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More highlights of Dublin radio in 1979

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More highlights of Dublin radio in 1979
Leon Tipler by the Radio 270 pirate ship in 1966/67 (courtesy Steve England)

In this post, we bring you more highlights of Dublin radio in 1979 as recorded by English anorak Leon Tipler (RIP) during one of his regular visits to Ireland. This recording begins with Tony Allan (RIP) on his afternoon show on ARD, including news and requests. Later in the tape, Tony conducts an interview with the Friends of Medieval Dublin about the controversial development of the Wood Quay site in Dublin for new civic offices. Simon Young (RIP) is interviewed by another DJ on Big D, and talks about the various gigs that he did around town. There are also snippets of Radio Dublin and Capitol Radio. Parts of these recordings were used in Leon’s acclaimed documentary series The Irish Pirates.

The tape was made on 29th August 1979 from various AM frequencies. We thank Steve England for his donation of the Leon Tipler Collection to Pirate.ie.

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Tony Allan on ARD in 1979

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Tony Allan on ARD in 1979
Tony Allan in the ARD studio in 1979 (courtesy DX Archive).

Continuing our series on recordings made by English radio anorak Leon Tipler in Dublin, today’s tape features the sounds of an August afternoon in 1979 after he returned to Ireland for another visit. Tipler put his microphone up against a radio in his hotel room and recorded snippets of the city’s leading pirate, Alternative Radio Dublin (ARD) and a commentary on his impressions of the city at the time. This extracts were later used in his acclaimed documentary series The Irish Pirates that can be heard on this website.

The recording features the voice of the legendary Tony Allan (RIP) presenting the afternoon show on ARD and reading news headlines on 28th August 1979. Tipler was staying in the Ormond Hotel overlooking the River Liffey and gulls and passing traffic can be heard in the background. Audio quality is variable due to degradation of the cassette. We thank Steve England for donating Leon Tipler’s collection to us.

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Peter Madison in the afternoon on Big D

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Peter Madison in the afternoon on Big D
Peter Madison (right) with John Kenny at South Coast Radio in Cork in 1982 (courtesy Lillian O’Donoghue)

English DJ Peter Madison (RIP) was a familiar voice on Irish pirates big and small in the 1980s, ranging from Big D and Boyneside Radio to Sunshine Radio and Radio Nova. In this recording of Big D from summer 1981, Aidan Cooney signs off at the end of his lunchtime show before handing over to Peter, who is presenting his final show using the name Skip Cameron although he says that ‘Peter Madison’ is to take over the slot on Monday. There are listeners’ favourites, plenty of requests and the ‘mystery voice’ competition, featuring none other than Chris Cary, who had launched Radio Nova about a month previously.

Peter Madison in the afternoon on Big D
Big D sticker (courtesy Bill Ebrill)

Peter chats in studio to his producer John Kenny (now with RTÉ Sport), Jason Maine and Tony Allan (RIP) who jokes that many DJs are moving to Portmarnock, referring to the success of Sunshine Radio that was launched the previous autumn. Advertisements include a live-read for Jett’s Nightclub near Dublin Airport, from where Big D broadcast live on Saturday nights.

Big D (1978-1982) broadcast on 1116 kHz AM (announcing 273 metres) and on 98.5 FM at this time. The airchecked recording was made on Friday 26th June 1981 from AM and is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection.

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Jessie Brandon and Tony Allan on Radio Nova

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Jessie Brandon and Tony Allan on Radio Nova
Jessie Brandon on offshore pirate Laser 558 in 1984 (courtesy offshoreradio.co.uk / Offshore Echoes magazine).

This recording of Dublin super-pirate Radio Nova from 1985 features two of the station’s best presenters during its six years on air. The DJ is the legendary Jessie Brandon, who moved from the US to offshore pirate Laser 558 in 1984, before coming to Radio Nova. Jessie was one of the few female DJs on commercial stations in Ireland at the time. Joining her on news duties is the equally renowned Tony Allan (RIP), whose voice is also heard on several adverts and promos. The chemistry is electric in studio, with both presenters clearly revelling in each other’s company.

Jessie Brandon and Tony Allan on Radio Nova
Original cassette inlay from Anoraks Ireland Collection.

The recording is from the Anoraks Ireland Collection and was made from 102.7 FM between 1730-1815 on Wednesday 16th October 1985. Radio Nova also broadcast on high power on 738 kHz AM during this time.

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Tony Allan interviewed at Sunshine Radio

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Tony Allan interviewed at Sunshine Radio
Early Sunshine Radio crew from 1980 with Tony Allan in the centre at the top (courtesy Pat Herbert).

Tony Allan (RIP) was one of the most iconic voices of Irish pirate radio in the 1970s and 1980s. He presented on many larger stations and was heard doing voiceovers on countless other pirates throughout the country. In this recording, he is interviewed by Kieran Murray of the Free Radio Campaign Ireland outside the Sands Hotel in Portmarnock in north Co. Dublin, where Sunshine Radio was located. The station had started broadcasting less than two months previously on 29th September 1980, its launch delayed by the sabotaging of its aerial, allegedly by a rival Dublin pirate. Tony refuses to speculate about the incident and instead emphasises the professionalism of Sunshine in contrast to existing Dublin stations. He also talks about his background in the offshore station Radio Caroline.

The interview was conducted on 16th November 1980 and is from the Anoraks Ireland Tapes Collection, donated to us by Paul Davidson.