Dublin Archives - Page 14 of 70 - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

23rd February 202323rd February 2023

Dublin super-pirate Q102 marks one month on air

Irish-owned Q102 rocked the Dublin market when it came on the air on 23^rd January 1985. In these recordings from one month later, it’s clear that the new station has found its feet and is beginning to make a mark on listeners and advertisers. In the first recording above from 1038-1126 on 23^rd February 1985, John O’Hara presents the final 20 minutes of his Saturday morning breakfast show before handing over to Jason Maine. The sound is tight and slick, with agency adverts and professional station imaging. There’s also a promo for cash giveaways for listeners spotted wearing Q102 badges. The second recording below is from 2304-2352 on 24^th February and features Martin Block with the laid-back ‘bedtime Q’ show.

Eddie West from 24.02.85

Both tapes were made from 102 FM and are from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

15th February 202312th February 2023

Nova offshoot KISS FM nears end of run in 1984

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KISS FM was set up by Chris Cary as an offshoot of Radio Nova in September 1982, and offered specialist programming aimed at listeners in Dublin, in contrast to Nova’s more mainstream service and wider reception area. It also had the function of absorbing additional advertising for the main station but as it entered 1984, KISS FM was in trouble. Jamming by RTÉ and growing industrial unrest with the National Union of Journalists was threatening the entire Radio Nova operation and KISS FM closed down at midnight on 15^th January.

This recording was made a fortnight earlier and includes the afternoon show with John Clarke from 2pm. The emphasis is on the music with limited talk and from 3pm John presents the Top 40 most played easy listening songs on KISS in 1983. News on the hour is read by Ken Hammond, who went on to work as a journalist with RTÉ. The bulletins contain reference to the new state telecommunications board Telecom Éireann, which was set up to deal with the dire state of the Irish telephone system in the early 1980s.

The tape was made from 102.7 FM from 1341-1521 on 2^nd January 1984 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

6th February 20236th February 2023

Chris Barry and David Dennehy on ARD/Radio 257

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Radio 257 was the new name for ARD (Alternative Radio Dublin) when the station relaunched on 4^th January 1980. Many of the DJs on ARD/Radio 257 would go on to become household names in Irish radio, including John Clarke, Mike Moran, Tony Allan (RIP), Paul Vincent and Ian Dempsey. The station closed in 1982 as the super-pirates gained dominance in the Dublin radio market.

Radio 257 reverted to the ARD name at a later stage but in this recording from April 1981, both versions are heard in links and idents. First up is Chris Barry with his drivetime show which includes plenty of adverts and generic jingles re-cut with the ‘257’ tagline. He is followed by David Dennehy who has a write-in competition for listeners. Both Chris and David went on to work in larger pirate stations and eventually licensed radio.

This recording was made from 99.9 FM on 2^nd April 1981 and Part 1 above runs from 1727-1815. Part 2 below is from 1815-1833 on 2^nd April and is followed by part of the Night Train show from 3^rd April 1981, presented by Gary Edwards.

Part 2 from 2nd and 3rd April 1981.

The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

1st February 20231st February 2023

Big D Automated – an idea ahead of its time

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Big D Automated was an experimental service established in 1982, after Big D itself ceased to be a commercial station with live DJs. Set up by station founder James Dillon, Big D Automated consisted only of continuous music interspersed with a modest amount of adverts and robotic sounding station idents. Broadcasting on AM and FM, Big D Automated had petered out by the end of 1982.

The continuous music format was a concept ahead of its time, especially when considered in the light of widespread audio automation today. However, it was no match for the new large commercial operators that were well established in Dublin by 1982. This recording was made on 21^st February 1982 from 102 FM. Part 1 above runs from 1420 and Part 2 below from 1508.

Part 2 from 1508.

The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

30th January 202329th January 2023

Drivetime on Big D

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This is a recording of the evening drivetime show on Dublin pirate Big D as it began to decline towards the end of 1981. Aidan Cooney is on air from the studios in South Richmond Street in the city centre and takes calls from listeners entering a quiz. The voice of the late Tony Allan is heard on some of the adverts, but commercials are relatively thin on the ground given the time of day. By this time, the Dublin radio market had been shaken up by the arrival of the larger and more professional Sunshine Radio and Radio Nova and the days of pioneering 1970s stations such as Big D were numbered. The station would be relaunched as Big D Automated in 1982, playing continuous music only, but it was gone by the end of the year.

The recording was made on 21^st September 1981 from 1116 kHz, announced as 273 metres. Part 1 above runs from 1747-1832 and Part 2 below from 1840-1925.

Part 2 from 1840.

Audio quality is fair with variable levels and increasing co-channel interference as darkness falls. Our tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.