DJ Lee on Echo Community Radio

DJ Lee on Echo Community Radio

Echo Community Radio was one of several small Dublin stations that came and went during the 1980s. It broadcast from Blanchardstown in west Dublin and was first logged by DX Archive in July 1985. The station broadcast on AM only initially and was located in the Centrepoint Shopping Centre. According to Anoraks UK Weekly Report, it closed down by January 1986. There is no known connection to the earlier Echo Radio based in Clontarf in 1982.

This recording of Echo Community Radio features DJ Lee, a familiar voice from the 1980s pirates, presenting an afternoon slot. There’s a listeners’ competition for cinema tickets but tellingly, no adverts are heard over 90 minutes of primetime radio listening. The station claimed to broadcast to the Greater Dublin Area but clearly power was low as there is co-channel intereference, likely from Radio Carousel North on the same frequency of 1071 kHz (announced by Echo as 280 metres).

The tape was made from 1555-1737 on Wednesday 26th June 1985 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection.

Dennis Murray on Liberty 104

Dennis Murray on Liberty 104
Liberty 104 car sticker (courtesy DX Archive).

By 1988, Liberty 104 had attracted some high-profile Dublin broadcasters to its studios in the heart of the Liberties district and the station was gaining listeners. One experienced DJ who had previously been heard on Radio Nova and its offshoot KISS FM was Dennis Murray, who in this recording presents a drivetime show. Music is a mixture of chart hits and classics and there is a listener competition based on identifying three songs. A promo for factory requests underlines how stations like Liberty 104 catered for this cohort of the population. Confusingly, Dennis refers to 103 FM on a few occasions despite the 104 branding, although there was a lot of variation in the station name during its almost 3 years on air. News at the top of the hour is read by Michael Mahon.

Dennis Murray on Liberty 104
Original cassette inlay from Anoraks Ireland Collection.

The recording was from 1723-1809 on Monday 4th April 1988 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson. Audio quality is good to fair with some hiss. It is not clear from which FM frequency the tape was recorded but Liberty 104 broadcast on 103.5 and 103.9 FM at this time as well as 1035 kHz AM.

Lunchtime on Liberty Radio

Lunchtime on Liberty Radio
Liberty 104 compliments slips (courtesy DX Archive).

Liberty Radio, also known as Liberty 104, was established as a serious player in the tight Dublin market by the beginning of 1988. Launched as Liberties Local Community Radio in spring 1986, the station moved away from its community focus and began a more commercial operation. This recording from the end of 1987 includes plenty of adverts in the pre-Christmas rush, including one for Prendergast Aerials, a company owned by station boss Sammy Prendergast. Of interest is a promo for a Christmas toy appeal in association with Fr Michael Cleary, a Catholic priest who broadcast on various pirate stations.

Lunchtime on Liberty Radio
Original cassette inlay from Anoraks Ireland Collection.

The cassette inlay lists the DJ as Ian Scott, formerly of Boyneside Radio in Drogheda but the presenter is in fact Mark Grace. News is read by Kieran Murray, who also worked previously with Boyneside and Radio Carousel. The recording was made on Thursday 3rd December 1987 from 104.35 FM from 1123-1300 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

Official opening of Liberties Local Community Radio

Official opening of Liberties Local Community Radio
LLCR studios in Weaver Square in 1987 (courtesy DX Archive).

Liberties Local Community Radio (LLCR) was launched on 4th April 1986 from Weaver’s Square in the heart of Dublin’s Liberties area. Initially focused on its immediate community, the station grew into a significant player in the Dublin radio market by the end of the pirate era in 1988 and attracted many big names in local broadcasting. This recording is of the official opening of LLCR when a concert was held in Weaver Square featuring musicians from the Liberties and further afield. There are interviews with performers and with high-profile priest Fr Michael Cleary who previously hosted his own show on Radio Dublin. DJs in the first half of the recording are Curt Jackson and Des Hogan and Pat Marron and Paul Gibney feature in the second half. There are some technical glitches and some of the DJs are clearly inexperienced.

Official opening of Liberties Local Community Radio
Original cassette inlay from Anoraks Ireland Collection.

The recording was made from 96.6 FM from 1305-1353 and from 1936-2024 on Saturday 10th May 1986. LLCR also broadcast on 1035 kHz AM. Later rebranded as Liberties Radio, Liberty Radio and Liberty 104, the station closed down before Christmas 1988. The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

Gareth O’Callaghan on Q102

Gareth O'Callaghan on Q102
Q102 logo from 1987 (Alan MacSimoin Collection).

Gareth O’Callaghan broadcast on various 1980s pirates stations including Radio Nova, Energy 103 and Q102. In this recording, he is heard presenting the afternoon show on Q102 in the autumn of 1987. There’s the usual upbeat mixture of music, chat, comedy, a newspaper review and traffic news along with adverts for local businesses and larger companies or brands. The ’10 in a row’ feature consists of 10 songs without adverts from 1700-1730. News at half-past the hour is read by Anne Cassin, who would go on to work for RTÉ. Gareth O’Callaghan continues to broadcast today on Classic Hits Radio.

Gareth O'Callaghan on Q102
Original inset from Anoraks Ireland Collection.

Audio quality on this tape is fair as there is distortion throughout, most likely due to an issue with the recording device as Q102 had a highly professional signal. The recording was made from 101.9 FM from 1620-1752 on Thursday 1st October 1987 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.