Community radio Archives - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

1st May 202430th April 2024

Community station Radio Ringsend from 1986

Radio Ringsend was an annual temporary station broadcasting during the Ringsend and District Festival in southeast Dublin during the 1980s. It was one of several pop-up stations under the umbrella of the Community Broadcasting Co-operative (CBC) set up during local community festivals in Dublin and surrounding counties. Radio Ringsend began broadcasting in 1982 and broadcast for the last time in the summer of 1988 before the legalisation of independent radio.

The CBC stations gave a fascinating insight into the popularity of hyper-local radio complete with small corner stores and competition results from the festival. In 1986, Radio Ringsend was based in a fruit and vegetable shop in Irishtown and this recording contains plenty of adverts for similar small businesses and copious amounts of requests and dedications. There is also a phone-in quiz, listeners’ competitions and karate results from the festival. The presenter is CBC founder Dave Reddy and voices on the adverts include David Baker and Bryan Lambert, familiar names on the CBC stations and indeed other 1980s pirates.

The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 98.4 FM from 1248-1425 on Saturday 26^th July 1986. Radio Ringsend also broadcast that year on 1530 kHz / 196 metres.

1st September 20231st September 2023

Midday Miscellany on Wonderland Radio

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Wonderland Radio was the community station for the large suburb of Tallaght in southwest Dublin, broadcasting from 1984 to the end of 1988. Its promotional material used the strapline ‘Tallaght Community Broadcasting’ and the station changed its name to Tallaght Community Radio in the summer of 1986. Wonderland/Tallaght Community Radio was a member of the National Association of Community Broadcasters that lobbied for the licensing of non-commercial radio stations throughout the decade. Many of those involved in the pirate station set up the licensed Tallaght FM (1999-2008).

This tape from 1984 features part of the Midday Miscellany programme. The unidentified presenter shares recipes, a community notebook and a segment on mental health. There are promos for a small adverts slot and the Tallaght People of the Year Awards. Audio quality is fair to poor in places with over-modulation of the signal and variable audio levels. Some splatter is heard also, presumably from the powerful Manx Radio signal on the the neighbouring 1368 kHz frequency, which would have been strong at the reception location.

The recording was made from 1359 kHz, announcing 220 metres, on 15^th August 1984 from 1215-1302. It is from the Skywaves Tapes Collection. Radio Skywave International was a 1980s shortwave station broadcasting from Baldoyle in northeast Dublin.

30th August 202312th August 2023

Saturday music and sports on NDCR

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North Dublin Community Radio (NDCR) was one of the leading community broadcasters in Dublin in the 1980s. Based in the northeastern suburb of Coolock, it was on the air from 1983 to 1988 and played a leading role in the National Association for Community Broadcasters that lobbied for the licensing of the non-commercial sector. Many of those involved in NDCR went on to establish NEAR FM, the current licensed community station for northeast Dublin.

This tape of NDCR from features part of a Saturday afternoon show with chart music, sports results and community notices. The DJ is unidentified. It was recorded from the slightly off-channel frequency of 890 kHz from 1625-1710 on 18^th February 1984. Splatter from the powerful BBC Radio Wales transmitter on 882 kHz can be heard during the broadcast. The recording is from the Skywaves Tapes Collection. Radio Skywave International was a 1980s shortwave station broadcasting from Baldoyle in northeast Dublin.

4th May 20231st August 2024

Final day of Radio Sandymount 1984

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Radio Sandymount was one of several pop-up community radio stations run by the Community Broadcasting Co-operative (CBC) in Dublin and surrounding counties between 1982 and 1988. Set up by Dave Reddy and Al O’Rourke, Radio Sandymount was the first such station and proved so popular that the idea was replicated in other parts of Dublin as well as Wicklow and Meath. The CBC stations coincided with local community festivals and were a regular part of the radio scene on the east coast during the 1980s. Another CBC station was Radio Snowflake, which came on air at Christmas.

Radio Sandymount broadcast each year during the Sandymount and Merrion Community Week in late May or early June. This recording features the last day of the station’s run in 1984 . On air is David Baker, a familiar voice on the CBC stations and on numerous other pirates throughout the decade. There are plenty of requests, competition winners and references to local talent competitions and dinner dances – local radio at its finest!

The recording was made from 103.3 FM on 28^th May 1984 between 1048-1135. Radio Sandymount also broadcast on 1116 kHz during the same period. The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

9th July 20226th October 2024

Interview about Radio Caroline Dublin (1990s)

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Radio Caroline Dublin (1989-2000) was one of the longest running stations of the second wave of the pirates following legalisation. It was set up by Brian Greene (Bobby Gibbson on air) and Tom Berry (RIP) who had previously run Centre Radio from Bayside in 1987-1988. Radio Caroline Dublin began broadcasting on bank holiday Mondays in 1989 and went full-time in January 1992. The station settled on 102.5 FM and increased its signal overtime but ran into difficulties with the authorities when Lite FM (later Q102) was licensed for 102.2 in 2000. Radio Caroline Dublin changed its name to WXTC but closed soon afterwards.

Radio Caroline Dublin was typical of pirate stations of the era. The Broadcasting and Wireless Telegraphy Act 1988 forced pirate from the high street and hotels into garden sheds for the majority of the 1990s. Radio Caroline Dublin never ran adverts and did limited fundraisers. Its core funding was through vigorous adherence to DJ subscriptions. Weekly and monthly subs were collected with two tiers for waged and unwaged. The subs from 25+ volunteers funded the very best of club DJing equipment in studio and a Dublin Mountains TX site. The subs were directly linked to democratic involvement in purchasing decisions. Ownership structure was more akin to 1970s AM pirates but there was a not-for-profit ethos from the start.

Full time hours were 5pm-12am Monday-Friday and 9am-1am at weekends. The station was involved in an unsuccessful licence bid for a community radio licence in 1996, and was a constituent group in the formation of Dublin-wide community of interest station Anna Livia FM, but then never got involved with that station as they were busy building Radio Caroline Dublin.

This interview with Brian Greene was conducted by Pete Reid (Simon Maher) and Gerard Roe in July 1998 in the Radio Caroline Dublin studio. It was featured in Anorak Hour #151 on 2^nd August 1998 on Phantom FM and repeated during Anorak Hour #249 on 17^th September 2000. This donation is with thanks to Gerard Roe.