Country music Archives - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

19th September 202514th September 2025

American Country Countdown on Radio Nova

The American Country Countdown was a syndicated country music show from the US presented by Bob Kingsley, aired by Dublin station Radio Nova in its early days. This recording from summer 1982 is of an early morning broadcast of the show, as heard on AM in Britain. It starts with night-time fading and some interference but the signal improves as dawn arrives. There are adverts for businesses around Dublin, including for brands, and mention of a Nova event at Maxine’s nightclub. The American Country Countdown is followed at 0600 by Colm Hayes with the first few minutes of his breakfast show.

The recording was made on Thursday 24^th June 1982 from 846 kHz AM from 0407-0610. There are no details on the label but as the tape is from the Leon Tipler Collection, we presume that it was recorded at Leon’s home in Kidderminster near Birmingham. Thanks to Steve England for donating the Tipler Collection to us.

1st September 20251st September 2025

Border series: Radio North at the end of 2002

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This recording of long-running Donegal pirate Radio North was made at the end of 2002. On air is Caroline McDermott with country and Irish music and some oldies. She also shares information about local music and gigs for New Year’s Eve. Adverts are for Northern businesses only. There’s a technical problem with the news at the top of the hour, presumably due to an issue with the link to a syndicated service. A listeners’ quiz with a £500 prize is sponsored by a car business in Derry and Tyrone.

The tape was made in Scotland from 846 kHz AM on 30^th December 2002 between 1345-1515 and is courtesy of Ian Biggar.

22nd August 202522nd August 2025

Saturday night on country station Treble TR

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This recording of Dublin’s country and Irish music station Treble TR was made in autumn 1983, when the station was about 2 and a half years on air. On air is DJ Christine with a mixture of Irish and American country music, requests and dedications, information about gigs and a listeners’ chart countdown. There are plenty of adverts for businesses around Dublin, reflecting the station’s solid audience.

The airchecked recording was made from 99.5 FM on Saturday 16^th October 1983 between 2000-2305 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. Treble TR also broadcast on 945 kHz AM at this time.

11th August 202511th August 2025

Border series: Saturday morning on Donegal’s Radio North

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The Donegal pirate Radio North relaunched in 1999 with a new format of mostly American country music, calling itself ‘the new Radio North’. The station focused on FM and ran a parallel religious service Gospel 846 for part of the day on AM.

This recording of a Saturday morning show from autumn that year features presenter Donna Reeves, although the emphasis is on the music with only short links and a tighter station formatting. The voice of station manager Paul Barnett (RIP) is heard on station idents and adverts. As usual there are long commercial breaks featuring small businesses from Donegal, Antrim and Derry.

The tape was made on 2^nd October 1999 between 1005-1056 from 846 kHz AM and is courtesy of Ian Biggar. Presumably Gospel 846 was not on the air at the time, with Radio North broadcasting on both AM and FM.

26th July 202521st July 2025

Border series: ‘the new Radio North’ from 1999

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After the shortlived change to Radio North 2000 in 1998, the Donegal pirate dumped the reference to the millennium and relaunched itself as ‘the new Radio North’ in 1999. Owner Paul Barnett (RIP) maintained the focus on American country music and the station developed a more polished sound and concentrated on FM (103.9 and 104.4), while running a parallel AM service for religious music and programming, Gospel 846.

This recording from summer 1999 gives a flavour of the new Radio North, complete with a slick advertising promo and a huge number of adverts from both sides of the border, many of them voiced by Paul Barnett. The DJ is Steve Marshall, who had been involved in previous Irish pirate stations in the 1980s. Among the straplines used are ‘the northwest’s fasting growing station’ and ‘the only station that’s increasing its audience’. There’s also a syndicated news service from IRN at the top of the hour.

The tape is courtesy of Ian Biggar and was made on Tuesday June 1^st 1999 between 1405-1535 from 103.9 FM.