Louth Archives - Page 4 of 19 - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

10th January 20246th January 2024

Northeast series: Friday night on Telstar Community Radio

Telstar logo (courtesy Ian Biggar).

Telstar Community Radio broadcast from in and around the Dundalk area between 1980 and 1988. Despite stiff competition from bigger local stations Radio Carousel and Boyneside Radio, it built up and maintained its own audience. The station was first located in Dundalk, moving south to the village of Blackrock in 1982 before returning to Dundalk in 1986. The main frequencies used for most of its existence were 1197 kHz AM and 88.5 FM. Telstar closed down along with other pirates at midnight on New Year’s Eve 1988.

This recording is of part of Dave Ritchie’s Friday night show, including chart hits and some oldies, along with adverts for mostly Dundalk-based businesses. There are news headlines on the hour and some notices, including mention of a local gig by British pop star Howard Jones. The tape was recorded from 88.5 FM on 13^th March 1987 from 1830-2006. Another station is heard briefly at about the half-way point, possibly an earlier recording on the same cassette.

The tape was made originally by John Gartlan and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

2nd January 20241st January 2024

Northeast series: Afternoon drive on Zee 103

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Zee 103 (1986-1988) was a high-powered professional station beaming its signal into Northern Ireland from just south of the border at Omeath in Co. Louth. Launched in the winter of 1986, its origins were in KISS FM, a short-lived pirate station in Craigavon, Co. Armagh that was raided by the UK Department of Trade and Industry in 1985. The operation moved south of the border and led eventually to the launch of Zee 103 on November 11^th 1986 from Ardaghy House, a renovated schoolhouse on an elevated site just 3km inside the Republic of Ireland. In line with new broadcasting legislation in the Republic, Zee 103 closed down at midnight on 31^st December 1988 but was one of a handle of pirates to venture back onto the air briefly in January 1989.

This recording of Zee 103 from the summer of 1988 features Paul Maguire who is sitting in for Graham Marks on the afternoon drive programme. Music consists of chart hits and some oldies and all adverts come from businesses in the North. News headlines are read by Lorraine Duncan and similarly aimed at Northern listeners. The tape was made from 103.25 FM between 1622-1708 on 17^th August 1988 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

13th November 202324th November 2023

Northeast series: Afternoon shows on Boyneside Radio

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By the mid-1980s Boyneside Radio was calling itself the ‘biggest regional radio station in Ireland’ and could be heard over a large area from Dublin to Belfast. From humble origins in Drogheda, Boyneside developed into a network of stations in Counties Meath and Louth, including a Northern service based in Carrickcarnon right on the border. This recording from 1986 features two well-known DJs presenting early afternoon shows. First up is Kieran Murray with the end of the People’s Choice requests programme. He is followed by one of the station’s founders Eddie Caffrey with Afternoon Delight and the Golden Hour. There are plenty of local adverts in the busy pre-Christmas period.

The recording was made between 1350 and 1438 on 25^th November 1986 from Boyneside’s Dublin FM relay transmitter on 105.5 FM. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

1st May 202329th April 2023

Northeast series: first broadcast of Radio Rainbow International

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Radio Rainbow International was a high-powered shortwave pirate broadcasting on Sundays from Co. Louth between the summer of 1985 and the end of 1988. It was operated by Boyneside Radio DJ and engineer Eddie Caffrey and several other Boyneside presenters were also involved. In an interview with Pirate.ie, one such DJ, Kieran Murray, described Radio Rainbow as the ‘Radio Nova of shortwave’, such was its high power output in contrast with other Irish shortwave pirates of the era. Using the tagline ‘broadcasting from the east coast of Ireland’, Radio Rainbow put out about 1 kW of power on 6240 kHz in the 48-metre band. The station received reception reports from all over Europe during its three years on air.

Northeast series: first broadcast of Radio Rainbow International — Original cassette label from Anoraks Ireland Collection.

This is a studio recording of the first broadcast of Radio Rainbow International on Sunday 28^th July 1985. The DJ is Jim Agnew on his first shortwave broadcast. There are no times and the tape is airchecked. It was made by Kieran Murray and is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated by Paul Davidson.

24th April 202322nd April 2023

Radio Carousel reports on Bisto Soapbox Derby

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Soapbox derby competitions began in the United States in the 1930s and were revived in Ireland in the 1980s where they are often known as go-karting. The All-Ireland Soapbox Derby was held in Dunleer, Co. Louth in 1982 and sponsored by gravy company Bisto. Dundalk pirate station Radio Carousel was at the event and broadcast a special half-hour programme in the Carousel Tonight slot on Monday 16^th August. Presented by Kieran Murray, the programme consisted of interviews with organisers and participants at the event, including with local TD Bernard Markey and a representative of Bisto. As the pirates gained listeners during the 1980s, political parties attempted to prevent elected representatives from being interviewed on the pirates but politicians knew that they would gain publicity if heard on their local station.

This is a studio copy of the programme provided by Kieran Murray. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson. Watch an RTÉ television report on the same event here.