Posted on

The sound of Dublin pirate radio in June 1986

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The sound of Dublin pirate radio in June 1986

The Dublin pirate scene was alive and well in the summer of 1986. Radio Nova had closed suddenly in March, to be replaced by Energy 103. Other super-pirates Sunshine Radio and Q102 took advantage of the change to consolidate their positions in the crowded market. Smaller stations continued to chug along serving their own niche audiences or communities while pirates from nearby counties could be heard easily in the capital, particularly on AM.

This airchecked recording captures some of the variety to be heard in Dublin that summer and includes excerpts from KISS FM (Dublin 1), Capitol Radio, Radio Dublin, Q102, Sunshine 101, Energy 103, Bray Local Broadcasting (BLB), Community Radio Fingal (CRF) and Boyneside Radio. It was made on 19th June 1986 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

Posted on

Breakfast show traffic reports on Q102

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Breakfast show traffic reports on Q102
Eye in the Sky flyer from Q102 in 1986 (courtesy DX Archive).

One of the stand-out features of Dublin super-pirate Q102 was its live traffic reports every morning from a helicopter flying over the city. The Eye in the Sky service was presented by general manager Mike Hogan from the skies above Dublin and quickly became the go-to place for up-to-date traffic information. In this excerpt from the breakfast show in spring 1986, DJ Greg Gaughren chats to Mike Hogan who is grounded due to helicopter maintenance but nonetheless phones in traffic reports from his car. Greg is joined in studio by another familiar voice, Martin Block. News at 2 minutes to the hour is read by Bryan Jennings and Scott Williams then takes over in the mid-morning slot. All presenters went on to have careers in licensed independent radio or RTÉ.

This recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 103.5 FM on 27th March 1986 between 0817-0905. The tape was made during an interesting period in the Dublin radio scene, as the city’s biggest station Radio Nova had closed down just over a week previously. Another month would pass before Nova’s successful successor station, Energy 103, hit the airwaves.

Posted on

Breakfast music and news on Q102

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Breakfast music and news on Q102
DJ’s booth in Q102 in 1985 (courtesy DX Archive).

By the summer of 1985, the new kid on the block, Q102, was well established as a serious player in the cut-throat Dublin radio market. Made after about six months on air, this recording underlines the station’s professionalism and high-quality sound with breakfast DJ, Scott Williams, presenting a mixture of music, news and information. There are promos for a listeners’ quiz sponsored by Irish music retailer Dolphin Discs and for cash giveaways on the streets of Dublin. Adverts for larger businesses and brands reflect Q102’s commercial success. News is read by Anne Cassin. Both presenters went on to careers in licensed radio or RTÉ.

Breakfast music and news on Q102
Original cassette inlay from Anoraks Ireland Collection.

The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 102 FM from 0727-0812 on 6th August 1985.

Posted on

Gareth O’Callaghan on Q102

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Gareth O'Callaghan on Q102
Q102 logo from 1987 (Alan MacSimoin Collection).

Gareth O’Callaghan broadcast on various 1980s pirates stations including Radio Nova, Energy 103 and Q102. In this recording, he is heard presenting the afternoon show on Q102 in the autumn of 1987. There’s the usual upbeat mixture of music, chat, comedy, a newspaper review and traffic news along with adverts for local businesses and larger companies or brands. The ’10 in a row’ feature consists of 10 songs without adverts from 1700-1730. News at half-past the hour is read by Anne Cassin, who would go on to work for RTÉ. Gareth O’Callaghan continues to broadcast today on Classic Hits Radio.

Gareth O'Callaghan on Q102
Original inset from Anoraks Ireland Collection.

Audio quality on this tape is fair as there is distortion throughout, most likely due to an issue with the recording device as Q102 had a highly professional signal. The recording was made from 101.9 FM from 1620-1752 on Thursday 1st October 1987 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.

Posted on

October bank holiday 1985 on Q102

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

October bank holiday 1985 on Q102
Q102 logo as seen in studios in 1985 (Anoraks Ireland Collection).

This recording of Dublin super-pirate Q102 was made on bank holiday Monday 1985, eight months after the station had entered the capital’s competitive radio market. It includes a syndicated show by the US ABC Radio Network, featuring the band Huey Lewis and the News who were enjoying chart success at the time.

October bank holiday 1985 on Q102
Original cassette inlay from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

There’s the usual mix of commercials for medium-sized and large businesses in the city. News on the hour is read by Martin O’Neill, aka Niall Martin, who would go on to have a career as an RTÉ journalist. The syndicated show is followed at midday by John Kenny, who would become an RTÉ sports journalist.

Part 1 above runs from 1054-1139 and Part 2 below from 1142-1227.

Part 2 from 1142

The tape was made on 28th October 1985 from 102 FM and is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.