Irish Pirate Radio

Irish Pirate Radio

Pirate radio in Ireland has had a long history, with hundreds of radio stations having operated from 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 has proliferated up to recent years. They were tolerated by the government which only occasionally raided them in an effort to show compliance with Irish law, although the national broadcaster, RTÉ, took a harsher approach, including radio jamming.

Whilst the number of recorded pirate radio stations was in the hundreds, only a few have been notable enough to be remembered. This is because at different stages, pirate stations were the mainstay of radio listenership, particularly in Dublin.

Unlike other countries, Irish pirate stations were almost always on land, with publicly available phone numbers and addresses, advertising and known presenters. A recent government crackdown now means Ireland has one of the most hardline anti-pirate policies in Europe, and few major stations survive.

Stations nowadays are usually FM-based. In the 1980s however, most major stations broadcast on both MW and FM. There have also been several shortwave pirate stations in Ireland, but pirate shortwave broadcasting has declined greatly, as with SW broadcasting in general. The early pioneering pirates were usually MW only. One of the first stations was Radio Milinda which broadcast on 300 metres MW. It was the very first radio station to be raided and prosecuted. It was raided on the 17/12/1972 and the subsequent court case took place on the 08/02/1973. They were fined £2 each and all the equipment was confiscated.

Read more about Irish Pirate Radio:  Pirate Radio Today, Offshore Radio, Northern Ireland

Famous quotes containing the words irish, pirate and/or radio:

    Concurring hands divide

    flax for damask
    that when bleached by Irish weather
    has the silvered chamois-leather
    water-tightness of a
    skin.
    Marianne Moore (1887–1972)

    The pirate gaped at Belinda’s dragon,
    And gulped some grog from his pocket flagon,
    He fired two bullets, but they didn’t hit,
    And Custard gobbled him, every bit.
    Ogden Nash (1902–1971)

    The radio ... goes on early in the morning and is listened to at all hours of the day, until nine, ten and often eleven o’clock in the evening. This is certainly a sign that the grown-ups have infinite patience, but it also means that the power of absorption of their brains is pretty limited, with exceptions, of course—I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. One or two news bulletins would be ample per day! But the old geese, well—I’ve said my piece!
    Anne Frank (1929–1945)