Skywave Collection Archives - Page 17 of 21 - Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

3rd May 20207th August 2021

Full recording: WRKY Rocky 103

WRKY Rocky 103 broadcast from Co. Kerry under different guises and from different locations. It was launched in September 1984 in Killarney on 103.2 FM with a repeater to the south in Farranfore on 97.2 FM. WRKY emerged from Mike Richardson’s popular Big L Radio in Limerick which closed in April 1985. In 1986 WRKY was hit by scandal when £10,000 raised as part of the global Sport Aid initiative went missing along with one of its presenters. In September Phoenix magazine reported that staff at WRKY walked out after demanding a pay rise from station owner Donal O’Doherty, having been offered more money by another local businessman planning to set up a rival, unnamed station.

Horizon Radio was a spin-off of WRKY set up in June 1986 by Mike Richardson and Francis Jones. It began in Killorglin but later moved to a hotel near Tralee before closing in 1987. Richardson ran a station called Rocky 103 from Listowel in north Kerry in 1988. Thanks to Ian Biggar, Liam Byrne and Martin Ryan for additional information.

This recording from 103 FM from 1.03pm was made on Friday the 7th of June 1985. The presenter is unidentified but sports news is read by Vincent Casey and news is read by Mary O’Sullivan at 1.30pm. The format is a mixture of pop, Irish showband and country and there are community notices and ads for local traders. The recording is from the Skywave Tapes Collection. Skywave Radio International broadcast a shortwave station in the 1980s from Baldoyle in northeast Dublin. Further jingles can be heard below.

WRKY jingles courtesy of Liam Byrne.

2nd May 202010th December 2023

Pop and requests on Royal Dublin Community Radio

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The little-known Royal Dublin Community Radio was a small station broadcasting from the north inner-city of Dublin in 1983. It may have been linked to the second Dublin Community Radio which began broadcasting in 1984 and in turn became KISS FM based in Dublin’s Foley Street in 1985 and 1986. This recording was made from 105.5 FM on 15^th October 1983 from 1315-1400. The presenter is Brian Jackson and the format consists of pop and requests. There is a competition to win a 7-inch single and passes for Barbarella’s nightclub, a popular venue in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It is unclear why the adjective ‘royal’ was used in the station title, particularly given the political context of the time.

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

29th April 202015th June 2024

Northeast series: Lunchtime on Royal County Radio

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Royal County Radio was set up in Navan, Co. Meath on the 8^th of October 1982 and was a rival station to the popular Radio Carousel which broadcast from the town’s shopping centre. RCR was set up by ex-Carousel staff including the legendary Don Allen (RIP) who had worked on Radio Caroline North and Radio North Sea International. The station used the old Southside Radio transmitter from Dublin and moved around the medium wave band, starting on 254 metres (announcing 244 metres as in the flyer) then moving to 301 metres (999 kHz although they were slightly off-channel on 1000 kHz), before settling on 355 metres (846 kHz). An FM transmitter on 96.8 was added later. A report on an Irish tour by Anoraks UK in May 1984 describes RCR as going downhill as many presenters had left to join the new Cavan Community Radio, and the Navan station seems to have closed that summer.

This short recording is from 846 kHz and starts just before the midday news with Lynsey Shelbourne (Dolan). Don Allen’s voice can be heard on promos and presenting. We estimate the date as sometime in the spring of 1983, as Don left RCR to go to ERI in Cork in April. One of the best known voices on rural Irish pirate radio in the 1980s where he presented many country music shows, Don died suddenly in 1995. Thanks to Ian Biggar for his detective work which allowed us to piece together this information. This recording is from the Skywave Tapes Collection. Skywave Radio International broadcast a shortwave station in the 1980s from Baldoyle in northeast Dublin.

26th April 20207th August 2021

Full recording: Metro Radio (Dublin)

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Metro Radio was a short-lived station based in Dublin in 1983. There’s very little information available about it, but Anoraks UK reported that Metro began broadcasting on the 31st of May 1983 from Clontarf on the northside of Dublin and was seeking advertisers within a few weeks. It was on 1557 kHz (announced as 192 metres), the same frequency as another irregular pirate from this period, Diamond Radio. According to Anoraks UK there was no trace of Metro Radio by the end of 1983 and Diamond returned to 1557 in 1984. It is not known if the two stations were linked.

The recording begins at 6.50pm on the 19th of October 1983. The format is a mixture of pop and soul and the presenter from 7pm is Barry Nevin, aka Maurice Nevin (RIP) who worked in many other stations during the 1980s. This recording is from the Skywave Tapes Collection. Skywave Radio International broadcast a shortwave station in the 1980s from Baldoyle in northeast Dublin.

25th April 202011th December 2022

Crystal City Sound from Waterford

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Crystal City Sound was one of the 1980s pirates broadcasting from Waterford city. It came on air in October 1985, emerging from the ashes of Suirside Radio which had been on air since February 1979. Crystal City stayed on the same frequency as before, 1332 kHz. The station is listed on AM and FM in Anoraks Ireland reports from 1986 and 1987 but by April 1988 the name had changed to NCR. Crystal City saw itself as offering a broader range of programmes and more specialist music shows than the other major Waterford stations, WLR and ABC. Unusually for the commercial Irish pirates of the time the station was managed by two women, Gracie Sheehan and Sandra Penkert.

This recording was made from 97 FM on 6^th December 1985 from 7.07pm. The presenter is Joe Patricks who told us that he got touch in touch with Crystal City Sound after being invited to a wedding in Waterford. He then came to Ireland on the boat from Liverpool and did a few shows in Waterford before returning to the pirate station KFM in Stockport in Manchester. See here for an interview about the background to Suirside Radio.

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