Editing Pirate radio in Ireland

{{short description|Unlicensed radio stations in Ireland}}
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'''Pirate radio in Ireland''' has had a long history, with hundreds of [[pirate radio station]]s having operated within the country.

Due to past lax enforcement of the rules, the lack of commercial radio until 1989, and the small physical size of the country, [[pirate radio]] stations proliferated for a number of years.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} A small number of stations also attempted [[Pirate_television|television]] broadcasts although most of these ventures were short-lived.

==History==
{{unreferenced section|date=November 2020}}

===20th century===
Pirate radio in Ireland has its origins in the early and mid-20th century. In 1940, for example, Mayo man [[Jack_McNeela|Jack Sean McNeela]] died on hunger strike in Arbour Hill Military Detention Barracks after 55 days protesting his arrest for operating a pro [[Irish Republican Army|IRA]] clandestine radio station.

In the early 1970's [[Irish language]] activists in [[county Galway]] established [[Saor Raidió Chonamara]] to protest the lack of an official fulltime broadcasting service in Irish. <ref>{{Cite book|last=Ó Glaisne|first=Risteard|title=Raidio na Gaeltachta|publisher=Clódóirí Lurgan|year=1982}}</ref> The authorities responded by [[RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta|establishing such a service]].

While the number of recorded pirate radio stations during the 1980's was in the hundreds, only a few have been notable enough to be remembered.{{original research inline|date=November 2020}} Pirate radio reached its height of popularity in Ireland in that decade after Sunshine Radio and [[Radio_Nova_(Ireland)|Radio Nova]] were launched in Dublin. <ref>{{cite web |url = http://radiowaves.fm/ire/database/radio-nova-88/ |url-status=usurped |title= The Radio Nova Story |website=radiowaves.fm |year=2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526102525/http://radiowaves.fm/ire/database/radio-nova-88/ |archive-date=26 May 2021 }}</ref> They were soon joined by others.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

It was commercial music radio at a time when state broadcaster [[RTÉ]] struggled to capture the youth market. This was followed by the arrival in 1982 of South Coast Radio, ABC Tramore and Radio ERI in Cork.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url = https://radiowaves.fm/ire/database/from-corks-eastside-to-the-sound-of-the-south-1982/|url-status=usurped |title=From Cork's Eastside to the Sound of the South|website=radiowaves.fm |year=2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220831120602/https://radiowaves.fm/ire/database/from-corks-eastside-to-the-sound-of-the-south-1982/ |archive-date=31 August 2022 }}</ref> These were pirate radio stations run for the first time on a commercial basis with the critical support of Ireland's advertising industry. {{fact|date=June 2024}}

Professional market research conducted in the 1980s by market research companies such as Lansdowne Research, Irish Marketing Surveys and Behaviours and Attitudes showed that these radio stations consistently led RTE in terms of reach and market share{{fact|date=June 2024}}

In Cork, Radio ERI had a consistent reach in excess of 50% with a reach of 63% recorded in 1986/87, an unprecedented listenership figure. The station boasted an extensive marketing and sales department which produced no fewer than six future local radio managing directors or chief executives throughout Ireland under the legalised regime after 1989 <ref name="auto"/>

In 1988 it, along with stations such as Sunshine and Q102 run by Mike Hogan (who was the first managing director of Dublin ILR franchise holder Capital Radio in 1989) and owned by nightclub impresario [[Pierre Doyle]], had annual sales revenues in millions of pounds. <ref>{{cite web |url = http://radiowaves.fm/ire/database/dublin-pirates/q102-dublin-pirates/ |url-status=usurped|website=radiowaves.fm |year=2019 |title=Q102|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513040631/http://radiowaves.fm/ire/database/dublin-pirates/q102-dublin-pirates/ |archive-date=13 May 2021 }}</ref>

This led to the Radio and Television Act 1988 which paved the way, with the cooperation of nearly all pirate radio stations, to a new era in independent local radio in Ireland which commenced in 1989. <ref>{{Cite ISB|title=Radio and Television Act 1988|year=1988|number=20|date=3 July 1988}}</ref> The [[Independent Radio and Television Commission]] (IRTC) was established under this legislation.

The 1988 Act effectively limited future pirate radio stations by making it illegal to advertise or support them with stiff penalties.<ref>{{Cite ISB|title=Broadcasting and Wireless Telegraphy Act 1988|year=1988|number=19}}</ref> The 1980s were therefore the heyday of pirate radio in Ireland.{{fact|date=June 2024}}

===21st century===
In 2002 a new radio regulation body, the [[Commission for Communications Regulation]] (ComReg), was founded by the Irish government to replace the Office of the Director of Telecommunications Regulation (ODTR).{{fact|date=June 2024}}

ComReg had much more funding, staff and resources than its predecessor – and these were put to use in May 2003, when a major crackdown on Dublin pirates saw virtually every station wiped off the band. This series of raids was conducted over two days and involved [[Garda Síochána]] officers and [[Electricity Supply Board|ESB]] staff.
<ref>{{cite web |url = http://radiowaves.fm/ire/radiowavesnews/2004/07/14/a-grey-wednesday-for-dublins-pirates/|title=A 'Grey Wednesday' for Dublin's Pirates |url-status=usurped |date=14 July 2004 |website=radiowaves.fm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808031741/http://radiowaves.fm/ire/radiowavesnews/2004/07/14/a-grey-wednesday-for-dublins-pirates/ |archive-date=8 August 2020 }}</ref>


