This is another recording of popular DJ Simon Young (RIP) presenting the Top 30 Disco Survey on the Big D in 1981. Sloopy’s Nightclub sponsors the survey and Simon promos the Big D Boogie Night held in Sloopy’s on Tuesday nights. The voices of the late Dave C and Tony Allen are heard on ads and station idents. Simon Young went on to become one of the leading DJs on RTÉ 2FM.
Below is a letter sent by Simon in 1979 to Ian Biggar, confirming his reception report of Big D in Scotland.
Letter from Simon Young in 1979 to Ian Biggar (thanks to Ian for sharing this).
This recording is undated but it was made from 99.5 FM on a Monday evening from 2215-2300 sometime in the spring of 1981. Thanks to Shay Geoghegan for the donation.
A 2012 profile picture of Simon Young on his Facebook page.
The death of the popular and talented radio presenter Simon Young was announced on 31st October 2021. Like so many other household names in the radio world, Simon began his career in the pirates. In this recording from 1981, he is heard presenting his weekly American soul and disco show on the Big D. A rowdy crowd in the studio is chatting away in the background and enjoying the tunes. There’s a reference to the Big D Boogie Night broadcast from Sloopy’s nightclub on Fleet St. and indeed Sloopy’s is the sponsor of the disco Top 30. Simon, whose real name was Thomas Meade, went on to become a well-known DJ on RTÉ 2FM.
The Big D was a pioneering pirate station that contributed to the transformation of the Dublin radio scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It began broadcasting on April 10th 1978 as a result of a split in Radio Dublin, was run by James Dillon and backed by businessman Noel Kirwan. The station was raided on June 15th but returned to the air after a short time. In addition to Simon Young, many big names of radio in the 1980s and beyond were heard on the Big D including Marty Whelan, Gerry Ryan, John Clarke, Dave Fanning and Declan Meehan. Several were poached by RTÉ when Radio 2 was set up in 1979. The Big D closed in December 1981 in the context of increased competition in the Dublin radio market.
The recording was made from 99.5 FM on 9th March 1981 from 2140-2245. Big D also broadcast on 1116 kHz AM, announcing 273 metres. Thanks to Shay Geoghegan for the donation.
Masthead of an ICBS flyer from c. 1986 (courtesy Ian Biggar).
Christian and Catholic pirate stations were among the niche unlicensed broadcasters of the 1980s. The longest running station was the Irish Christian Broadcasting Service which went on air in 1981 and continued until midnight on 30th December 1988. In the early days, it broadcast from a convent in Finglas in northwest Dublin and later moved to Chapelizod and then Ballsbridge. The station was listed on 1071 kHz in logs spanning 1981 to 1985, when it moved to 891 kHz and then to 981 kHz, where it remained until the end of 1988. An Evening Herald report from 5th May 1983 said that ICBS was test broadcasting for a few hours each evening on 1404 kHz.
The same article reported that ICBS intended to apply for a licence and a spokesman Jim Sherlock was quoted as saying that they did not wish to defy the authorities. He claimed that the Catholic Church was interested in ICBS and that the minister with responsibility for broadcasting, Ted Nealon was ‘sympathetic’ with their case. It was reported that ICBS did not carry advertisements and was financed by voluntary contributions. The schedule consisted of 70 percent religious and other music and 30 percent religious interviews and news.
This recording was made from 1071 kHz on 5th April 1982 and consists of biblical extracts read by a woman with an American accent, interspersed with religious music. It may have been a tape sent to ICBS by a US religious group. Recordings of this type were occasionally used as income streams by Irish pirates, both religious and non-religious. Thanks to Shay Geoghegan for the donation.
Part of a letter sent by Gerard Roe to Brian and Dónal Greene in 1985.
Here’s another recording of Dublin pirate station Radio Annabel made from 98.1 FM on 20th September 1983. The station also broadcast on 1035 kHz AM at this time. Continuous music with jingles and stations idents are heard. There are no timechecks, so this could be an automated show, possibly for broadcast overnight. Radio Annabel was one of the smaller Dublin pirates of the early 1980s, broadcasting from Parnell Square in the north inner-city from 1983 to 1985.
Radio Annabel advert from the Sunday World, 06.01.85 (Alan MacSimoin collection).
Radio Annabel was one of the smaller Dublin pirates of the early 1980s, broadcasting from the north inner-city from 1983 to 1985. It began testing in September 1983 after the merger of two smaller stations, Westside Radio and ABC. After first using 1035 kHz and then 981, Radio Annabel eventually settled on 1323. The station was heard around 98 FM in the early days but later added 91.8 MHz. Radio Annabel was well-known among anoraks because of the weekly Free Radio Show presented by Gerard Roe. It closed down in March 1985 due to financial problems.
This recording was made from FM from 2134-2220 on 20th September 1983, shortly after the station’s launch. Steve Jones finishes his show and hands over to Paul McCafferty at 10pm with ‘Annabel After Dark’. The frequencies announced are 290 metres (roughly 1035 kHz) and 98.1 FM. Thanks to Shay Geoghegan for the donation.
