Dublin Archives - Page 18 of 70 - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

5th December 20222nd December 2022

Sunday shows on Radio Skywave International

Radio Skywave International was a shortwave station that broadcast from Baldoyle in northeast Dublin on Sunday mornings from 1985 to 1988. Skywave was one of many hobby shortwave stations broadcasting from Ireland during the pirate era. It was heard on 6260 kHz in the 48-metre band for the first two years or so and later moved to 6850 kHz.

These recordings were made on Sunday 1^st December 1985. The first hour above runs from 1100-1200 and is an edition of the Free Radio Programme presented by Dominic Dillon and Fergal. The show includes historical recordings including Radio Leinster on its final day, 19^th May 1983, a Christmas Day pantomime from Sunshine Radio (undated but possibly 1984) and Radio Dublin from Christmas Day 1984. There are the usual features on the medium wave, FM and shortwave bands. Free radio news includes mention of a test broadcast by Skywave later in the month on 7475 kHz. The address of PO Box 1686, Dublin 1 is given and there is a promo for Anoraks Ireland.

Sunday shows on Radio Skywave International — Original cassette from Anoraks Ireland Collection.

The second hour below consists of the Mailbag Show presented by station operator Michael Caine (Hegarty) from 1200-1300. He reads out letters and reception reports from Sweden, England and several from East Germany. There are more promos for Anoraks Ireland and Wavelength magazine.

Mailbag show from 1200.

Radio Skywave International began broadcasting on 29^th July 1985 and continued intermittently on Sunday mornings until 12^th June 1988. Both recordings are studio copies and are from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson. Radio Skywave International itself donated a large collection of recordings to Pirate.ie.

1st December 202227th November 2022

Tony Gareth on Radio Nova

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This recording is of popular DJ Tony Gareth (Gareth O’Callaghan) on Radio Nova in December 1982. There is a large number of adverts in the pre-Christmas period, emphasising the growing commercial success of Nova. Gareth promotes a competition to give away a music system and uses the tag line ‘clutterfree’, the format of continuous music and limited chat for which Nova became renowned. There’s also the 2.15 ‘hit and pick’ request spot for a local business. News is read by Sybil Fennell and the weather forecast covers Northern Ireland and the northwest of England, reflecting Nova’s coverage area. Gareth O’Callaghan went on to work in many other pirate and licensed stations and is still broadcasting today.

This tape was recorded from 88.2 FM from 1400-1450 (news is cut) on 1^st December 1982. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson. Nova also broadcast on 819 kHz at this time.

30th November 202230th November 2022

All-night Sunshine Radio

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This recording of Dublin’s super-pirate Sunshine Radio was made in the early hours of the October bank holiday Monday 1985. Non-stop music is heard for the first twenty minutes or so, possibly from the Tamango’s nightclub at the Sands Hotel in Portmarnock where Sunshine was based. The Sunshine Radio Review of 1985 lists live music from Tamango’s from midnight to 2am every Saturday morning. This may have been the case also on the Sunday of the bank holiday weekend, although there is no mention of the club during the music sweep. News at 2am is read by Joyce Jackson, who would go on to work as a journalist in RTÉ.

The recording was donated kindly to us by Shay Geoghegan.

2nd November 202230th October 2022

Big Tree Radio from Swords

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Big Tree Radio was a shortlived station broadcasting from above a pub in Swords in north Co. Dublin in 1983. Called after the Big Tree pub (now the Estuary Bar) on North Main Street, some of the station’s DJs sounded very young and inexperienced, a reminder that everyone had access to the airwaves during the freewheeling pirate era. In this recording, Angie plays an easy listening format until 10pm and is followed by ‘Jeremy James’ until midnight who probably borrowed the name of the Voice of Peace DJ. Audio quality is fair with crackly vinyl and a bad hum on the microphone and there are no adverts to be heard. An address care of the pub is given for listeners to write in and request songs.

Big Tree Radio from Swords — Original cassette label from Anoraks Ireland Collection.

The tape was made from 94 FM on 4^th March 1983. Part 1 above runs from 2137 and part 2 below from 2229.

Part 2 from 2229.

This recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

24th October 20224th December 2022

Cut Price Gold competition on KISS FM

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One of the many stations called KISS FM during the pirate era was based in Foley Street in the north inner city of Dublin and broadcast from May 1985 until October 1986. This KISS FM was owned by two German businessmen based in Cavan and managed by well-known broadcaster David Baker. The station had promise and many professional DJs, including Eamonn Kelly who is heard in this recording presenting the drivetime show on 19^th December 1985. Eamonn was heard previously on other big stations such as ERI in Cork and Q102 in Dublin. In recent years, he has worked with Smooth Radio in the UK. KISS FM closed following a raid in October 1986, an event documented in detail in the book Radio Radio by Peter Mulryan (1988).

The show includes a competition for jewellery from Cut Price Gold who were heavily advertising on KISS FM at the time. Another interesting feature is the impressive range of adverts including local shops, larger businesses including McDonald’s, Penney’s, Philips audio, Cadbury’s, drinks companies and various record releases. Traffic news is courtesy of a courier company and ‘Associated Network News’ is read by Noelle.

Audio quality on the recording is fair. It sounds more like AM but the station’s 1116 kHz AM transmitter was shortlived and probably off-air at this time. The cassette label mentions 104.1 FM in mono (94 and 104.7 are announced on air). The times logged are incorrect: Part 1 above runs from 1616-1701 and Part 2 below from 1710-1755.

Part 2 from 1710

This recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.