Shortwave Archives - Page 4 of 6 - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

31st August 20207th August 2021

Full recording: Westside Radio International

Westside Radio International was one of the longest-running shortwave stations from Dublin in the pirate era. Westside was originally operated by Dr. Don (Don Moore) in 1975 and 1976 at a time when he and Prince Terry (Roger Lloyd) were also involved with Radio Dublin on medium wave. Westside returned to the air on 25^th September 1977 on 6210 kHz, this time operated by Prince Terry. It moved to 6280 kHz where it was a permanent feature on Sunday mornings until the end of 1988 when the new radio legislation came into force.

Our recording was made on Sunday 21^st July 1985 from 1140-1225 and features part of Prince Terry’s FRC programme with his trademark rock music and news about the free radio scene. The programme gives a great sense of pirate radio on both sides of the Irish Sea at the time, delivered through the unique audio experience of shortwave. A panel discussion involving both Prince Terry and Dr. Don can be heard here.

For more information about the shortwave pirates see the DX Archive and Pirate Memories websites. This recording is from the Skywave Tapes Collection. Skywave Radio International broadcast a shortwave station in the 1980s from Baldoyle in northeast Dublin.

28th August 20207th March 2023

Full recording: Skull and Bones Radio System

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The Skull and Bones Radio System was the original of the species. Named after the pirate radio symbol of the skull and crossbones, it broadcast originally in 1977 and 1978 on 6220 kHz and then left the air for over 6 years. Skull and Bones returned on Sunday 4^th August 1985 on a test transmission on 6210 kHz and resumed regular broadcasts the following week. This recording is from the first regular broadcast on Sunday 11^th August 1985 and features station founder Gary St. John on air from 1025-1110. Gary welcomes listeners back and announces that Skull and Bones will link up on air with other shortwave pirates Radio Valleri International and Radio Ireland International later that day.

There’s a strong sense of the camaraderie between the hobby shortwave pirates of the time and a good overview of the other stations on shortwave that morning. Gary also reads a letter from Radio Skywave International which had begun broadcasting a few weeks previously. The address given for reception reports is 310 Collins Avenue West, Dublin 9 which was of course the same address for Anoraks Ireland.

26th August 20207th August 2021

Full recording: Shamrock Radio International

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Continuing with our mini-series of pirate shortwave stations of the 1980s, today is the turn of Shamrock Radio International from the southside of Dublin. Shamrock was a sporadic operator, most active on Sunday mornings in 1985. Anoraks UK first logged the station on 6293 kHz (later 6245 kHz) on 7^th October 1984 but there was no mention of the station again until the summer of 1985. It was logged most weeks from June to September 1985 on 6295 kHz and again on 2^nd March 1986 on 6300 kHz but there is no sign of it after that.

This recording was made from 6295 kHz from 0900-0945 on 18^th August 1985. The unidentified presenter plays music and says that Shamrock are on a test transmission. He asks for reception reports to be sent to 136 Sandyford Road, Dublin 16.

24th August 20207th August 2021

Full recording: Radio Skywave International

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We are processing hundreds of hours of recordings made by Radio Skywave International on an ongoing basis, and the Skywave Tapes Collection is one of the largest donations made to Pirate.ie.

Today we feature Radio Skywave International itself, as part of a mini-series this week on shortwave pirates of the 1980s. Like the many Irish shortwave pirates, Skywave was a part-time operation, usually on air on Sunday mornings. the first broadcast on was 28^th July 1985 on 6260 kHz and they were first logged by Anoraks UK on August 11^th. The address was 58 Seagrange Road, Baldoyle, Dublin 13 and later and later PO Box 1686, Dublin 1.

Skywave broadcast almost every Sunday for the rest on 1985 on 6260 kHz and into 1986. There were occasional forays onto other shortwave frequencies. On 12^th October 1986 the station was noticed relaying the religious programme Good News Radio on 6261 kHz which appeared to become part of their regular Sunday schedule from then on. Skywave seemed to take a break for a few weeks around April 1987 and was not logged until 17^th May 1987 when noted on a new frequency of 6850 kHz.

An Anoraks UK report of 31^st May 1987 included a letter from station operator Michael Caine (Hegarty) stating that shortwave was being suspended in order to concentrate on an FM station called Downtown Radio. It had a 50-watt transmitter operating on 88 MHz and aimed to be a community station serving Dublin’s north inner city. There was another operation called the Irish Radio Relay Service that carried mostly an English pirate called Falcon Radio (which also used the PO Box in Dublin). This mainly used 6850 kHz, but Skywave appeared there on 23^rd August 1987 and became regular towards the end of the year. The station continued into 1988 but was not logged every week. The final logging was on 6850 kHz on 12^th June 1988. We thank Ian Biggar from compiling this station history.

This recording is from 6260 kHz from 1045-1200 on 2^nd November 1986 and features Dominic Dillon on air, who beings his programme with the Radio Dublin theme song. For more information about the shortwave pirates see the DX Archive and Pirate Memories websites.

15th August 20207th August 2021

Interview: Kieran Murray (Part 2)

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In this second part of the interview, Kieran Murray tells Brian Greene about his move from Radio Carousel to its biggest rival, Boyneside Radio, in 1983. Like Carousel, Boyneside had become a regional network and Kieran took over management of its satellite station in Kells, Co. Meath, which had its own opt-out programming.

Kieran also describes his involvement with Radio Rainbow International, a hobby station set up by Boyneside co-owner Eddie Caffrey. Rainbow could be heard far and wide due to its powerful shortwave signal and Kieran presented a weekly FRC programme which attracted correspondence from across Europe. Part 2 ends with Kieran’s memories of returning to Dublin to work for Liberty 104 at the end of the pirate era in 1987-88.

There’s an interview with Eddie Caffrey about Radio Rainbow International here. We’ll bring you recordings of Rainbow at a later stage in our series about the pirates of the northeast.