Dublin Archives - Page 8 of 90 - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

10th March 202518th February 2025

Breakfast Club on Nova Power 103 FM

This is a snippet from the Breakfast Club on the short-lived Nova Power 103 FM, a merger of the ‘new’ Radio Nova and existing Dublin pirate Energy 103 in late 1987. Sounding crisp and professional are Cassidy Jones, Lisa Moore (Fionnuala Sweeney) and Bob Gallico (RIP) with a mixture of music, chat, papers, sports and news. On a freezing Friday morning in Dublin, Bob Gallico presents the review of the papers and shares his racing tips for the day, while Lisa reads news. The familiar high-level adverts are heard, including for brands, and the classic Nova jingles are played, creating something of an identity problem as they differ from the station’s name. Although Nova founder Chris Cary had promised new jingles on the day the merger was announced (25^th November), there was not enough time to complete the imaging of the new station as it was promptly prevented by an interlocutory injunction from using the valuable Nova name, and eventually reverted to Energy Power 103, as in the image above.

This recording was made by Kieran Murray between 0728-0748 on 27^th November 1987 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. It is not clear if it was made from 99.9 or 103 FM.

3rd March 202517th February 2025

Chris Cary interviewed on new Nova Power 103 FM

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After testing for several days, at midnight on 9^th November 1987, a new station began broadcasting continuous CD music on 100 FM in Dublin. On 18^th November, the station announced itself as the ‘New Radio Nova’, rocking the Dublin pirate scene as it approached its final golden year of 1988. It was an ironic coincidence that the Minister for Communications, Ray Burke, published his new Broadcasting and Wireless Telegraphy Bill and Sound Broadcasting Bill the following day, 19^th November, aimed at closing down the pirates and introducing licensed local radio. On 25^th November came another dramatic announcement as existing station Energy 103 announced that it was merging with the new Radio Nova in light of the impending broadcasting legislation. The merged station was called Nova Power 103 FM and founder of the original Nova, Chris Cary (RIP), was involved, ostensibly as a consultant. This was to the consternation of many in Dublin who had been burned by Cary’s brash managerial style, particularly advertisers who lost money after the collapse of the station in 1986 and journalists and their union involved in the bitter industrial relations dispute with Nova.

In line with the new legislation, Nova Power 103 promised plenty of news and current affairs and revived the Dublin Today programme that was aired on the original Radio Nova. However, the new name was short-lived, when the receiver of Nova Media Services, Pearse Farrell, sought an interlocutory injunction preventing use of the Nova brand. According to Peter Mulryan in Radio Radio (1988), Farrell was also concerned about some activities of the bankrupt company and did not want to allow Cary to use the high-profile Nova name with licences in the offing. Within a few weeks, Nova Power 103 had reverted to Energy 103, which continued to broadcast until 11^th March 1988.

This recording of Nova Power 103 was made on its first day and features an interview with Chris Cary on the Dublin Today programme, discussing his plans for the new station. Presenters of Dublin Today are Sybil Fennell and Teena Gates, and news at 1900 is read by Lisa Moore (Fionnuala Sweeney, who would later join RTÉ and CNN). The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 100 FM between 1850-1905 on 25^th November 1987.

26th February 202525th February 2025

Late night Radio Leinster shortly before station’s closedown

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Radio Leinster was a specialist and middle-of-the-road station offering an alternative to Dublin listeners accustomed to the diet of chart music on many pirates. Launching on 29^th April 1981 on 738 kHz, announcing 406 metres, it liked to claim that it wooed listeners from RTÉ Radio 1 rather than Radio 2. Despite making inroads in the Dublin radio market over its two years on air, Radio Leinster became collateral damage in the raids on large pirate stations, closing down suddenly on May 19^th 1983.

This tape was made a few days before the closedown and features the Late on Leinster show presented by Gerry Wilson. There are plenty of requests, reflecting the desire for live late-night radio, now sadly a thing of the past. Adverts include the Sunday World newspaper, a staple on all commercial pirate stations during the 1980s. The airchecked recording was made on Saturday night/Sunday morning 14^th and 15^th May between 2230 and 0130 from 93 FM. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

3rd February 202526th January 2025

Bee Bop Gold on Sunshine 101

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Bee Bop Gold was a popular oldies show on Dublin pirate station Sunshine 101 towards the end of its eight years on air. It was presented by Nails Mahoney, who went on to have a successful radio career in Ireland, the UK and Canada and now runs a radio consultancy.

By 1988, Sunshine was Dublin’s leading station and was hotly tipped to get one of the city’s two licences to be awarded in 1989 after the closedown of the pirates. That was not to happen and Sunshine’s managing director Robbie Robinson took an unsuccessful case against the Independent Radio and Television Commission.

This recording of Bee Bop Gold was made during Sunshine 101’s final month on air in 1988. It is slick and professional and features the high-level adverts and imaging associated with a successful commercial station. The tape was made on Sunday 4^th December 1988 from 101.1 FM between 1344-1430 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

27th January 202525th January 2025

History of Irish free radio on Radio Valleri

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Radio Valleri was one of the pioneering early Irish pirates, broadcasting first on medium wave and then on shortwave. Its first broadcast was on Sunday 23^rd July 1972 on 196 metres (1525 kHz) from a garden shed on the northside of Dublin, with taped programmes presented by the station’s founders Derek Jones and Mike Anderson. Sunday broadcasts continued on medium wave until September of that year and were augmented by additional programmes with Arno St Jude (Declan Meehan) and Edward LeRoy. Radio Valleri moved to shortwave in 1973, appearing on 6317 kHz on October 21^st and then using 6260 and later 6210 each Sunday morning for a year. It closed on 7^th December 1975 due to increased interest by the Irish authorities but returned on May 16^th 1976 and continued into 1977 for 3 hours every Sunday. In a report in the magazine Free Radio Waves in February 1977, Mike Anderson wrote that in the previous 5 years, Radio Valleri had received over 500 reception reports from around Europe and as far away as the Soviet Union.

This recording of Radio Valleri was made on 19^th October 1975 and is a repeat of a programme broadcast a year earlier featuring the history of Irish free radio. It kicks off with Mike Anderson who gives a potted history of early Irish stations such as Radio Santa Monica (1965), Radio Caroline Dublin (1969), Radio Eamo (1970), Radio Vanessa (1970) and Radio Melinda (1972). Mike is followed by Derek Jones who plays crackly recordings of the early stations, including Radio Melinda (featuring Arno St Jude), Radio Caroline Dublin and Radio Dublin. Other stations mentioned are Radio North Dublin, Radio Galaxy and Radio Jacqueline, which later became Channel 70. Derek also shares a musical history of Radio Valleri from its launch in 1972. This programme appears to be a studio copy rather than recorded from shortwave and is courtesy of Ian Biggar.