Cork Archives - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

17th February 202515th February 2025

Daybreak on Cork station ERI

By 1983, ERI had become Cork’s leading pirate station following the transfer of studios from the village of Ballycotton to the edge of Cork city and the installation of a powerful new AM transmitter giving coverage of Munster. These airchecked recordings of the Daybreak breakfast show were made around St. Patrick’s Day 1983 and give a sense of the station during this expansion phase.

First up is former offshore presenter Andy Archer between 0823-0900 on 18^th March 1983. News is read by Andrew Hewkin, who is on his final day with ERI. This is followed by Steve Marshall between 0845-0930 on 21^st March 1983 with news read by Seán O’Sullivan. Adverts feature businesses around Cork city and county and there is a promo for a syndicated show, Soundtrack of the Sixties.

ERI broadcast on 102 and 105.8 FM at the time as well as 1305 kHz AM. This recording was made from AM by Kieran Murray and is part of the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

7th February 20253rd February 2025

Stuart Scott on Eastside Radio

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Cork’s most successful pirate station Radio ERI (1982-1988) began its life in early 1982 in the east Cork village of Ballycotton. It was known various as Cork Eastside Radio, Eastside Recording Ireland, Eastside Radio and then Eastside Radio Ireland, abbreviated to ERI. The station expanded its operations in 1983, moving to better studio facilities and installing a powerful 5kW AM transmitter on the edge of Cork city. It saw off competition from many other aspiring stations and remained dominant in the Cork market until its closure at the end of 1988.

This recording of Eastside Radio, as it was then known, was made a few months after the station began broadcasting, when it was still based in Ballycotton. Presenting the breakfast show is long-time supporter of Pirate.ie, Ian Biggar, known by his on-air name of Stuart Scott. Adverts are scarce for the time of day, perhaps reflecting the fact that the station was still establishing itself. News headlines are read by Ian on the half-hour, the new Top 40 is announced and he mentions that Eastside is to hold an outside broadcast later that day from the seaside town of Youghal.

The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 102.2 FM from 0653-0827 on Monday 23^rd August 1982. Eastside/ERI also broadcast on 1305 kHz (announcing 225 metres) at this time and for most of its existence.

31st January 202526th January 2025

Liam Quigley on Cork’s ERI

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By 1985, ERI was well-established as the leading pirate station in Cork and claimed coverage of the entire Munster region on AM and FM. This recording is of an afternoon show presented by Liam Quigley, who went on to work in various licensed stations after the closedown of the pirates. Adverts include a mixture of brands and local businesses from Cork to Limerick and there is a job search slot and a promo for the forthcoming ERI Nike road race. News headlines are read by John O’Connor at half-past the hour and three minutes to.

The recording was made on Monday 2^nd September 1985 from 97.1 FM between 1413-1543 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

25th March 202423rd September 2024

South Coast Countdown with Keith York

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South Coast Radio (1982-1984) was one of the successful Cork stations of the pirate era. Although it never achieved the longevity of the other Cork giant ERI, South Coast was a slick operation from its launch on March 3^rd 1982 and introduced professionalism not heard on the earlier wave of pirates in the city. This recording from the final year of South Coast was made on a sunny Saturday in the spring of 1984. On air is one of the high-profile DJs associated with the station, Keith York (RIP), presenting the weekly Top 50 countdown. A promo voiced by the legendary Tony Allan (RIP) informs listeners that the countdown is compiled from phone research, record sales and station airplay in Munster. In this recording, Keith is followed by George Long.

South Coast Radio closed down on 13^th July 1984. The tape was made from 102.15 FM, announcing 104, from 1440-1615 on 7^th April 1984. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

15th March 20249th March 2024

Saturday morning on Cork’s ERI

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ERI was one of Ireland’s most successful pirate stations, broadcasting from County Cork and later Cork City between 1982 and 1988. After installing a 5kW AM transmitter on 1305 kHz (225 metres) in 1983, it gained dominance among listeners and advertisers in Munster. The station could also be heard further afield at night due to AM propagation, as in this recording made in Kidderminster in the English midlands in the winter of 1983.

It begins with the end of Mark Lawrence’s Saturday breakfast show, which is followed by news read by John O’Connor. Next up is the children’s programme Junior Club. Commercial breaks feature adverts for local businesses and for brands and include the voice of John Blake (real name John Creedon), who would go on to become a well-known RTÉ presenter. There is plenty of deep fading in the recording due to the distance from the AM transmitter. The tape was made on Saturday 26^th November 1983 from 0845-0900 from 1305 kHz and is from the Leon Tipler Collection, donated to us by Steve England.