Dublin Archives - Page 69 of 80 - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

11th May 202013th December 2022

Wonderland Radio from Tallaght in Dublin

Wonderland Radio was a community station broadcasting to the suburb of Tallaght in southwest Dublin from 1984 to 1988. According to local newspaper The Tallaght Echo, it was launched on the 12th of May 1984. One of those involved in setting up the station was the late Fr. Joe Cullen, a Dominican priest from Tallaght and Wonderland is yet another example of a community pirate established after the departure of RTÉ’s local radio experiment from the area. The address for most of Wonderland’s existence was a cottage at 3 Greenhills Road but it famously broadcast from the back of an ambulance at one stage. Wonderland was first noted by Anoraks UK on their Ireland tour in October 1984 and is logged a few times on 1359 kHz/220 metres over the following year although the signal on the west coast of England suffered from splatter from Manx Radio on 1368 kHz.

Wonderland’s promotional material used the strapline ‘Tallaght Community Broadcasting’ and changed its name to Tallaght Community Radio in the summer of 1986. The station continued until the end of 1988 on both AM and FM (91.8 MHz) and as the advert below illustrates, shared the ethos of other community broadcasters such as BLB and NDCR. ‘TCR’ was not supposed to be used on air because the full title emphasised the station’s community credentials. Wonderland and Tallaght Community Radio were also popular with radio anoraks because of the Friday night Free Radio Show hosted by Bernard Evans from late 1986. Many of those involved in the station went on to set up the licensed Tallaght FM which was on air from 1999 to 2008. Thanks to Ralph McGarry and Bernard Evans for assistance with research.

This recording from 1206-1252 on 11th December 1985 features the American-sounding presenter John Gummin (possibly an on-air name) with a mixed contemporary and 1960s music style. The recording is from the Skywave Tapes Collection. Skywave Radio International broadcast a shortwave station in the 1980s from Baldoyle in northeast Dublin.

10th May 20206th January 2024

Automated shows on Charisma Radio (Dublin)

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Charisma Radio was a low-power station broadcasting from various locations in Dublin in 1985 and 1986. Our recording from 98.1 FM is from the 9th of April 1986 and includes announcements that the station broadcasts to the neighbouring areas of Ranelagh, Rathmines and Rathgar on the southside of the city. The Anoraks Ireland report of the 19th of April 1986 lists Charisma FM as an irregular station on 97.9 FM from Blackrock/Phibsboro. It operated from a top flat at 11 North Circular Road for a period but had in fact moved to Ranelagh by that time. Charisma on 98.1 pops up in the Anoraks UK Weekly Report from June 1986 but by October, Ranelagh Community Radio is being reported on the same frequency. This was Charisma under another name because RCR is listed by Anoraks Ireland in 1987 and again in 1988 at the same address: 19 Dunville Avenue, Ranelagh, Dublin 6. There’s a scratchy RCR jingle below based on the original Royal County Radio package. Under either guise the station seems to have operated in the evenings only.

This recording of Charisma is an automated broadcast complete with periods of dead air. It begins with music and idents and after that is an American Baptist religious programme. Listeners are invited to write to the programme in Arkansas but that is followed by an announcement of Charisma’s Dublin address offering to forward letters to the US. Dublin had its own dedicated Christian pirate stations throughout the 1980s but American religious programmes popped up on smaller stations such as Charisma presumably for economic as much as for religious reasons.

One of the presenters on Charisma from North Circular Road was Colm O’Gorman, now Executive Director of Amnesty International Ireland, who remembers feeding the electricity meter to keep the station on air. Colm told us: ‘It played sermons on reel-to-reel as a revenue stream but all the DJs were gay men and played lots of high energy and house music. I always played Bronski Beat “It ain’t Necessarily So” after I had to put out one of the sermons!’

Reception is weak on the recording with plenty of interference but this is as the low-powered signal would have been heard on the northside of the city, well outside the target area. The recording is from the Skywave Tapes Collection. Skywave Radio International broadcast a shortwave station in the 1980s from Baldoyle in northeast Dublin.

7th May 20207th August 2021

Full recording: Radio Zodiac (Dublin)

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Radio Zodiac was a short-lived station from the Castleknock area of Dublin. They were first noted by the Anoraks UK Weekly Report in August 1984 (where the name was misheard as ‘Radio Maniac’ due to poor modulation) and used a variety of frequencies around the 1400-1530 kHz area of the medium wave band. They were last noted in January 1985 and seemed to have settled around 1410 kHz by then. Radio Zodiac’s transmission times seemed to be irregular and it falls more into the hobby pirate category than a commercial operation. According to on-air announcements a ‘Zodiac Roadshow’ was in existence.