Today only a handful of stations still operate in Dublin (mostly limited to evenings and/or weekends) and in some [[Republic_of_Ireland–United_Kingdom_border|border areas]]. Operations elsewhere tend to be rare and sporadic. <ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.radionecks.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=272 | title=Irish Band Scan - }}</ref>

==Notable stations==

===Dublin===

====Radio Dublin====
[[Radio Dublin]] started in 1966 founded by Ken Sheehan, and peaked in the late 1970s and up unto the early 1980s until the arrival of Radio Nova and Sunshine radio whose professionalism and quality stereo reception left the station adrift in their wake in the subsequent years. Radio Dublin broadcast on [[Mediumwave|MW]], [[Shortwave|SW]] and [[Frequency modulation|FM]] simultaneously.

After [[Eamonn Cooke]] took over, Radio Dublin had ever increasing ambitions. It was the first radio station in the Republic of Ireland to complete a 24-hour broadcast, this on the occasion of the [[1977_Irish_general_election|Irish general election]] of June 1977. The broadcast was hosted by Roland Burke and David Moore and Bernard Evans.  The station ceased full-time operation shortly after the jailing of the station's then-owner [[Eamonn Cooke]] in 2003 for historic child sex offences many of which took place at the radio station.<ref>{{cite book | last1=Kennedy-McGuinness | first1=Siobhan | last2=Dunn | first2=Rosie | title=Playing in the Dark | publisher=Arrow | date=2011-06-01 | isbn=978-0-09-951994-2 | page=}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web | title=Dublin DJ gets ten years for 'horrendous' sexual assaults | website=breakingnews.ie | date=2014-11-29 | url=http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=MHAUEYEYMHCW | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222012122/http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=MHAUEYEYMHCW | archive-date=2012-02-22 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

====Smaller stations of the late 1970s, early 1980s====
Other pirate stations in Dublin included Radio Dublin, Capitol Radio (Alternative Music station which from September 1986 had an alter ego station Nitesky 96FM), Big D, Radio City, TTTR (Country Music) and ARD (Alternative Radio Dublin - based in Drimnagh then at the Crofton Airport Hotel in Whitehall). Amongst the DJs at the Big D were Chris Wilkinson, Dennis Murray and Dj Shagnasty. Well-known names on radio and television that went through these smaller stations include [[Marty Whelan]], [[Gerry Ryan]], [[Dave Fanning]], John Paul, [[Ian Dempsey]] and Robbie Irwin.
North Dublin Community Radio (a forerunner to [[Near fm 90.3|NEAR FM]]), was a local community-based radio station, which operated in the Northside of Dublin broadcasting on 100&nbsp;MHz FM and on 1008&nbsp;kHz AM.<ref>[http://www.irishpirates.com/audio/wmv/ndcr.mp3 NDCR.mp3] www.irishpirates.com.</ref>

====1990s====
In the 1990s, a number of stations started, resumed or continued broadcasting despite legislation and occasional raids. Notable stations of this period included  Radio Dublin, Sunset, Kiss, Pulse, DLR, [[Phantom FM|Phantom]] and [[Radio Limerick One]].

===Offshore Radio===
While offshore pirates were rarer in Ireland, they still existed, and many notable UK offshore stations had a connection with Ireland. Both [[Radio Atlanta]] and [[Radio Caroline]] were built on board ships that were docked in (and made initial test transmissions from) a private Irish port at [[Greenore]] in the Republic of Ireland. The "Caroline North" station was occasionally tendered from Dundalk. The Dutch stations [[Radio Paradijs]] and [[REM island]] were also fitted out in Irish ports while [[Laser 558]] had some Irish staff and financial backing.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.offshoreradio.co.uk/laser1.htm | title=The Laser story - part one }}</ref>  Another offshore station located at various locations off the coast of [[Scotland]] in international waters, later identified itself as '''[[Radio Scotland and Ireland]]''' when its radio ship moved to anchorage off the west coast and within range of [[Ireland]] (for a time they anchored off Northern Ireland). <ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.offshoreradio.co.uk/scot.htm/ | title=The Radio Scotland story }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Pirate radio in Limerick]]
* [[Pirate radio in Cork]]
* [[Pirate radio in Kerry]]
* [[South Coast Television]]
* [[Wireless Telegraphy Acts]] Law concerning pirate radio.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Radio Radio, Peter Mulryan, Dublin Borderline Publications

==External links==
* [http://www.dxarchive.com/ireland_a_to_z_irish_pirates.html A–Z of Irish Pirates] From dxarchive.com
* [http://www.pirate.ie/ Pirate.ie] Another Irish radio tribute website
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20191228234931/http://radiowaves.fm/ire/ Radiowaves.FM]}} A long-running Irish radio tribute and resource website (Archived)
* [http://nsr105.moonfruit.com/ A history of NSR 105] an unlicensed pirate radio station that operated in Dublin from 1991 to 1993.
* [https://www.radionecks.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=7 Irish Pirate Radio] discussion forum.
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20200516142726/http://radiowaves.fm/ire/blog/tag/the-anorak-hour/ Listen to recordings of The Anorak Hour from Phantom FM]}}

[[Category:Pirate radio|Ireland]]
[[Category:Pirate radio stations in Ireland|*]]