Radio Caroline transmitter from the mid-1990s (Pirate.ie Collection).
Old Gold Retold was a popular oldies show on Sunday mornings on Radio Caroline Dublin (102.5 FM) in the 1990s. The presenter was Derek Jones, a veteran of the Dublin pirate scene since the 1970s. The programme was sometimes relayed by one of the city’s pirate shortwave operators, bringing it to listeners in western Europe and occasionally further afield.
This edition of Old Gold Retold is from 0949-1120 on Sunday 4th October 1998 as rebroadcast by Ozone Radio on 6245 kHz in the 48-metre band shortwave. Thanks to Ian Biggar for the donation.
Derek Jones in the Caroline studio in the mid-1990s (Pirate.ie Collection).
Old Gold Retold was a long-running oldies show on Radio Caroline Dublin (1989-2000) presented by Derek Jones, one of the pioneers of pirate radio in the city. Featuring music from the 1950s-1970s, the show aired each Sunday morning on the Sutton-based station. This recording contains plenty of requests so clearly Old Gold Retold had built up a good following by that time.
The recording was made on from 102.5 FM on Sunday 2nd November 1997 between 0911-1031 and is courtesy of Ian Biggar. There is interference in places and some cassette wobble due to deterioration.
Radio Caroline poster from the early 1990s (Pirate.ie collection).
This is another recording of Sunday programming on Radio Caroline Dublin (1989-2000), one of the longest-running pirates of the period following the new broadcasting legislation. On air is Stephen Davitt (Daragh O’Sullivan) in an afternoon slot with a mixture of old and new music from the 1980s and early 1990s. Daragh broadcast previously on Centre Radio (1886-1988), a precursor to Radio Caroline Dublin.
Radio Caroline Dublin was running a full evening and weekend schedule by late 1992, having begun as an occasional station in 1989. Although based in Sutton in northeast Dublin, in this recording a contact address in Lower O’Connell Street is given. The recording was made from 102.5 FM on Sunday 17th January 1993 between 1640-1725 and is courtesy of Ian Biggar.
Radio Caroline card from the mid-1990s (Pirate.ie collection).
Radio Caroline Dublin was one of the longest-running pirates in the post-1989 period, broadcasting from Dublin’s northeastern suburb of Sutton. It was operated by Brian Greene, one of the founders of Pirate.ie, so it has a special place in our hearts. Caroline broadcast occasionally from 1989 to 1992, mostly on bank holidays, but then introduced a full schedule every evening and all day at weekends. It applied unsuccessfully for a community licence in 1996 and continued broadcasting as a pirate until 2000.
This recording was made early in Caroline’s full-time period and includes a promo voiced by Bobby Gibbson (Brian Greene), outlining the station’s non-commercial philosophy. At the time, 16 volunteers presented a variety of talk and music programmes, illustrating some of the diversity in Irish pirate radio of the 1990s. On air is Brian Wilson with a 1970s and 1980s music show. The recording is courtesy of Ian Biggar and was made from 102.5 FM between 1755-1840 on Sunday 20th September 1992.
Radio Caroline flyer from 1992 (courtesy Brian Greene)
Radio Caroline Dublin was one of the longest-running pirates in the capital in the post-1989 period, when new legisation was supposed to silence the unlicensed operators. Based in Sutton in northeast Dublin, it broadcast on a part-time basis from 1989-1992 and then introduced a full schedule, operating every evening and all day at weekends. Reception was local at the start but eventually a transmitter site in the Dublin mountains gave good coverage of the city. The station did not take advertising but instead generated income from DJ subscriptions and occasional fundraisers. Radio Caroline Dublin was involved in an unsuccessful application for a community radio licence in 1996 and continued broadcasting until 2000.
In its first two years, Radio Caroline broadcast only on bank holiday Mondays, so about six times a year. The same people were also behind other occasional stations in the Dublin 13 area such as Suburban Radio and ARD. This recording is of Radio Caroline on the October bank holiday Monday 1990 and features one of the station founders Bobby Gibbson (aka Brian Greene of Pirate.ie). He comments on the forthcoming Irish presidential election, reminisces on the 1990 World Cup and laments the state of broadcasting in Ireland. The broadcast ends with the original ‘love and good music’ jingle of the offshore Radio Caroline and then the TX is switched off.
The recording is from the Pirate.ie collection and was made from 94 FM from 2203-2303 on 29th October 1990.
