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Final Bee Bop Gold of 1987

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Final Bee Bop Gold of 1987
1988 advert for Bee Bop Gold in the Sunday World (Anoraks Ireland Collection).

Bee Bop Gold was a hugely popular oldies show on Dublin pirate Sunshine 101 hosted by Nails Mahoney in the final part of the station’s 8-year period on air. This edition is the final such show of 1987 and features the customary mixture of oldies and short links. Sunshine was Dublin’s most popular pirate station by this time following a rebranding the previous year, but the new super-slick presentation style was formatted to within an inch of its life. This recording includes a promo for a £20,000 giveaway to a listener who could repeat the phrase ‘I listen to the red-hot sound of Sunshine 101’.

The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 100.5 FM between 0943-1029 on Sunday 27th December 1987 from 0943-1029.

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New Year’s Eve on Sunshine Radio

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New Year's Eve on Sunshine Radio
Early Sunshine sticker (courtesy Ian Biggar).

Sunshine Radio celebrated its first Christmas and New Year on air in 1980, having begun broadcasting on 13th September that year, with an official launch on 29th September. By using high-powered transmitters, professional staff and a commercial model, Sunshine would change the direction of Irish radio in the coming years.

This recording is of Sunshine’s first New Year’s Eve and features Manon Christie, daughter of Robbie Robinson (Robbie Dale), one of Sunshine’s founders. Manon was a DJ in the station’s early period. The other founder was of course Chris Cary, who would leave Sunshine in January 1981 to set up Radio Nova. Manon goes through the headlines of the year and also live-reads some adverts. News at midday is read by Adrian Horsman.

The tape was made in Leeds from 531 kHz AM and suffers from foreign co-channel interference, exacerbated by the time of year. It was recorded between 1157-1333 on 31st December 1980 and is courtesy of DX Archive. Thanks to Ian Biggar for his assistance.

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Sunshine Radio on Christmas Day 1981

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Sunshine Radio on Christmas Day 1981
Group shot of the early Sunshine crew in 1980 (from Sunshine Review 1985).

This recording features snippets from Christmas Day 1981 on Dublin pirate Sunshine Radio, by then one of the city’s two leading stations alongside Radio Nova. The station was still on 91.6 FM at that stage, as well as its AM frequency on 531 kHz. DJs in this airchecked recording from throughout the day are Declan Meehan, Stevie Dunne, David Lyons and John Lewis. News on the hour is read by a hungry Siobhán Walls, who is dreaming of her Christmas dinner.

The recording was made by Kieran Murray from 91.6 FM on December 25th 1981 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. Audio quality is fair with some cassette wobble due to the passing of time.

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More Gareth O’Callaghan on Sunshine Radio

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More Gareth O'Callaghan on Sunshine Radio
Sunshine sticker from the mid-1980s (Anoraks Ireland Collection).

This is another recording of long-time Irish radio DJ Gareth O’Callaghan on Dublin pirate Sunshine Radio. Using the name Tony Garreth by which he was known on air in his early pirate career, Gareth presents a mid-morning show in 1984. News on the hour is read by Cathy Cregan.

The tape is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was recorded from 101.5 FM between 1036-1147 on Monday 27th February 1984.

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Gareth O’Callaghan on Sunshine Radio

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Gareth O'Callaghan on Sunshine Radio
Gareth O’Callaghan pictured at another Dublin pirate Radio Nova (courtesy Noel Hiney)

Sunshine Radio was one of Dublin’s leading pirate stations, broadcasting from 1980-1988. This recording is of mid-morning programmes from the spring of 1984, before the RTÉ jamming campaign against the pirates would extend to Sunshine. First up is the end of the breakfast show with David Lyons and Cathy Cregan, who are followed by Tony Garreth (Gareth O’Callaghan) with a 3-hour music show until midday. There is a holiday slot and other features, as well as the familiar high-level adverts for larger businesses and brands. News is read by Gary Miley and Cathy Cregan.

The recording was made from 101.5 FM between 0854-1034 on Thursday 1st March 1984 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection. Gareth O’Callaghan later moved to other Dublin pirates Radio Nova and Energy 103 and continues to broadcast on independent radio to this day.