Mike Moran Archives - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

Overnight Nova as heard in Britain — The massive AM aerial at the Nova Park site in 1983 (courtesy DX Archive).

The boss of Dublin super-pirate Radio Nova, Chris Cary, made various attempts to reach the west coast of Britain through the use of high-powered AM transmitters. At various times in the station’s existence, weather reports referred to northwest England, southern Scotland and the Isle of Man and Nova opened an advertising office in Liverpool in 1984. Expansion plans were dealt a severe blow in May 1983 when the authorities raided Nova and when the station returned to full-time broadcasting a days weeks later, power was reduced significantly.

This recording was made from Nova’s AM frequency about a month before the raids and gives a flavour of how the station sounded in the English midlands outside the intended listening area on the west coast. It begins with Dennis Murray finishing his Saturday night show and the extended midnight news read by Ken Hammond, who would go on to become an RTÉ journalist. The overnight DJ is the late Roland Burke. The recording continues with a Sunday morning show presented by Mike Moran and news read by Bryan Dobson, who also went on to a career with RTÉ News.

The night-time recording contains lots of fading consistent with AM propagation in the hours of darkness and the daytime section is typical of groundwave reception. Made from 819 kHz, it begins at 2350 on Saturday 9^th and continues from 0937 on Sunday 10^th April 1983. The recording is from the Leon Tipler Tapes Collection, donated to us by Steve England.

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Sunday afternoon on Radio Leinster — Radio Leinster poster (courtesy of DX Archive).

The British radio enthusiast Leon Tipler visited Ireland regularly in the late 1970s and early 1980s to record the local pirate scene and interview those involved. Pirate.ie has received Tipler’s tapes collection courtesy of Steve England and is delighted to share these as they are digitised.

This is a recording of the easy listening station Radio Leinster on 93 FM from 1440-1607 on Sunday 12^th August 1982 made by Tipler during one of his visits to Dublin. The station also broadcast on 406 metres (738 kHz) and could be heard over a wide area. On air is Mike Moran with an eclectic mix followed by Jean Howard with her choice of easy listening favourites. It was rare enough to hear women’s voices on the pirates but Radio Leinster was an exception and other female presenters included Daphne Mitchell, Anna Craig (aka Chisnell), Shauna Cusack and Anne Kent. Ads are heard for various businesses including the Elvery’s chain of sports shops, Maxime’s Night Club and Lamb Doyle’s restaurant in Sandyford right next door to the station.