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Interview with Aidan Cooney on Radio Dublin in 1979

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Interview with Aidan Cooney on Radio Dublin in 1979
Part of the Tipler Collection donated to Pirate.ie

English radio anorak Leon Tipler (RIP) returned to Ireland in August 1979 to record more of the Irish pirates and interview some of those involved in the expanding scene. This original recording from his collection features a visit to Radio Dublin and an interview with Aidan Jay (Aidan Cooney) about how the station was faring, its coverage area and plans to go on FM in the coming weeks.

A shorter version of this interview was included in Tipler’s acclaimed documentary series The Irish Pirates. This recording was made on 30th August 1979 and is donated to us by Steve England. Aidan Cooney continues to broadcast on radio to this day.

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More highlights of Dublin radio in 1979

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More highlights of Dublin radio in 1979
Leon Tipler by the Radio 270 pirate ship in 1966/67 (courtesy Steve England)

In this post, we bring you more highlights of Dublin radio in 1979 as recorded by English anorak Leon Tipler (RIP) during one of his regular visits to Ireland. This recording begins with Tony Allan (RIP) on his afternoon show on ARD, including news and requests. Later in the tape, Tony conducts an interview with the Friends of Medieval Dublin about the controversial development of the Wood Quay site in Dublin for new civic offices. Simon Young (RIP) is interviewed by another DJ on Big D, and talks about the various gigs that he did around town. There are also snippets of Radio Dublin and Capitol Radio. Parts of these recordings were used in Leon’s acclaimed documentary series The Irish Pirates.

The tape was made on 29th August 1979 from various AM frequencies. We thank Steve England for his donation of the Leon Tipler Collection to Pirate.ie.

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Tony Allan on ARD in 1979

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Tony Allan on ARD in 1979
Tony Allan in the ARD studio in 1979 (courtesy DX Archive).

Continuing our series on recordings made by English radio anorak Leon Tipler in Dublin, today’s tape features the sounds of an August afternoon in 1979 after he returned to Ireland for another visit. Tipler put his microphone up against a radio in his hotel room and recorded snippets of the city’s leading pirate, Alternative Radio Dublin (ARD) and a commentary on his impressions of the city at the time. This extracts were later used in his acclaimed documentary series The Irish Pirates that can be heard on this website.

The recording features the voice of the legendary Tony Allan (RIP) presenting the afternoon show on ARD and reading news headlines on 28th August 1979. Tipler was staying in the Ormond Hotel overlooking the River Liffey and gulls and passing traffic can be heard in the background. Audio quality is variable due to degradation of the cassette. We thank Steve England for donating Leon Tipler’s collection to us.

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More of Dublin’s Capitol Radio in summer 1979

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More of Dublin's Capitol Radio in summer 1979
Capitol Radio compliments slip (courtesy lan Russell)

Today’s recording is a short excerpt of one of the Dublin pirate stations of the late 1970s, Capitol Radio, as recorded by English radio anorak Leon Tipler during a visit to Ireland in July 1979. Station co-founder Alan Russell reminds listeners of a chance to win a bottle of wine and gives a postal address on the South Circular Road, or people can drop into the studios on Bachelors Walk. Coming up after Alan is another co-founder of the station, Chris Barry. At the very end is a quick tune around AM, giving a taste of the amount of broadcasters on the band at the time.

The recording is undated but is likely from 19th or 20th July 1979 and begins shortly before 1000. It was recorded from 1332 kHz, announcing 226 metres. Capitol Radio broadcast initially on a part-time basis for a few months in 1975 but returned as full-time operation in 1978, offering a mixture of music, talk and specialist programmes. Thanks to Steve England for sharing Leon Tipler’s recordings with us.

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More Dublin radio from summer 1979

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More Dublin radio from summer 1979
Leon Tipler at British pirate station Radio 270 in the late 1960s (courtesy Steve England)

Continuing our series featuring the tapes of English radio enthusiast Leon Tipler (RIP), today’s recording is of a bandscan made in July 1979, during one of Leon’s frequent visits to Dublin. Recorded mostly from AM, it begins with an excerpt from the Citizen’s Band legal advice programme on Alternative Radio Dublin (ARD) presented by Sylvia McClelland, an example of the diversity of programming on the station at the time. ARD news airs on the half-hour. This is followed by an unidentified DJ on Big D, who reads out requests from listeners and refers to Dublin’s iconic Dandelion Market. There are adverts for small businesses, some read live by the DJ, and a mention of a Big D social night the following Friday.

Towards the end of the recording, the dial is tuned around the AM band and we hear snippets of the new RTÉ Radio 2, Radio Dublin and UK stations. At the very end some FM stations are heard. The tape was recorded on 18th July 1979 from around midday. Audio quality is fair at best due to cassette degradation over time. Thanks to Steve England for the donation of Leon’s invaluable recordings and to Ian Biggar for additional information.