Early Cork Series Archives - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

14th January 202612th January 2026

Early Cork series: Lunchtime shows on Radio City

This recording of Cork pirate Radio City was made in spring 1981, about seven months after the station went on the air. Up first is the end of Mark Lawrence’s mid-morning programme. He is followed by one of the station founders, Pete Andrews (O’Neill), with his Lunchtime Special show. Radio City super-fan Lilian McCarthy (O’Donoghue) has brought presents to the station for Pete’s birthday and there is the usual Golden Year feature and ‘for sale’ slot.

The tape was made from 95.5 FM between 1156-1244 on 25^th March 1981 and is courtesy of Lilian O’Donoghue. Audio quality is fair with distortion in places, probably due to an issue with transmission, and some wobble on the cassette after the decades.

25th December 20252nd December 2025

Early Cork series: More Christmas Day on Radio City

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This additional recording from Christmas Day 1980 on Cork pirate Radio City features popular DJ Pat ‘the Smurf’ O’Rourke, complete with canned Smurf laughter. Pat shares requests from listeners and reads out a letter from number one fan Lilian McCarthy (O’Donoghue). He is followed by Steve Douglas and Luke Ward, who promise an interview with Bono of U2. Audio quality is fair with some variation in levels and there are issues with the microphone at times.

The partially airchecked recording runs from around 1600-1825 on 25^th December 1980 and was recorded from 95.7 FM. Thanks to Lilian O’Donoghue for the donation.

15th December 202515th November 2025

Early Cork series: Lunchtime on Radio City

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Pete Andrews (O’Neill) was a familiar voice on Cork pirate radio, and was heard on the early stations of the late 1970s before setting up Radio City in 1980 with Dan Noonan. Here he is on the Lunchtime Special from spring 1981 with a mixture of chart, classics and a bit of country. Features include the Golden Year, for sale slot, featured album, record of the week, weather forecast and the Top 10 from the Radio City Top 50. Many of the adverts are voiced by Pete, who also reads news headlines on the hour. Such was the multi-tasking of pirate radio!

The recording was made from 95.7 FM between 1202-1403 on 23^rd March 1981 and is courtesy of Lilian O’Donoghue.

10th December 20251st December 2025

Early Cork series: Sunday shows on Radio City

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This recording features a selection of Sunday programmes on Cork pirate Radio City from the spring of 1981. Up first is John Rice signing off at the end of his show, followed by Pete Andrews (O’Neill) with the Radio City Top 50 and then Susan James (O’Connor) with the Groove Galaxy. The last segment is from a Sunday morning show presented by John Mariner, possibly from another date.

This airchecked recording was made from 95.7 FM from around 1400 on 22^nd March 1981. Audio quality is generally good but there is some distortion and wobble due to cassette degradation. Thanks to Lilian O’Donoghue for the donation.

5th December 202529th November 2025

Early Cork series: More Saturday evening shows on Radio City

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This is another example of Saturday evening shows on Cork pirate Radio City from spring 1981. First up is the final part of Alan Edwards’ programme with a mixture of chart music and classics. He is followed by Luke Ward with his Rock City Interviews show. There are also adverts for local businesses and station jingles. Audio quality is generally good, but there is some wobble towards the end due to cassette degradation.

The recording was made from 95.5 FM between 1808-1905 on 21^st March 1981 and is courtesy of Lilian O’Donoghue. At this time Radio City also broadcast on 1512 kHz, announcing 199 metres. Thanks to Lilian O’Donoghue for the donation.