broadcast site. We thank Ian Biggar for the donation.
106 FM was a short-lived pirate station broadcasting to Derry from just across the border in Donegal in 2001. The station was run by Delbert Jackson, a former DJ from another Donegal-based pirate, Riverside 101. However, reflecting a stricter approach to the pirates at the time, 106 FM only managed to broadcast for a few months from April before leaving the airwaves for good.
In June, it was reported in an online radio forum that 106 FM was off the air following the theft of equipment, but planned to return shortly. In a letter to Ian Biggar on 15th September 2001, Andy Craig (formerly of Riverside 101) mentioned that Department of Communications officials had visited Donegal in August to raid 106 FM and another pirate, Tyrone Community Radio (TCR), which despite the name broadcast from near Lifford in the Republic. It was believed that the raid occurred as a result of a complaint from a rival station.
Other Donegal pirates Drive 105, Radio North and WABC switched of their transmitters at the time as a precaution. The DJ on air at 106 FM at the time of the raid was reportedly arrested by Gardaí and Eddie Barr who was on air at WABC was told to keep the transmitter switched off (WABC was never to return). No other pirates were visited, and they had returned to the air by the time of the letter.
This recording of 106 FM is of a test transmission and was made on 18th April 2001 between 1320-1450. It features continuous music with recorded links giving a Northern phone number and email address as well as professional station liners. The tape was made by Rodney Neill and is kindly donated by Ian Biggar, who also provided background information. Reception quality is good with some fading, as the recording was made in Portadown, some distance from the Derry/Donegal border.
FM 100 was one of many border pirates to ignore the new broadcasting legislation that came into effect in the Republic of Ireland at the start of 1989. It used the studios and transmitters of previous pirate KITS in Monaghan Town, that had closed at the end of 1988, and beamed its signal across Northern Ireland. FM 100 launched on 26th July 1989, with the first live show presented by John Friday (Lawrence John), who also programmed the station. Complaining about the lack of an all-music station in the North, FM 100 launched the ‘Campaign for Music Radio in Ulster’ but despite claiming ‘province-wide’ coverage with the support of advertising campaigns and fund-raising events, the station fizzled out after a few months in late 1989.
This recording of FM 100 from autumn 1989 is of a late-night show featuring pop and chart music. Adverts are heard for businesses in Armagh and Down and an advertising promo gives a Craigavon contact number, reflecting new restrictions on pirates taking advertising in the Republic. The strapline ‘Province-wide: Ulster’s newest, Ulster’s best’ is used by DJ Noel McStay and there are professional jingles and liners. The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 100 FM on Tuesday 5th September 1989 from 2200-2242. FM 100 also broadcast on 103.25 FM in Newry and South Down.
