Back L-R: Robbie Robinson and Stevie Dunne and below Tom Hardy in the early days (courtesy Pat Herbert).
The Dublin pirate Sunshine Radio marked its first summer on air in 1981. In this recording from a sunny Saturday afternoon that year, first up is Tom Hardy (RIP) with the Sunshine Survey chart countdown. He is followed by Jim Kenny with the Golden Oldies Session. Radio Nova had just gone on the air, beginning a period of great rivalry between the two big stations. Sunshine would survive until the end, not closing until 30th December 1988.
The tape was made from 531 kHz AM, announcing 539 metres, from 1443-1529 on Saturday 11th July. It is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.
Operation Novacare was one of various charity events organised by large Dublin pirate Radio Nova over its five years on air. Novacare 1983 consisted of an on-air auction of items donated by sponsors in aid of disability organisation the Irish Rehabilitation Institute (now Rehab). The aim was to buy a new minibus for the Institute. This recording features several Nova DJs and presenters such as Tony Garreth (Gareth O’Callaghan), Tom Hardy (RIP), Scott Williams, Bob Gallico (RIP), Greg Gaughren, Declan Meehan, Sybil Fennell, Colm Hayes and station owner Chris Cary (RIP). News is read by Bryan Dobson, who went on to a long career as a journalist with RTÉ.
More of the Novacare flyer (Anoraks Ireland Collection)
The recording was made from 88.2 FM between 1404-1537 on Saturday 14th May 1983. Four days later, Nova was raided by Gardaí and officials from the Department of Posts and Telegraphs. The tape is from the Leon Tipler Collection, donated to us by Steve England.
Tom Hardy (RIP) at KISS FM in 1988 (courtesy DX Archive).
Despite being on air for only 9 months in 1988, KISS FM from Monaghan Town was one of the more successful and ambitious stations during the peak period of pirate radio in Ireland in the 1980s. Tests began at the end of 1987 but the start date was delayed by technical problems in spring 1988 and full tests did not begin until the end of March with a full schedule commencing on 1st April. High powered transmitters gave unparalleled coverage of Northern Ireland and FM reception was reliable even in parts of northern England and Scotland.
This recording of the early period of KISS FM features the experienced English DJ Tom Hardy (RIP), who had worked previously in offshore pirates and larger Dublin stations such as Sunshine Radio and Radio Nova. Adverts are heard for businesses in Armagh and Belfast but are not particularly plentiful, perhaps reflecting the fact that the station was little more than a month on air. There is the usual slick imaging with top-class jingles, idents and liners, news is read by Con McConville and Tom presents the regular Job Spot section. The KISS FM Ulster sailboard championships coming up that weekend in Antrim is an example of one of the many marketing events than the station excelled in during its short existence. The KISS FM closedown on 30th December 1988, also presented by Tom Hardy, was emotional and dramatic and underlined the station’s popularity on both sides of the border.
The tape was made on 9th May 1988 from 1008 kHz AM between 1000-1045 and 1138-1233. It was recorded in Ayrshire in western Scotland and is courtesy of Ian Biggar.
This is a flavour of some of the final day of the Monaghan pirate station KISS FM that rocked the radio world along the border and in Northern Ireland during its short nine months on air in 1988. Other Irish pirates had tried and failed to break the Belfast market and in November 1987, engineer Miles Johnston decided to set up a high powered FM station right on the border with proper coverage of the North. KISS FM came on the air on AM and FM in March 1988 and quickly made a mark, much to the consternation of the local ILR station, Downtown Radio, in Belfast. Its FM signal was so powerful that it could be heard in stereo in Scotland and Downtown attempted to have the Monaghan station jammed and raided.
KISS FM letterhead (courtesy Gerry Reilly).
The recording above is of the final 45 minutes of KISS FM on December 30th 1988 from 1720-1805. Tom Hardy (RIP), who worked previously on Radio Caroline, Sunshine Radio and Radio Nova, is in the DJ’s chair and is joined by Miles Johnston, Susan Charles and Denis Murray. In an echo of the famous Radio Nova closedown in 1983, Tom asks motorists to blow their horns at 6pm and they duly oblige.
The recording below is of part of the final shows of Owen Barry (Larkin) and Dennis Murray from 1132. There is an edit at the end of the recording.
Both recordings were made from 103.7 FM and are courtesy of John Breslin.
Tom Hardy on the day of the Radio Nova raid, 18th May 1983 (courtesy Joe King).
This is another recording of Radio Nova as heard in Cumbria on 828 kHz AM from 0915-0945 on 30th June 1983. Tom Hardy is on air and features include the Nova Jobspot advertising current employment vacancies around town. The late Bob Gallico reads news headlines at half past the hour. There are plenty of agency ads and promos for the Radio Nova Puma 10K race and for a Nova news hotline which has just been launched. Reception is fair but Nova was operating on reduced power at this time following the raid the previous month.
This recording is from the Leon Tipler Tapes Collection, donated to us by Steve England.
