Dublin Archives - Page 10 of 81 - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

17th June 20243rd June 2024

Charity fundraising weekend on KISS FM

Over the St. Patrick’s weekend 1986, Dublin station KISS FM (1985-1986) organised a charity fundraiser for the Irish Society for Autistic Children. Listeners were invited to pledge £1 or more and station DJs collected money on the streets of Dublin near the KISS FM studios in Foley Street in the north inner city. The highlight of the weekend was a disco dancing marathon at the nearby North Star Hotel.

This airchecked recording includes live links with station manager David Baker from the city centre, using what seems to be first generation of mobile telephony in Ireland. David refers to the imminent arrival of an outside broadcasting unit from Radio West in Mullingar but for the moment, listeners have to tolerate telephonic audio quality. There are links with the disco event in the nearby North Star Hotel, presumably using an FM or VHF link, and plenty of interactions with listeners. Other voices heard are Colm Mooney, Gareth Scully, Bryan Lambert, Clem Francis, Suzanne Duffy, Keith Shanley and Rachel Walsh (aka Fionnuala Sweeney, who went on to bigger pirates and eventually RTÉ and CNN). The recording also includes occasional snippets from Radio Nova, which would close down a few days later.

The tape was made on Sunday 16^th March 1986, presumably from KISS FM’s main transmitter on 104.1 FM although no frequency is logged. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

14th June 20243rd June 2024

The sound of Dublin pirate radio in June 1986

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The Dublin pirate scene was alive and well in the summer of 1986. Radio Nova had closed suddenly in March, to be replaced by Energy 103. Other super-pirates Sunshine Radio and Q102 took advantage of the change to consolidate their positions in the crowded market. Smaller stations continued to chug along serving their own niche audiences or communities while pirates from nearby counties could be heard easily in the capital, particularly on AM.

This airchecked recording captures some of the variety to be heard in Dublin that summer and includes excerpts from KISS FM (Dublin 1), Capitol Radio, Radio Dublin, Q102, Sunshine 101, Energy 103, Bray Local Broadcasting (BLB), Community Radio Fingal (CRF) and Boyneside Radio. It was made on 19^th June 1986 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

10th June 20243rd June 2024

KISS FM prepares for charity fundraiser

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Countless Irish pirates were called KISS FM in the 1980s and 1990s, including a station based in Foley Street in Dublin’s north inner city for about 18 months in 1985 and 1986. This KISS FM had its origins in Dublin Community Radio, set up in 1984 in nearby North Frederick Street. The new station was owned by two German businessmen and was managed by Dublin pirate stalwart David Baker. KISS FM aimed for high production standards and carved out its own corner in the competitive Dublin radio market, going through a number of format changes during its short time on air. On 3^rd October 1986, KISS FM was the first Irish pirate to be raided in several years as a result of complaints due to interference and it closed down shortly afterwards.

One highlight of KISS FM’s time on air was its charity campaign on behalf of the Irish Society for Autistic Children over St. Patrick’s weekend 1986, which culminated in a disco dance marathon in the North Star Hotel around the corner from the station. This recording gives a sense of the lead-up to the charity weekend with David Baker doing live link-ups from the streets of Dublin in an attempt to drum up support for the charity fundraiser. Audio quality on the links is poor to fair at best and it sounds as if the first generation of mobile phone technology was used (Telecom Éireann had established the Eircell network the previous December). An interesting aspect of the recording is the re-cut of an ARD ident from the late 1970s, itself based on a jingle from KACY 1520 in California. KISS FM’s AM frequency at the time was 1116 kHz, announced as 273 metres.

Other voices include DJ Gareth Scully and newsreaders Rachel Walsh and Maurice Nevin (RIP). Rachel Walsh, whose real name is Fionnuala Sweeney, went on to other larger pirates and eventually a career in RTÉ and CNN. Another feature of note is the occasional jingle or insert from other pirates including Radio Nova, which was on the verge of closing down. This fact is mentioned in one of the KISS FM news bulletins, which regrets the departure of Nova from the Dublin radio scene.

This airchecked recording tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection and was made on Tuesday 11^th and Friday 14^th March 1986. No frequency is noted but presumably the tape was recorded from 104.1 FM. KISS FM also broadcast on 94.8 FM and on AM.

24th May 20242nd May 2024

Jessie Brandon and Tony Allan on Radio Nova

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This recording of Dublin super-pirate Radio Nova from 1985 features two of the station’s best presenters during its six years on air. The DJ is the legendary Jessie Brandon, who moved from the US to offshore pirate Laser 558 in 1984, before coming to Radio Nova. Jessie was one of the few female DJs on commercial stations in Ireland at the time. Joining her on news duties is the equally renowned Tony Allan (RIP), whose voice is also heard on several adverts and promos. The chemistry is electric in studio, with both presenters clearly revelling in each other’s company.

The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 102.7 FM between 1730-1815 on Wednesday 16^th October 1985. Radio Nova also broadcast on high power on 738 kHz AM during this time.

22nd May 202412th May 2024

Breakfast show traffic reports on Q102

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One of the stand-out features of Dublin super-pirate Q102 was its live traffic reports every morning from a helicopter flying over the city. The Eye in the Sky service was presented by general manager Mike Hogan from the skies above Dublin and quickly became the go-to place for up-to-date traffic information. In this excerpt from the breakfast show in spring 1986, DJ Greg Gaughren chats to Mike Hogan who is grounded due to helicopter maintenance but nonetheless phones in traffic reports from his car. Greg is joined in studio by another familiar voice, Martin Block. News at 2 minutes to the hour is read by Bryan Jennings and Scott Williams then takes over in the mid-morning slot. All presenters went on to have careers in licensed independent radio or RTÉ.

This recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 103.5 FM on 27^th March 1986 between 0817-0905. The tape was made during an interesting period in the Dublin radio scene, as the city’s biggest station Radio Nova had closed down just over a week previously. Another month would pass before Nova’s successful successor station, Energy 103, hit the airwaves.