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Tony Gareth on Radio Nova

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Tony Gareth on Radio Nova
Tony Gareth aka Gareth O’Callaghan in the Nova studio (photo courtesy of Noel Hiney).

Here are two short clips from Radio Nova on Sunday 10th October 1982. The one above features part of the 10am news read by Roland Burke (RIP) followed by the weather with Tony Gareth, aka Gareth O’Callaghan who would become one of Ireland’s best-known broadcasters.

The second clip below is from the religious programme Life is a Celebration, which was launched on Nova on that day. Presented by two priests, it featured music and spiritual reflections and was an example of the early experimentation in specialist programming by Chris Cary.

We thank Paul Buckle for his donation of both recordings, which were made from 88FM near Belfast.

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Colm Hayes on Radio Nova

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Colm Hayes on Radio Nova
Colm Hayes at Nova’s official closedown on 19 May 1983 (photo courtesy of Joe King).

This is a recording of Colm Hayes on his Saturday afternoon show on 9th October 1982 from 1530-1609. Ads include the Sunday World newspaper, the Nova Country Club in Rathfarnham and the Savoy Cinema. Bryan Dobson, who went on to become one of RTÉ’s best-known journalists, voices an ad for pub lunches. There are sports results during Colm’s show and again after the 4pm news which is read by Cogey Clarke.

This recording was made from 88 FM near Belfast and hence the slight hiss, but it shows how far the Nova FM signal travelled in those days. We thank Paul Buckle for this donation.

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Radio Leinster following general election 1981

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Radio Leinster following general election 1981
Radio Leinster sticker (Anoraks Ireland Collection).

Radio Leinster was a specialist station broadcasting to Dublin from 1981 to 1983. Whereas many pirates were in direct competition with RTÉ Radio 2, Radio Leinster attempted to poach listeners from RTÉ Radio 1 due to its distinct programming. After an early experimental period, it settled into an easy-listening format and also offered a range of musical genres and talk programmes. Radio Leinster closed suddenly on 19th May 1983 following raids by Gardaí and the Department of Posts and Telegraphs on the big Dublin stations Sunshine Radio and Radio Nova.

This recording was made early in Radio Leinster’s life on June 12th 1981, the day after Ireland’s general election. Paul Vincent is on air and makes several references to the vote the previous day. The tape was recorded from 738 kHz AM (announcing 406 metres) between 0810-0855 and is courtesy of Ian Biggar and DX Archive.

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Breakfast on Community Radio Fingal

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Breakfast on Community Radio Fingal
CRF car sticker (courtesy DX Archive).

This is a recording of Community Radio Fingal (CRF) made by Leon Tipler during a visit to Dublin in 1982. It features a short extract from the breakfast show presented by Damien from 0848-0858 on Monday 13th September 1982 recorded from 1584 kHz (189 metres). The local FM transmitter on 96 MHz is also mentioned. CRF would later move slightly up the AM band to 1575 kHz, which was a clearer channel.

This recording is from the Leon Tipler Tapes Collection, donated to us by Steve England.

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Visit to Community Radio Fingal

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Visit to Community Radio Fingal
CRF sticker (courtesy of DX Archive).

Community Radio Fingal (CRF) broadcast from various locations in north Co. Dublin from March 1982 until the end of 1988. In September 1982, they were visited at the Rockabill Hotel near Skerries by the British radio enthusiast Leon Tipler during one of his Irish trips.

This is the unedited version of the interviews about CRF in Tipler’s documentary series ‘The Irish Pirates’. Speaking in the tiny CRF studio, Pat Young explains that the station emerged from Dublin Community Radio, which by 1982 was struggling with increased competition in the city’s pirate scene. At the time the station broadcast on 1584 kHz AM, announcing 189 metres, with 1 kW of power which gave it good reception all over Dublin. A 25-watt FM transmitter on 96 MHz linked to the AM installation a few kilometres away. CRF had 10-12 presenters and four sales staff and was doing well with listeners and advertisers. Tipler also interviews DJ Sindy who is one of four female presenters and a part-time sales representative.

This recording is from the Leon Tipler Tapes Collection, donated to us by Steve England.