Don Allen Archives - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

31st May 20242nd June 2024

Northeast series: Don Allen interviewed on Radio Carousel

The late Don Allen was one of the best-known DJs of the pirate era in the UK and Ireland. Arriving in the UK from Canada in 1965, the Canadian drew on his life-long passion for country music to promote the genre on the airwaves and he gained huge followings on numerous stations big and small over the next 30 years, including into the licensed era. This fascinating interview with Don from 1982 was broadcast on Radio Carousel Navan, which he had recently joined. It covers in depth his early radio experience in Canada and the US and the story of his decision to come to Europe after reading an article about offshore station Radio Caroline.

Don recounts the story of his involvement in Caroline from 1965-1968 including conditions on board the ship off the Isle of Man, the annoyance of the Manx government with the decision to outlaw the station, the letters from fans and his friendship with other DJs such as Tony Blackburn, Tony Prince, Keith Skues and Simon Dee. In 1969, Don became programme controller of Manx Radio and drew on his Caroline experience to tighten the station’s sound and promote the personality of the DJ. In the 1970s, he describes how he worked simultaneously for the pirates and the ‘establishment’, dividing his time first between BBC Radio Merseyside and the unlicensed offshore Radio North Sea International.

Ian Biggar, who worked in Radio Carousel at the same time, recalls his memories of this period and of Don:

Don’s appearance at Carousel coincided with my time there. I can remember being in the Dundalk studio and station owner Hugh Hardy mentioned that Don Allen had been on the phone looking for work. Hugh was wary of Don due to his reputation as THE country jock. I clearly remember Don was not allowed to broadcast on the Dundalk station as that was Hardy’s patch.

I remember one morning in Drogheda tuning in to the Navan station and hearing Don on air. What’s more I was following him on the schedule. You can imagine how excited I was heading across to Navan on the bus in anticipation of meeting one of my heroes from Radio Nordsee International. Don was a gentleman and we had many conversations about the old offshore radio days.

I think Hardy had once again bitten off too much with starting a station in Castleblaney and trying to establish Carousel in Drogheda. So, Don and I were let go on early June 1982. I last saw him in the Drogheda studio in the Boyne Valley Hotel as I was about to catch the train to Belfast for the onward ferry to Scotland. Don asked if I was interested in joining the Voice of Peace off Israel as he had been in contact with them. ‘No need for a demo, if I say your good enough you’re in’, he said. I answered that I was interested but just wanted to take a short holiday in Scotland and would call him.

In the end neither Don nor I went to the Peace Ship. I headed to Cork for the start of ERI and Don went back to Carousel when Hardy’s finances improved. He was there for a few more months, but assume at the same time was planning for Royal County Radio, a rival Navan station.

This interview with Don Allen was broadcast between approximately 1900-2000 on Tuesday 11^th May 1982. The presenter is Pádraig Walsh and the tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. This is a studio copy but Radio Carousel Navan broadcast at the time on 1386 kHz, announcing 210 metres. Don Allen’s final pirate was Radio Star Country in Monaghan, one of a handful of stations to defy the 1989 legislation outlawing unlicensed radio. He later took up a post on licensed station Midlands Radio 3 where his Country Jamboree was a hugely popular show up to his untimely death in 1995.

21st June 202321st June 2023

Border series: Don Allen heard in Norway on Radio Star Country

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Don Allen (RIP) was a familiar voice on the Irish pirate scene and did a stint at Monaghan station Radio Star Country in 1989 and the early 1990s. This recording of Radio Star Country features Don with his live afternoon American country music show, as received in Norway due to the magic of AM propagation. Don is also heard on promos and adverts, as is station founder and owner Gerry Byrne.

The recording was made from 1632-1645 on 17th January 1990 from 981 kHz in Solsvik on the western Norwegian coast using a Drake SPR-4 receiver with a 200-metre antenna facing the southwest and Ireland. Audio quality is poor with deep fading and the Algerian station also broadcasting on 981 kHz dominates for a time, all part of the fun of DXing. Thanks to Svenn Martinsen for the donation.

17th February 202317th May 2023

Border series: Don Allen on Radio Star Country

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Although Radio Star Country was warned by the Department of Communications to close down in February 1989, it would be almost 18 months before the station was raided in August 1990. According to Simon Maher’s Free Radio News (August 1990), Radio Star Country was raided on the morning of Wednesday 24^th August, when several Telecom Éireann vans along with Garda back-up arrived at the medium wave site just outside Monaghan town. Staff at the station were monitoring 981 kHz when they heard the transmitter go off the air. They looked towards the site where they could see the raid taking place. The FM link transmitter was quickly switched off and studio equipment removed. The station staff then had a conversation with the raiding party before they left with all the transmitting equipment. Radio Star Country returned on Friday morning 31^st August.

