Irish language Archives - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

Death of Raidió Fáilte co-founder Gearóid Ó Cairealláin — Gearóid Ó Cairealláin in the 1980s (photo Kevin Cooper/Gearóid’s Facebook page)

The co-founder of Belfast’s Irish language radio station Raidió Fáilte, Gearóid Ó Cairealláin, has died after a short illness. Raidió Fáilte was founded as a pirate station in west Belfast in 1985 and was part of a local media infrastructure that included an Irish language newspaper Lá. It broadcast sporadically without a licence for the best part of twenty years, aimed at the west of the city where most Irish speakers are located. Licensed by OFCOM in 2006, Raidió Fáilte now broadcasts on a community licence over a ten-mile radius of the centre and west of the city. From humble origins on the Falls Road, its impressive studios are now located close to the city centre and are arguably the best community radio facility in all of Ireland.

Tá Gearóid Ó Cairealláin, duine de bhunaitheoirí stáisiún raidió Gaeilge Bhéal Feirste, Raidió Fáilte, tar éis bháis. Bunaíodh Raidió Fáilte mar staisiún bradach in iarthar Bhéal Feirste in 1985 chomh maith leis an nuachtán Lá agus tionscadail Ghaeilge eile. Chraol sé ag amannta éagsúla ar feadh fiche bliain, dírithe ar iarthar na cathrach áit a bhfuil an chuid is mó de phobal na Gaeilge lonnaithe. Tar éis dó ceadúnas a fháil ó OFCOM in 2006, tá Raidió Fáilte ag craoladh go dleathach anois thar raon deich míle i lár agus in iarthar na cathrach. Tá dul chun cinn éachtach déanta aige ó bunaíodh é i lóistín sealadach ar Bhóthar na bhFál agus d’fhéadfaí a rá go bhfuil an stiúideó ina bhfuil sé suite anois ar an gceann is fearr dá bhfuil ag aon stáisiún raidió pobail in Éirinn.

The station emerged from language activism in the nationalist west of the city in the 1980s. A group of people led by Gearóid Ó Cairealláin wanted to develop Irish language cultural activities and media based on a community development ethos. Ó Cairealláin had been influenced by earlier Irish language initiatives and he and other activists saw the establishment of local media as essential to the revival of Irish. They were aware of previous local pirates, particularly Radio Free Belfast that was set up by Republicans at the start of the Troubles, and Galway pirate Saor-Raidió Chonamara from 1970. Raidió Fáilte began broadcasting in spring 1985 on a trial basis but it and other related projects were set back by a fire in the premises. The group moved into the Conway Mill building on the Falls Road in 1986 and began rebuilding the radio and other initiatives, cycling around Ireland to raise funds. They acquired a new AM transmitter from one of the many pirate stations in Dublin and began broadcasting on a regular basis. Raidió Fáilte moved into the new Irish language cultural centre, the Cultúrlann, on the Falls Road in 1991. The broadcasts were sporadic at this stage but Raidió Fáilte returned on a more regular basis in the mid-1990s and benefited from a larger group of volunteers and a new FM transmitter.

This recording of Raidió Fáilte during its pirate days features Malachy Duffin with a musical mix ranging from traditional to classics. It was recorded in Belfast from 107 FM on 1^st April 2005 between 1836-1914. Thanks to Ian Biggar for the donation. We extend our sympathy to the family and friends of Gearóid Ó Cairealláin and pay tribute to his enormous contribution to Irish language media in Belfast. We also thank Eoghan Ó Néill for sharing the history of Raidió Fáilte with John Walsh in previous interviews.

Déanaimid comhbhrón ó chroí le muintir agus le cairde Ghearóid Uí Chairealláin agus aithnímid an obair éachtach a rinne sé ar son na Gaeilge agus na meán i mBéal Feirste. Gabhaimid buíochas chomh maith le hEoghan Ó Néill as stair Raidió Fáilte a roinnt linn.

17th April 202224th March 2024

Launch of Saor-Raidió Chonamara at Easter 1970

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At Easter 1970, Irish language pirate Saor-Raidio Chonamara (Free Radio Connemara) came on the air for the first time in Ros Muc in the Connemara Gaeltacht. Inspired by Radio Free Derry set up at the outbreak of the Troubles in 1969, a local radio service for the Gaeltacht was one of the demands of the Gaeltacht Civil Rights Campaign. One of those involved, Seosamh Ó Cuaig, wrote in the Connacht Tribune on 17^th October 1969 that an all-Irish pirate station would be set up and that a transmitter could be bought for £50. With the assistance of an engineering student from UCC, Micheál Ó hÉalaithe, Saor-Raidió Chonamara began broadcasting on 1484 kHz (202 metres) on Saturday 28^th March from a caravan in Ros Muc and stayed on the air until Sunday 5^th April. It returned again in November that year for the Oireachtas na nGael festival, also held in Ros Muc.

