A century of Irish radio has delivered wonderful entertainment, social change and political upheaval.
In 1926 the first official radio station in Ireland took to the airwaves on January 1st 1926 with the arrival of 2RN, later to become Radio Eireann and today as RTE Radio
The State broadcaster enjoyed a monopoly for more than fifty years bar a couple of illegal stations mostly of a political nature, but with the arrival of the transistor radio, pop music and offshore pirate radio stations like Radio Caroline, Irish pirate radio stations began to take to the airwaves.
To counter the arrival of pirate stations, the State broadcaster RTE began to tour the country with a mobile radio station that visited towns, villages and communities usually for the duration of a local festival. Rather than demonstrate the RTE could provide regional and local broadcasting, these local mobile operations led in many instances to the opening of a pirate radio station in the wake of RTE's departure.
Pirate stations appeared in every corner of Ireland, providing local information, local advertising, advertising, local news and a local voice.
To celebrate the contribution of Irish pirate radio to the political and social history of Ireland, I have lectured at home and abroad on various aspects of Irish radio history.
Pirate radio stations not alone proliferated in the Republic of Ireland but also in Northern Ireland especially sectarian pirate radio during the early years of the troubles from 1969-1975
In December 1988, a golden era of pirate radio in Ireland came to an end with the introduction of stricter broadcasting laws and the replacement of the pirates with legal, commercial and independent radio.
For more information on the history of Irish radio, my book 'A Century of Irish Radio 1900 - 2000' is available in hardback and on kindle. Copies are available here
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Century-Irish-Radio-1900-2000/dp/1717899641
For a signed copy of the book including post and packages (in Ireland & UK) are available by contacting theirishpirateradioarchive@gmail.com with payment through the secure paypal service.
