Kilkenny Archives - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

18th September 202412th September 2024

Bank holiday competition on Kilkenny Community Radio

Kilkenny Community Radio (KCR) was one of Ireland’s longest-running pirates in the 1970s and 1980s and among a small number of stations officially affiliated with the National Association of Community Broadcasters. It launched in May 1979 and closed at the end of December 1988 in line with the new broadcasting legislation. The station was based on a co-operative structure, chaired initially by local priest Fr. Gerry Joyce. The current licensed station Community Radio Kilkenny City has links with the original pirate station.

This short airchecked recording of KCR was made in the summer of 1983. The unidentified DJ announces a competition to win a voucher for a local furniture shop. There are adverts for local businesses in Kilkenny City and County and also for national chain Trustee Savings Bank. Audio quality is fair with some fading in places, as the receiver may have been outside the core listening area.

The tape was made from 1625-1643 on Monday 6^th June 1983 from 100 FM. It was recorded originally by Kieran Murray and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. KCR also broadcast on 1386 kHz AM at this time.

20th February 202311th February 2023

Night-time rock on AMS from Kilkenny

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AMS (Astra Media Services) was a Kilkenny station broadcasting from 1987 until the end of 1988. Daytime programming was aimed at a mainstream audience, with more specialist shows in the evenings, including this rock show presented by Michael Porter. The programme includes a small number of adverts and a promo seeking sales reps for counties Kilkenny, Carlow and Tipperary.

The recording was made on 25^th May 1988 from 98.6 FM between 2040-2126. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

13th February 202311th February 2023

Evening shows on AMS from Kilkenny

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AMS (Astra Media Services) was a Kilkenny station broadcasting from 18^th October 1987 until 31^st December 1988, when it closed down along with the vast majority of the Irish pirates. AMS broadcast from 0745-2400 daily, offering a mainstream service during the day with specialist programming at night.

This recording was made in November 1987, a few weeks after AMS was launched. In Part 1 above, Paul Madigan refers to the ‘new sound of Kilkenny’ and presents his evening mix of chart music and oldies. There is a healthy number of adverts for local businesses, including several in the Arcade in High Street, where AMS was located. Part 2 below is of station manager Séamaí B. (Séamus Brennan), with the nightly Irish hour. In a reminder of the influence of religion in 1980s Ireland, he tells listeners that they can attend evening Mass in Kilkenny because of the holy day of obligation. Audio quality ranges from fair to poor, with distortion and hum at times.

Irish hour from 1900

Part 1 runs from 1745-1833 and Part 2 from 1900-1946 on 2^nd November 1987. The tape was recorded from 98.6 FM and is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

26th April 202126th April 2021

The last 100 days of Kilkenny Community Radio

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Kilkenny Community Radio (KCR) broadcast for almost a decade from May 1979 to December 1988 and was one of the eleven stations affiliated to the National Association of Community Broadcasters. It operated on 1386 kHz (217 metres) for many years but with several other pirates in the south of Ireland on the same frequency, co-channel interference was a problem. FM frequencies were 99.9 and later 97.4 MHz. A new AM rig bought in 1987 allowed KCR to move to 1395 kHz where it remained until it closed, along with the other pirates, on 31^st December 1988.

KCR was based on a community co-operative structure and was chaired in its early years by local priest Fr. Gerry Joyce. A programme committee of shareholders and listeners updated the schedule regularly and the station’s slogan was ‘By the people for the people’. A 1981 magazine For the Record produced by KCR gives a flavour of the philosophy and the wide range of programming, with plenty of input from local voluntary groups. The station was featured in Leon Tipler’s documentary ‘The Irish Pirates’ in 1983. KCR was licensed as Radio Kilkenny in 1989 and continued to broadcast until 2003 when it lost its licence after a reorganisation of the franchises in Counties Carlow and Kilkenny. The present Community Radio Kilkenny City has links with the original pirate station and the 40th anniversary of community radio in Kilkenny was celebrated in 2019.

This recording is of Pat Maher with an easy listening programme from 1414-1502 on Saturday 17^th September 1988, during the station’s ‘last 100 days of broadcasting’, as announced by the presenter. It was made from 97.4 FM and was kindly donated by John Breslin.

14th June 20206th August 2021

Documentary: The Irish Pirates (Volume 5)

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Part 3 of Leon Tipler’s documentary ‘The Irish Pirates’ is entitled ‘Hello Again’, and features a return visit to Ireland in September 1983. In this episode, Volume 5 of the 8-part series, Tipler begins with a bandscan of Irish AM and FM from Aberystwyth on the west-Wales coast in August 1983. Returning to Dublin a month later, he comments on the improved sound of Treble TR before boarding a train to Kilkenny and Waterford. Kilkenny Community Radio and Suirside Radio are featured in depth and as usual there are several interesting bandscans.

This recording is from the Leon Tipler Tapes Collection, donated to us by Steve England.

Index to Volume 5

00:00 Irish bandscan from Aberystwyth August 1983
00:30 1983 raids
01:23 ERI
02:00 Radio West
04:10 South Coast Radio
06:00 FM DXing from Aberystwyth
07:00 Arklow Community Radio
08:31 Radio West
09:05 Kilkenny Community Radio
11:00 September 1983 visit
12:00 Treble TR
15:50 Radio Carlow
16:30 Visit to Kilkenny
17:15 Kilkenny Community Radio
27:45 Visit to KCR – community radio ethos
41:00 Visit to Waterford
42:05 WLR
42:50 Suirside Radio
43:25 ABC Tramore
46:00 Suirside Radio
48:30 Visit to Suirside Radio