Faoi Cháisc 1970, chuaigh an stáisiún bradach Saor-Raidió Chonamara ar an aer den chéad uair ó Ros Muc i nGaeltacht Chonamara. Spreagtha ag Radio Free Derry a bunaíodh ag tús na dTrioblóidí, bhí stáisiún raidió Gaeilge ar cheann d’éilimh Ghluaiseacht Chearta Sibhialta na Gaeltachta. Ina alt ar an Connacht Tribune ar 17 Deireadh Fómhair 1979, scríobh duine de na daoine a bhí páirteach, Seosamh Ó Cuaig, go mbunófaí a leithéid de stáisiún agus nach gcosnódh tarchuradóir ach £50. Le cúnamh ó mhac léinn innealtóireachta ó Chorcaigh, Micheál Ó hÉalaithe, thosaigh Saor-Raidió Chonamara ag craoladh ar 1484 kHz (202 méadar) Dé Sathairn 28 Márta ó charabhán i Ros Muc agus d’fhan ar an aer go dtí an Domhnach 5 Aibreán. Chraol sé den dara uair faoi Shamhain na bliana sin mar chuid d’Oireachtas na nGael i Ros Muc.

Within two years of Saor-Raidió Chonamara, Raidió na Gaeltachta was established under the auspices of RTÉ. It began broadcasting on Easter Sunday, 2^nd April 1972. Many campaigners doubted RTÉ’s commitment to Irish and wanted Raidió na Gaeltachta to be under community control but the new station quickly gained listeners in the Irish-speaking areas. Initially only available on a part-time basis and on AM in each of the three main Gaeltacht areas (west Kerry, south Connemara and northwest Donegal), Raidió na Gaeltachta was extended nationwide on FM in 1973. It is now a full-time, national Irish language station.

Laistigh de dhá bhliain ó chraoltaí an tSaor-Raidió, bunaíodh Raidió na Gaeltachta faoi choimirce RTÉ ar Dhomhnach Cásca, 2 Aibreán 1972. Bhí amhras ar lucht an fheachtais faoi thacaíocht RTÉ don Ghaeilge agus theastaigh uathu an stáisiún a bheith faoi smacht an phobail ach níorbh fhada go raibh éisteacht mhaith ag an stáisiún nua sa Ghaeltacht. Ar fáil go páirtaimseartha agus ar an meántonn amháin i dtosach báire i gConamara, Corca Dhuibhne agus Tír Chonaill, leathnaíodh Raidió na Gaeltachta go náisiúnta ar an ardmhinicíocht in 1973. Is é an stáisiún lánaimseartha, náisiúnta Gaeilge anois é.

In 2020, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta planned a commemoration of the 50^th anniversary of Saor-Raidió Chonamara but this was cancelled due to the outbreak of the pandemic. The station broadcast special programmes from Ros Muc on Easter Monday, 28^th April 2022, including interviews with those involved in Saor-Raidió Chonamara.

This short clip is of Piaras Ó Gaora from Easter Sunday, 29^th March 1970 and translates as: ‘You are listening to Saor-Raidió Chonamara broadcasting on 202 metres medium wave and at two minutes past six on this glorious Easter evening, it’s time for the news’. The clip is from the television documentary Splanc Dheireadh na Gaeltachta (2005, subtitled). Other historical material about the history of Saor-Raidió Chonamara is available on the Irish language website Cartlann Ghaeltacht Chonamara (Connemara Gaeltacht Archive), hosted by NUI Galway.

18th November 202119th November 2021

Rónán Ó Dubhthaigh (RIP) on Bray Local Broadcasting

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We were saddened to learn of the death on 17^th November 2021 of Rónán Ó Dubhthaigh, a pioneering broadcaster with Bray Local Broadcasting (BLB) in the 1980s. After developing Irish language programmes on BLB, Rónán went on to be the manager of the licensed Irish language station Raidió na Life in 1993.

BLB was one of the leaders in local community broadcasting during the pirate era and played a key role in the National Association of Community Broadcasters (NACB) which lobbied for licensed community radio. It began broadcasting in 1979 and continued until the closedowns at the end of 1988, making it one of the country’s longest-running pirate stations. As a community station, BLB prided itself on catering for minority groups and audiences served poorly by mainstream radio, including Irish speakers in its catchment area of north Wicklow and south Dublin. Irish was marginal on pirate radio, particularly among commercial stations, but community radio across the country regularly broadcast programmes in Irish. There were also Irish language pirate stations such as Saor-Raidió Chonamara in the Connemara Gaeltacht in 1970 (which led to the establishment of Raidió na Gaeltachta) and Raidió an Phobail in Dublin in 1979.

