The Festival Pirate Radio Stations of the 1970s

Throughout the seventies, towns and villages across Ireland organised local festivals to create entertainment and attract business. These festivals ranged from accordian festivals, Wild Boar, Trout, May Day, Christmas shopping and Cheese promotions. In the sixties and early seventies festivals advertised a ‘radio station’ to entertain and inform but rather than transmitter based these stations like Omagh Festival Radio, Athlone’s and Carrick-on-Shannon’s celebration of the River Shannon and Radio Loughshinny were ‘broadcast’ via a public address system attached to poles in the town or from speakers hung outside the festival office. From the mid-seventies , RTE’s mobile service broadcast live from various festivals but that was usually just for one year, rarely visiting the same town twice, therefore the festival committee’s seeing the success of the previous years broadcasts set up a transmitter and began to broadcast themselves. These included stations like Radio Ceilteach and Radio Letterkenny Folk Festival both in Donegal, Radio Charleville who were originally a RTE mobile visit but in subsequent years received the assistance of Big D Radio in Dublin to go on air but the ‘committee pointed out that this is festival radio not a pirate radio.’

Some of the stations that broadcast in the seventies via transmitters include,

Festival Radio Ardee – MW

In 1972 this early festival radio broadcast for the local festival celebrating December 8^th, a major shopping day before Christmas.

Festival Radio Ballinrobe – MW

This station operated from 8am – 10pm during the ‘Trout Festival’ which was held annually in June. It was first heard during the 1977 festival in the County Mayo town.

Festival Radio Charleville – 212m MW

In 1977 RTE’s mobile radio station visited the town for the Cheese Festival. For the following years with the assistance of Dublin’s Big D Radio, the festival committee put the festival station back on the air.

Festival Radio Ceilteach – 192m MW

This station was reported during the Falcarragh Celtic Music Festival in June 1979. Falcarragh is located in Donegal.

Festival Radio Downings – 192m MW

A local Donegal festival station that operated during July 1983.

Festival Radio Kanturk – 212m MW

Was heard broadcasting during the Wild Boar festival in July 1975. 

Festival Radio Kilmaine – MW

Organised by Pat and Jackie O’Connor, this county Mayo station broadcast for one festival from 16^th – 25^th June 1978.

Festival Radio Kilorglin – FM

Operated for the local Puck festival in August 1984, the temporary station was replaced by a more permanent station in the Kerry town in the years after. 

Festival Radio Letterkenny – 192m MW

This station was operated during the Letterkenny Folk Festival in August 1977.

Festival Radio Twin Towns – 192m MW

A Donegal based station that operated during a festival spread between the twin towns of Stranolar and Ballybofey during July 1983.