Martin Cullinane (Bob Conway) Archives - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

Test of Radio Dublin Channel 2 and station launch — Early Radio Dublin badge (courtesy Brian Greene).

Radio Dublin Channel 2 was the first such offshoot service by an Irish pirate station, operating initially at weekends and then on a more full-time basis in parallel with the main station. Offering specialist output such as a rock show, country show and student programme, it was an alternative to the chart music focus of the original Channel 1, which continued to broadcast on 1188 kHz (253 metres). Channel 2 was initially on FM only but in recognition of the limited reach of that band at the time, soon added its own AM channel. One of the highlights of the Channel 2 service was the weekly FRC show presented by Gerard Roe, which updated anoraks about the pirate radio scene at home and abroad.

This recording begins with the first test broadcast of Radio Dublin Channel 2 on Saturday 26^th April 1980, with John Everest on 90.2 MHz FM, while Kevin Barrett continues on medium wave. The airchecked recording switches back and forth between AM and FM in the course of the evening, and John Everest announces that the official launch will take place the following weekend. Kevin Barrett says Radio Dublin is making history in local radio in Ireland, being the only station with two separate channels. However there are plenty of teething problems during the Channel 2 test, and a link-up between the two channels is barely audible.

The test transmission is followed by the launch of Channel 2 a week later which begins with a few words from station owner Eamonn Cooke, followed by Martin Cullinane, who would later use the name Bob Conway on RTÉ 2FM. Teething problems continue with variable audio and bleed-through from Channel 1, which was a perennial problem on the parallel services. The airchecked recording begins shortly after 1600 and continues until the inaugural broadcast finishes at 1800. There is some uncertainty over the date of the launch due to inaccurate information on the cassette label, but it appears to have been on Saturday 3^rd May 1980. The recording ends with the familiar Radio Dublin signature tune and jingles. Thanks to Ian Biggar for the donation.

Radio Dublin closed down permanently in 2002 following Eamonn Cooke’s conviction for sexually abusing children. He was jailed in 2003 and again in 2007 and died in 2016 while on temporary release. If you require support with this issue, you can contact the organisation One in Four.

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Summer 1983 on Capitol Radio (Dublin) — Advert for Capitol Radio, Hot Press, Christmas 1984 (Alan MacSimoin collection).

Dublin had many pirates calling themselves Capital or Capitol Radio. This recording from 1983 is from the early days of the final incarnation, the Capitol Radio which started the evening service Nitesky 96 in 1986 and ended up specialising in indie and alternative music.

In July 1983, the Anoraks UK Weekly Report announced that ABC Radio had left 1017 kHz, paving the way for Capitol to take over that frequency. DJ Martin Cullinane (aka Bob Conway) announces 1017 kHz (297 metres) and 96.1 FM and makes several references to Capitol being a new station. Capitol didn’t specialise in the hits, experimenting with ‘album music’ before moving into the indie realm, but the choice here is a little confused with three in a row from Wham mixed in with early U2 and other more alternative sounds. The recording was made from 1855-1940 on the 27th of August 1983 and although taken from FM, sound quality is poor in places.

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