BLB Sounds From The Past

Joe Loughman is a man whose name is woven into the very fabric of civic and sporting life in the town of Bray, County Wicklow in Ireland. Anyone who was ever involved in community groups in Bray, would have likely come across Joe’s legacy. He was a man of boundless energy and a true pillar of the community, dedicating his life to making the town a better place to live.  To sports fans, he is perha...

Lady Valerie Goulding was born into English high society. Her father was Lord Monckton, who was a key legal advisor to King Edward VIII during the 1936 Abdication Crisis, and played a pivotal role in negotiating the constitutional terms of the King's resignation. In 1951, alongside Kathleen O'Rourke, Lady Valerie co-founded the Central Remedial Clinic in Dublin. She built the CRC into th...

Back in the mid-1970s, the traffic layout on Bray Seafront was very different from how it is today. To handle the summer tourist rush, the then Bray Urban District Council ran a seasonal system. In the winter, Strand Road was a standard two-way street, but from May to September, it switched to a one-way system. This reliance on drivers noticing temporary signs ultimately led to a tragedy on Bank H...

From Saturday 13th Oct 1990 and the studios of Horizon Radio, Bray, County Wicklow in Ireland. In the studio chairs either side of host Mark Quinn are two men who, in their own unique ways, became guardians of Ireland’s natural world. John Wilson and Éamon de Buitléar. John the trusted Bray vet from the Dublin Road. The man who co-founded Brayvet and to some degree, changed the face of animal care...

BLB - Bray Local Broadcasting ceased broadcasting for good at the end of December 1988, bringing to a close more than nine years of service to the local community. Launched in 1979, the station became a beloved fixture in the area, known for its mix of music, local news, interviews, and community-focused programming. As one of the early pioneers of local radio, BLB built strong connections with it...

Despite a nearly ten year on-air and behind the scenes campaign in the 1980's to establish community radio in Bray, County Wicklow and the securing of a legal licence in 1989 by the North Wicklow Community Radio Co-op, we do not have a station such as BLB transmitting community radio in County Wicklow today.  In this episode Mark Quinn speaks with John Murphy, Lawrie Hallett and at length wit...

There were tears in the studio at the end of December 1988 when the faders were finally closed on the BLB mixing desk and the transmitter was silenced for good. In this final episode of the series, Mark Quinn muses over the lasting legacy of the radio station. In its nearly ten year life, what did it achieve, what was its legacy and what lasting impression did it make on those who were involved? C...

In this episode Mark Quinn explores when BLB's listeners needed the local community radio station most, it answered the call. At a time when there was no internet or mobile phone services, BLB became the communication channel as Bray suffered two severe weather events in the 1980's. The worst was Hurricane Charley in August 1986 when the River Dargle overflowed, flooding some houses up t...

In episode four of this personal journey through the development of Bray Local Broadcasting, Mark Quinn looks at how, despite the station operating outside the law, local politicians were eager to make appearances on air. The episode also transports us back in time through a collection of radio commercials created for local businesses—many of which have since vanished—providing a rich, nostalgic w...

In the third episode of this series Mark Quinn continues his journey through the history of Bray Local Broadcasting. As the 1980’s progressed BLB experienced significant growth and development, establishing itself as a potent presence in North Wicklow and South County Dublin. The station's programming expanded dramatically, offering a diverse range of shows that catered to various interests a...

In this second episode we learn how a determined group of young people managed to get their radio station on the air. Before launching, they carefully considered a unique approach to broadcasting. They were determined not to follow in the footsteps of other pirate stations operating at the time. Bray Local Broadcasting was set to stand out, and it very much did when it launched at 11 am on Wednesd...

In this first episode Mark Quinn takes us back to the late 1970’s to explore the origins of pirate radio in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. He reveals how Southside Radio, and later BLB, provided exciting and fresh experiences for both the deejays and listeners in Bray. Through this journey, we get a glimpse of life during that time and learn how the story of BLB began. Credits:  Sound recording by...