Tony Allan interviewed at Sunshine Radio

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.