Mar stáisiún pobail, chuir BLB roimhe freastal ar ghrúpaí mionlaigh agus daoine nach raibh freastal mar is ceart á dhéanamh orthu ag na stáisiúin mhóra raidió, ina measc cainteoirí Gaeilge i dtuaisceart Chill Mhantáin agus deisceart Bhaile Átha Cliath. Bhí an Ghaeilge imeallach ar an raidió bradach, go háirithe ar na stáisiúin tráchtála, ach craoladh cláracha Gaeilge ar stáisiúin raidió pobail ar fud na tíre. Bhí stáisiúin bhradacha Ghaeilge ann chomh maith, ina measc Saor-Radio Chonamara i nGaeltacht Chonamara in 1970 (a thug ann do Raidió na Gaeltachta) agus Raidió an Phobail i mBaile Átha Cliath in 1979.

This is an extract from the final half hour (2030-2100) of one of BLB’s Irish language programmes Timchuairt Bhré (a trip around Bray), presented by Rónán Ó Dubhthaigh on 9^th November 1983. Rónán went on to present Irish language programmes on the successor licensed station to BLB, Horizon Radio (John Walsh of Pirate.ie also worked on those programmes) and he became the first manager of the licensed Raidió na Life in 1993. The recording features Irish traditional and folk music and is followed by the station closedown at 2100.

Seo í an leathuair an chloig deireanach (2030-2100) de cheann de chláracha Gaeilge BLB, Timchuairt Bhré, á chur i láthair ag Rónán Ó Dubhthaigh ar 9 Samhain 1983. Lean Rónán air ag cur cláracha Gaeilge i láthair ar Horizon Radio, an stáisiún ceadúnaithe a tháinig i gcomharbacht ar BLB. D’oibrigh John Walsh ó Pirate.ie ar na cláracha sin chomh maith. Ceapadh Rónán ina chéad bhainisteoir ar an stáisiún ceadúnaithe Raidió na Life in 1993. Ar an taifeadadh seo, cloistear ceol Gaelach agus traidisiúnta agus ina dhiaidh sin dúntar an stáisiún ar 2100.

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

18th August 202118th August 2021

Irish language show on KISS FM

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The Irish language was marginal on most of Irish pirate radio, although there were notable exceptions such as Saor-Radio Chonamara (1970), which led to the establishment of RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta. The Irish language body Conradh na Gaeilge set up its own station Raidió an Phobail in Dublin in 1979, but it was short-lived and beset with technical problems. In the 1980s, Conradh na Gaeilge collaborated with community stations such as North Dublin Community Radio (NDCR), Bray Local Broadcasting (BLB) and Kilkenny Community Radio (KCR), which had Irish programmes. Belfast’s licensed Irish language community station, Raidió Fáilte, has its roots in a pirate dating back to the 1980s. Other niche stations featured some Irish, such as Radio na nGael in Swords in north Co. Dublin, and Irish was used occasionally on the irregular stations run by republican groups.

Bhí an Ghaeilge imeallach ar an raidió bradach den chuid is mó, cé go raibh eisceachtaí ann ar nós Saor-Radio Chonamara a spreag bunú RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta. In 1979, bhí stáisiún dá chuid féin ag Conradh na Gaeilge, Raidió an Phobail ach bhí fadhbanna teicniúla aige. Ina dhiaidh sin, thacaigh an Conradh le cláracha Gaeilge ar na stáisiúin bhradacha phobail ar fud na tíre. Ba mar stáisiún bradach a thosaigh Raidió Fáilte i mBéal Feirste. Bhíodh roinnt Gaeilge ar shainstáisiúin eile ar nós Radio na nGael agus stáisiúin ócáideacha á rith ag poblachtánaigh.

Irish was notably absent on commercial radio, although some stations offered discounts to advertisers using Irish. This is a rare recording of an Irish programme on none other than the Radio Nova offshoot, KISS FM. It was made from 1005-1112 on Sunday 3^rd April 1983 and the presenter is Jim Cotter. Most notable is the use of Irish to present the chart hits, something that was unheard of in Irish radio at the time. Presenting contemporary pop music in Irish was very far-sighted of Chris Cary and was an approach that would be adopted by the licensed station Raidió na Life in Dublin from 1993. RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta banned songs with English lyrics until 2005, and even then only after 9pm. There has been an online Irish language chart music station, Raidió Rí-Rá, since 2008.

Bhí an Ghaeilge in easnamh ar fad, nach mór, ar an raidió tráchtála, cé gur thairg stáisiúin áirithe lascaine d’fhógraí Gaeilge. Seo taifeadadh neamhchoitianta de chlár Gaeilge ar KISS FM, fostáisiún de chuid Radio Nova. Údar suntais is ea an Ghaeilge a úsáid chun popcheol comhaimseartha a chur i láthair, rud nach ndéantaí ar an raidió in Éirinn ag an am. Ghlacfadh sé deich mbliana eile go dtí go ndéanfaí a leithéid go rialta nuair a bunaíodh Raidió na Life i mBaile Átha Cliath in 1993. Bhí cosc ar liricí Béarla ar RnaG go dtí 2005. Tá an stáisiún popcheoil Raidió Rí-Rá ag sruthú ar líne ó 2008.

This recording is courtesy of Ian Biggar and DX Archive.