Irish Pirate Radio Audio Archive

Radio Caroline Dublin was one of the longest-running pirates in the post-1989 period, broadcasting from Dublin’s northeastern suburb of Sutton. It was operated by Brian Greene, one of the founders of Pirate.ie, so it has a special place in our hearts. Caroline broadcast occasionally from 1989 to 1992, mostly on bank holidays, but then introduced … Continue reading "Sunday on Radio Caro...

Southside Radio broadcast from north Wicklow and later from Dún Laoghaire in south Dublin between 1978 and 1982. First up in this recording is the end of Phil’s mid-morning show with requests and dedications. She is followed by Paul Nicholas (Andy Ruane, who later worked on Sunshine Radio and RTÉ), who is standing in for … Continue reading "Afternoon shows on Southside Radio" The post Aftern...

Here we share recordings of vintage Radio Dublin from the days when full-time broadcasting was still a dream. These extracts are from the station’s 36-hour marathon over Saturday and Sunday 17th and 18th September 1977 with DJs John Paul, Alistair Mac, Jimmy St. Leger, Sarge, Sylvie, Kieran Murray and Johnny Day. Transmission quality left a … Continue reading "Radio Dublin broadcasts n...

This recording features programming from Magic 103, the short-lived easy-listening and talk-based experiment launched by Radio Nova in April 1985. Up first is Chris Barry and George Long (Henry O’Donovan, RIP) with the end of the breakfast show, who is followed by Bob Gallico (RIP) and Peter Madison (RIP) with Morning Magic. There is a … Continue reading "Morning Magic on Magic 103" The post...

Misty Mountain Radio was a country and Irish pirate broadcasting from the Cavan border region in the 2000s. This recording of an evening show from autumn 2003 features the usual diet of requests from listeners throughout the county, one of whose donkeys have gone missing! The unidentified DJ finishes his show at 2130 and is … Continue reading "Border series: Country and Irish on Misty Mounta...

Sound Channel broadcast from Limerick City from 1986-1988, adding the tagline Power 98 in its final six months on air. This recording was made a short time before the station closed down for good at the end of 1988 and includes part of a late-night programme presented by Tom O’Donnell, a stalwart of the Limerick … Continue reading "Sound Channel reminisces about 10 years of pirate radio in L...

This is another recording of the Derry/Donegal station Drive 105 from 2000. The station had studios in Derry City but broadcast from just across the border in Donegal, beaming its signal back into the North. The recording features Pierse McCallion in a lunchtime slot, playing mostly oldies. There are adverts from Derry and Donegal but … Continue reading "Border series: Sunday afternoon on Dr...

Drive 105 began transmissions to Derry and surrounding area on 105.3 MHz in 1999. Originally the station was located in a property just over the border in Muff, County Donegal, near the Rock Bar. The station broadcast a mainly pop music format and featured some staff who had worked on other pirates like Radio North … Continue reading "Border series: Drive 105 from Donegal/Derry" The post Bor...

An early pioneer in news for radio anoraks was the weekly Free Radio Campaign (FRC) show on Southside Radio from Dún Laoghaire in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Presented by Marc Boland, it was often relayed on shortwave pirate Westside Radio International. This short recording of the end of one edition of the FRC … Continue reading "Southside Radio FRC show from March 1981" The post Souths...

This recording of the Free Radio Campaign (FRC) show on Radio Dublin Channel 2 dates from summer 1983. It is presented by Tony Healy, who is filling in for Gerard Roe and making his first appearance on the station. The FRC features a Christmas recording from Radio Snowflake on 99.9 FM from December 1982, operating … Continue reading "Free radio show on Radio Dublin Channel 2 (6th July 1983)"...