Sunshine Radio sticker (Anoraks Ireland Collection).
Frustrated by the commercial success of the large Dublin stations Radio Nova and Sunshine Radio and by the failure of politicians to regulate the radio market, RTÉ began jamming the pirates in 1984 by broadcasting on the same frequencies. At the beginning of the year, RTÉ stepped up its jamming campaign against Nova before moving to block the signal of Sunshine Radio at the end of March. The actions caused consternation due to the popularity of the stations and politicians, including the Minister for Communications, expressed their concern in the Dáil. The jamming ended in May, reportedly after intervention from the government.
These airchecked recordings are of Sunshine Radio’s news bulletins about a week into the RTÉ campaign after the station’s FM frequencies were jammed. Managing Director Robbie Robinson is quoted as saying that Sunshine Radio was like a moped being chased by a 10-ton truck. Newsreaders are Cathy Cregan, Stephen Fogarty, Justin McKenna and Gary Miley. The bulletins are from Wednesday 4th April 1984 at 1200, 1300, 1400, 1600 and 2400 and the tape also includes an excerpt from Robinson’s morning show the following day. The recording was made from 531 kHz AM and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.
Energy studios in 144 Upper Leeson St in 1986 (courtesy Andy Carter)
Energy 103 was one of the most successful Dublin stations at the end of the pirate era, broadcasting from April 1986 until March 1988. This recording is of a familiar voice on Energy, Gerry Stevens (Lang) with a lunchtime show in the summer of 1986. There are the usual high-level adverts for larger businesses and brands and the slick Energy jingles. News is read by Dave Johnson (Andrew Hanlon) and George Long (Henry O’Donovan). The daily news quiz attracts many callers during lunch hour.
The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 103 FM on Wednesday 23rd July 1986 from 1244-1420. Energy 103 also broadcast on 738 kHz AM.
Radio Leinster sticker (Anoraks Ireland Collection).
Radio Leinster was a multi-format station broadcasting to Dublin and surrounding areas from 1981-1983. The music style was MOR/easy-listening and there were also specialist programmes covering a wide range of genres.
This recording features a familiar voice on the Dublin pirates, DJ Lee, presenting the evening Bumper to Bumper show. The programme includes traffic reports, a listeners’ competition, featured albums, the Ramble Around Dublin slot, TV movies and a city events guide. Adverts are heard for businesses throughout Dublin and news on the hour is read by Gary Miley, who would later work for Sunshine Radio and eventually RTÉ. News at 1900 is edited out but Lee is followed by Conor Brooks with a Top 40 show, presumably one of Radio Leinster’s specialist programmes. Conor would later be heard on alternative/indie station Capitol/Nitesky 96.
Original cassette inlay from Anoraks Ireland Collection.
Radio Leinster broadcast on 738 kHz AM (announcing 406 metres), using a professionally-built 1kW transmitter, and on 93 FM. It closed suddenly on 19th May 1983, following the raids on Sunshine and Radio Nova. This recording was made from FM on Tuesday 18th January 1983 between 1730 and 1908 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.
LLCR studios in Weaver Square in 1987 (Anoraks Ireland Collection)
Liberties Local Community Radio (LLCR) began broadcasting on 4th April 1986 from the Liberties area of south-central Dublin. Initially community-focused, LLCR later became a popular commercial station that carved out a loyal listenership in the crowded Dublin radio market. Standards varied with some presenters very young and inexperienced but several big names passed through the doors also, including Tony Allen (RIP), Peter Madison (RIP), Kieran Murray and Teena Gates. LLCR went through a number of name changes including Liberties Radio, Liberty Radio and Liberty 104 during its nearly three years on air. Initially on 1035 kHz AM and 96.7 FM locally, the station later moved to 104.5 and 107 FM and extended its coverage across the city. It closed suddenly on December 20th 1988, more than a week before the deadline imposed by the new broadcasting legislation.
Original cassette inlay from Anoraks Ireland Collection.
This recording of LLCR was made on Wednesday 9th July 1986 from 1143-1231 and 1258-1346. Tommy Matthews is the DJ until 1200 and he is followed by John Keogh with the lunchtime show (the label above is inaccurate). There is the usual mix of mostly chart music and chat interspersed by adverts for local businesses, mostly in the Liberties. The first part was recorded from 107.1 FM and the second from 104.5 FM and the tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.
All parts of Dublin had their own local stations during the pirate era, some limited to a small radius, with others aiming for coverage of larger areas of the city. One such station was South Dublin Radio that broadcast from 1983-1984 from the Dún Laoghaire area of the southside. Its origins were in South County Radio based in Cabinteely, also on the southside, first listed on 963 kHz AM in a DX Archive log in April 1982.
South Dublin Radio was first logged by DX Archive on 102 FM in July 1983. Our recording from that summer locates the station in Monkstown near Dún Laoghaire but Anoraks UK lists from October 1983 to February 1984 give Bray in north Co. Wicklow as the address and 102.1 as the frequency. This was in fact incorrect, as the station operator John Daly has confirmed that the only correct address was Pottery Road in Deansgrange near Dún Laoghaire. By May 1984, the station was noted on 927 kHz AM as well as 102.2 FM. The station had a low-powered AM rig on air for a time, with an output of about 80 watts. Listings from August 1984 to the end of the year give a frequency of 90.6 FM only, the change necessary due to the return of KISS FM on 102.7 in September. A short recording of South Dublin Radio was made in Scotland on 1242 kHz on 21st August but there are no other known logs of that frequency.
Recording from 1242 kHz courtesy of Ken Baird
The Weekly Report of 25th November 1984 reported that South Dublin Radio was returning to normal after experiencing problems but it seems to have petered out around this time. John Daly told Pirate.ie that the station closed due to RTÉ Radio 2 taking up the same frequency. There was some variation in the name of the station and both South Dublin Radio and South Dublin Community Radio were noted, sometimes in the same recording. Some of the same DJs went on to the popular 1990s pirate DLR 106 (Dún Laoghaire Local Radio), that broadcast from the same area between 1991-2001.
Original cassette inlay from Anoraks Ireland Collection.
This recording of South Dublin Radio begins with Tony Lewis on the Afternoon Groove show, who plays continuous slow music for the first half-hour. He is followed by Paul Davis with Drivetime and community news with Bernie Lyons is heard on the half-hour. There is a sense of a hobby station about the broadcast: technical issues, no adverts and young and inexperienced DJs with implausible names cracking in-jokes. Reference is made to both South Dublin Radio and South Dublin Community Radio during the broadcast. The tape was made on Thursday 4th August 1983 from 102.7 FM between 1533-1713 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. Thanks to Ken Baird for the recording made in Scotland and to Ian Biggar and John Daly for additional information.
