Pirates of the airwaves get their day in sun

Lifestyle – Pirate radio made its first impact on Ireland in the 1970s, gaining a firm foothold in the 1980s, as it pushed boundaries in terms of content and technology. While the industry was unregulated and fiercely competitive, it nurtured new talent and helped change society and broadcasting. Former journalist John Walsh, who began his career in a pirate station, tells JUDY MURPHY about recording its rich history.

Radio – whether it’s on in the background as we’re doing housework at home or keeping us company on our walks or car journeys, it is part of our daily lives, offering us music, chat and news; local, national and international. And even with increasing competition from podcasts, radio remains hugely popular.

These days, radio in this country is well-regulated by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.  But it wasn’t always that way and in the 1980s, the radio landscape was ‘like the law of the jungle’ according to NUIG lecturer and former journalist John Walsh.

Dubliner John who began his broadcasting career as a student in the 1980s on pirate radio, has teamed up with his friend and former pirate colleague Brian Greene to capture that era via the online website, pirate.ie.

The many pirate stations that existed throughout Ireland from the 1970s onwards are now part of history, but they played a huge role in shaping our current radio environment, he says. Not to mention that they added colour and diversity to what had been a monochrome society, as they pushed boundaries technically and in terms of content.

“It would be too simplistic to say they modernised Ireland but they were part of that process,” John says.

However, because these were illegal stations, their history has never been properly archived, explains the lecturer for whom this is a personal project, separate from his job in the university.

Given John’s enthusiasm for the subject and his vast knowledge, it’s clear that creating this open and free archive on pirate.ie is a labour of love for him and for Brian who works in Phoenix Community Radio in Blanchardstown.

They set up the website two years ago to mark the 30th anniversary of the closure of pirate radio.  Legislation was introduced in 1988 to formalise independent and local radio services and regulate what “had been a jungle”, John outlines.

Several pirate stations from Galway feature in their online archive, including the short-lived community radio, Independent Radio Galway, and commercial stations such as Atlantic Sound, Coast 103 and WLS.

Listening to clips from these on the website is like travelling back in time to Ireland and Galway of the 1980s.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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