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Full recording: Radio Carrick (Tipperary)

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Full recording: Radio Carrick (Tipperary)
House where Radio Carrick was based, 1981, courtesy of Ian Biggar.

Radio Carrick in Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary was heard by DX Archive on a trip to Ireland in August 1981. It was located in a bungalow in the town and broadcast on 1512 kHz during daytime only from 8am to 6pm. Power was low as the signal was poor even in nearby Waterford but it was very professional for such a small set-up. The following year Radio Carrick merged with CBC in Clonmel about 20 km west and the rig continued to relay CBC to Carrick until the end of 1988. This recording featuring Nick Hull is from the 19th August 1981 from 0805-0845.

This recording is courtesy of Ian Biggar.

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Evening shows on Centre Radio (Clonmel)

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Evening shows on Centre Radio (Clonmel)
Centre Radio was first located over the red building which was then a barber’s shop at 14 Abbey Street, Clonmel. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Ryan.

Centre Radio was an offshoot of CBC Radio which started broadcasting from Clonmel in Co. Tipperary in November 1981. CBC had a strong community ethos but station boss Paul Byrne wanted a more youth-oriented station and so set up Centre Radio in April 1986. The station lasted until 1987 before being renamed as Premier County Radio.

This recording is from 7.46pm on the 18th of July 1986 and was recorded from 88 FM. Centre also broadcast on 1251 kHz AM. The presenter is Eoin Ryan, who would later become producer of RTÉ’s Nationwide series. Paul Byrne’s voice is heard on the news intro and on some of the adverts. He retired in 2020 as CEO of Radio Kerry. You can listen to a documentary about CBC here.

We thank Jonathan Ryan for his assistance with background information. This recording is from the Skywave Tapes Collection. Skywave Radio International broadcast a shortwave station in the 1980s from Baldoyle in northeast Dublin.

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‘Pirate in the West Gate’: the story of CBC Radio in Tipperary

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'Pirate in the West Gate': the story of CBC Radio in Tipperary
CBC poster (courtesy of Jonathan Ryan).

CBC Radio started broadcasting in the West Gate, Clonmel in November 1981 and continued until the enforced close down of all pirate stations on New Year’s Eve 1988.

Over 100 volunteers, along with a handful of part-time and full-time staff, contributed on the air, and the station was hugely popular among young and old in Clonmel, Carrick-on-Suir and surrounding towns. 

Over the past three years, former staff member Jonathan Ryan has been researching the station’s history and listening to many audio tapes recorded during that time, along with interviewing former staff members to bring to life this audio history of life in the West Gate.

With thanks to Jonathan Ryan for an advanced copy of the audio and for a amazing work of journalism in making this radio documentary. First broadcast on South Tipperary General Hospital Radio, December 27th 2018.