Former owner Gerry Byrne shares his memories of that time: The licensed station for the area Northern Sound began its broadcasts in 1990 and they were forever complaining about Radio Star Country. They couldn’t figure how to be a success and blamed Radio Star Country for their own lack of ability to be a success. The Department of Communications took the transmitter in August 1990, but we were back on air the next day. By coincidence on the next night someone damaged Northern Sound’s mast. I believe there was another raid on an FM transmitter a couple of years later.

Free Radio News (November 1990) reported that Radio Star Country received a prohibition notice in early October, which meant that their electricity (and in some cases phones) would be cut off in 14 days. In the case of Radio Star Country, it was the power to the transmitter site that was to be cut as the Department of Communications had not established the whereabouts of the studio. In view of this threat, the station searched for an alternative site and a suitable one was found. The power supply was cut around 4pm on 19^th October. The station was off the air for around 35 minutes before returning from to the air from the new site and normal programming resumed the following day. The Northern Standard newspaper reported on 13^th December 1990 that Gardaí searching the Carrickroe area for a pirate radio station found poteen instead at a site in Bragan. On 13^th June 1991, the paper reported that Peadar Keenan of Bragan, Carrickroe was fined £25 after pleading guilty to making a premises available to a pirate station. Acting on a tip off, Department of Communications officials had located Radio Star Country on August 22^nd 1990 and had disconnected the electricity supply. The defendant said he did not own the equipment and that it was owned by a Frank McCarthy who had asked him to use his land. Keenan said he did not know it was illegal; he had been approached in 1987 or 1988 and asked to put up a mast on the land.

This recording of Radio Star Country was made in July 1990, a month before the station was raided. On air with his American country show is veteran pirate and offshore DJ Don Allen (RIP), who is in flying form. Don’s voice is heard on a promo: ‘Super Star Country from Co. Monaghan, the only 24-hour country music station in Ireland’ and a Northern number is given for requests. As ever there are plenty of adverts from both sides of the border, many voiced by Don, and a community noticeboard is aired just after 5pm.

The recording was made in Scotland from 981 kHz on 3^rd July 1990 between 1642-1759. Signal strength is good but a hum is audible during links. Thanks to Ian Biggar for the recording and for assistance with the text. Don Allen’s Country Jamboree was a hugely popular show on the licensed station Midlands Radio 3 and was much missed after his sudden death in 1995.

10th February 202317th May 2023

Border series: Interview with Don Allen of Radio Star Country

Video recorded by Miles Johnston and donated by Rodney Neill.

The legendary pirate DJ Don Allen (RIP) joined Radio Star Country in March 1989. Canadian by birth, Don cut his teeth with the offshore pirates such as Radio Caroline and Radio Northsea International in the 1960s and 1970s, where he became renowned for his country and western jamboree shows. He came to Ireland in the early 1980s and prior to the closedowns of 1988 worked with pirates such as ERI (Cork), Royal County Radio (Meath), Radio West (Westmeath) and Erneside Radio (Cavan). Don’s last station was the licensed Midlands Radio 103 (now Midlands 103) where he hosted a popular country show until his sudden death in May 1995.

This video from 17^th May 1989 contains shots of Radio Star Country’s transmission equipment and includes part of an interview with Don Allen, who says he remains a pirate to the core and has no interest in working for licensed radio. Don reports that the Irish and American country format is proving very popular with listeners and advertisers and indeed, around this time Radio Star Country was announcing itself as the only all-country music station in Ireland. By mid-June 1989, Radio Star Country was noted with an excellent signal on 981 kHz, along with many adverts. The final edition of Anoraks UK’s Weekly Report, published in September 1989, stated that Radio Star Country could be heard over a wide area from Larne in Co. Antrim to Malin Head in Co. Donegal, with the signal also audible on a simple receiver in Dublin and over a large area of north Leinster.

We thank Rodney Neill for his donation of the video, which was made originally by Miles Johnston. Thanks also to Sean Brady for assistance with the text.

24th June 202231st May 2024

Northeast series: First test broadcasts on Royal County Radio

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Royal County Radio broadcast from 1982 to 1984 from Navan in Co. Meath and was managed by the late Don Allen, a stalwart of the offshore and Irish pirate scene. The station launched on 8^th October from the Trimgate Arcade in the centre of Navan, announcing 245 metres although the cassette label records the actual wavelength as 254 metres (1179 kHz although it is unlikely that the station was so close to Radio Dublin on 1188). Royal County Radio moved around the medium wave band before settling on 355 metres (846 kHz).

This recording is of the first test broadcasts of Royal County Radio and is undated but seems to be from more than one day, so we estimate 8^th and possibly 9^th October 1982. The voice of station manager Don Allen is heard on promos and a single advert and other DJs include Lynsey Shelbourne (Dolan), John Stevens and Fab Ollie. Audio levels are uneven and a heterodyne is heard at night, suggesting that the transmitter was slightly off channel. To the strains of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Don Allen closes down the station at midnight. RCR was in direct competition with Radio Carousel Navan and left the airwaves by the middle of 1984.

This recording was made by Kieran Murray and is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.