Noel Evans at Radio City in 1980 (courtesy Lilian O’Donoghue).
This recording of Cork pirate Radio City feastures Noel Evans (Welch) on the daily Homerun programme. It includes traffic updates, a medical advice slot, a charity appeal from a local nun, adverts for local businesses around Cork and a competition. There’s also a letter from super-fan Lilian McCarthy (O’Donoghue), who donated this recording.
The tape was made between 1700-1730 on 2nd February 1981 from 95.5 FM.
Pat O’Rourke at Radio City in 1981 (courtesy Lilian O’Donoghue).
Pat O’Rourke (aka The Smurf) was a popular DJ on the early Cork pirate radio stations. This recording features his late-night show on Radio City and includes a preview of weekend programmes on the station. The first section is of the final half-hour of Pat’s romantic music slot from 2334-0000 on Friday 16th January 1981, ending with the national anthem to close down Radio City for the night. This is followed by part of another late-night show presented by Pat, apparently from 18th January.
The tape was made from 95.7 FM but there is distortion on the links possibly due to a microphone issue. Thanks to Lilian O’Donoghue for the donation.
John Ashford (John Buckley, RIP) at Radio City (courtesy Lilian O’Donoghue).
This recording of Cork pirate Radio City was made on a Saturday in the winter of 1980 and gives a flavour of weekend programmes at the station. Kicking off is Ed Harris with the end of his Saturday breakfast show, who is followed by John Ashford (John Buckley, RIP) with Morning Beat. Next up are Pete Andrews (O’Neill) and Karl Johnson (Dan Noonan) with horoscopes to wind up Saturday Club at 1300, followed by Noel Evans (Welch) with the Saturday Sports Report. The last section is of an unidentified DJ presenting disco music.
The recording was made from 1512 kHz, announcing 199 metres on 1st November 1980 and is courtesy of Lilian O’Donoghue.
Pat O’Rourke with Lilian McCarthy in Radio City in 1981 (photo courtesy of Lilian)
This recording of Radio City gives a flavour of the variety of shows on the Cork station as it began to find its feet in the autumn of 1980. First up is Pat O’Rourke (Smurf) with Sounds around Midnight, which includes mention of the upcoming Cork Jazz Festival. This is followed by Tony Allen (Walsh) with his new daily show, Mid-Morning Madness. Adverts are heard for businesses around Cork as Radio City was beginning to generate income in its second month on air. There’s also a request by letter from number one fan Lilian McCarthy (O’Donoghue). News at 1200 is read by Pete Andrews (O’Neill), who takes over with his lunchtime show at 1230.
The recording was made from 1512 kHz, announcing 199 metres, between 20th and 27th October 1980 although exact dates are unclear. Audio quality is poor for the first half-hour due to rudimentary recording equipment but improves later despite cassette degradation. Thanks to Lilian O’Donoghue for the donation.
Paul Cassidy at Radio City in September 1980 (courtesy Lilian O’Donoghue).
This is another recording of Cork pirate Radio City in the early months of its existence in autumn 1980. Most of the recording consists of Monday evening shows: Paul Cassidy with Travelling Through the 70s including a listeners’ quiz and Tony Allen (Walsh) with Jukebox Jive. These are followed by short snippets of daytime programmes: Pete Andrews (O’Neill) at lunchtime, Carl Johnson (Dan Noonan) with Afternoon Delights and Noel Evans (Welch) with Home Run.
The tape of Radio City was made on 6th and 7th October 1980 from 1512 kHz, announcing 199 metres. Audio quality is poor throughout due to rudimentary recording equipment. Thanks to Lilian O’Donoghue for the donation.