The owner of Zodiac Ciaran Brannelly told us that they started around June 1984 and were based in a concrete shed in a yard on Dunsink Lane. The AM transmitter operated at about 300 watts and the aerial ran up a tall television mast and across the yard. They converted the shed into a studio and by July they had a full schedule of DJs from 8am to 12 midnight and sometimes 24 hours a day. The music format was open so DJs played whatever music they liked. The average age was 15 to 17 and there were about 25 DJs throughout the week. Zodiac had professional voice drops made in the UK and carried a few local ads to cover rent and ESB costs. The core of listeners was based in Castleknock, Blanchardstown and Finglas but they often got calls from further afield.

In October 1984 the AM transmitter was revamped and a small 50-watt on 105 FM was built. By Christmas 1984 most of the original DJs had lost interest as the studio was in a remote location so new people came on board who were more interested in the radio scene at the time. By March 1985 Zodiac began merging with another station Castle K FM which was based in a house in Castleknock. Radio Zodiac closed around April 1985 and moved to another studio and became BFBS as Castle K had also shut. For obvious reasons it was decided that BFBS would stand for ‘Blanchardstown Frequency Broadcasting Service’ rather than British Forces Broadcasting Service, although the jingles were an edited version of the Cyprus branch of the UK armed forces radio station. BFBS had a good signal because it was relayed to a higher site and was estimated to be on 150 watts on 105.1 FM. By early 1986 BFBS had become Caroline 98 on about 500 watts.

This recording was made on the 29th of August 1984 from 1555-1640. The presenters are Brian Jones followed by Mark Wesley who also does news and there are elaborate home-made jingles based on American singer Roberta Kelly’s single ‘Zodiacs’ (1977). There’s some confusion about the frequency: the cassette label gives 1432 kHz, but 1450 is announced on air along with ‘214 kHz medium wave’ which is in fact metres but that would be equivalent to 1400 kHz. In the pre-digital days the listeners weren’t too bothered about such precision! Thanks to Ian Biggar for extra research. The recording is from the Skywaves Tapes Collection. Skywave Radio International was a shortwave station in the 1980s from Baldoyle in northeast Dublin. Radio Zodiac continues online.

6th May 20206th August 2021

Full recording: Double R Radio (Dublin)

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Double R Radio was an earlier incarnation of Westside Radio, one of the smaller Dublin pirates of the early 1980s. The origin of the Double R name has never quite been clarified. Ian Biggar reports that he has heard Railway Road, Radio Ripple and RocknRoll from various sources. Short Wave News from November 1981 reports Double R Radio on 1035 kHz from the Waldorf Hotel, Eden Quay with a 24 hour daily schedule. Short Wave News in January 1982 says Double R Radio has been evicted from the Waldorf Hotel and is now at the Spa Hotel, Lucan. Co. Dublin. The March 1982 edition states that Double R Radio is probably off the air now. The May 1982 edition says that Double R Radio has disappeared after being thrown out of various hotels, but a new operation, possibly related, is Westside Radio on the same frequency with an address in James’ Street.

This recording was made by DX Archive on a tour of Ireland in 1981. It was really strong around the Inchicore area of Dublin at that time so they assumed that was where it was coming from. Gary Hogg noted on his trip in April 1982 that Double R had been replaced by Westside Radio on 1035 kHz so we can safely say same station, different name. The recording, courtesy of Ian Biggar, is of Paul Cantwell followed by Declan George on the 14^th of August 1981 from 2030-2119.

4th May 20202nd May 2024

Treble TR Radio during 1983 raids

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Treble TR was Dublin’s country and Irish music station and broadcast from 1981 until the end of 1988 on 945 kHz and 99.5 FM. This recording is from the 18th of May 1983, the day of the Radio Nova raid when panic took root among pirates throughout the country. This recording (presenter unidentified) is of part of the Top 20 of country and Irish, a programme sponsored by none other than Nova Dry Cleaners! A barking dog also features but there is no mention of the Nova raid. Like many other stations, Treble TR closed temporarily the following day.

This recording from a noisy 945 kHz AM is from the Skywave Tapes Collection. Skywave Radio International broadcast a shortwave station in the 1980s from Baldoyle in northeast Dublin.