<s>
Pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
in	I-Application
Ireland	I-Application
has	O
had	O
a	O
long	O
history	O
,	O
with	O
hundreds	O
of	O
pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
stations	I-Application
having	O
operated	O
within	O
the	O
country	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
past	O
lax	O
enforcement	O
of	O
the	O
rules	O
,	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
commercial	O
radio	O
until	O
1989	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
small	O
physical	O
size	O
of	O
the	O
country	O
,	O
pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
stations	I-Application
proliferated	O
for	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
in	I-Application
Ireland	I-Application
has	O
its	O
origins	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
and	O
mid-20th	O
century	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1940	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
Mayo	O
man	O
Jack	O
Sean	O
McNeela	O
died	O
on	O
hunger	O
strike	O
in	O
Arbour	O
Hill	O
Military	O
Detention	O
Barracks	O
after	O
55	O
days	O
protesting	O
his	O
arrest	O
for	O
operating	O
a	O
pro	O
IRA	O
pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
station	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
recorded	O
pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
stations	I-Application
was	O
in	O
the	O
hundreds	O
,	O
only	O
a	O
few	O
have	O
been	O
notable	O
enough	O
to	O
be	O
remembered	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
reached	O
its	O
height	O
of	O
popularity	O
in	O
Ireland	O
in	O
the	O
1980s	O
after	O
Sunshine	O
Radio	O
and	O
Radio	O
Nova	O
were	O
launched	O
in	O
Dublin	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
were	O
pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
stations	I-Application
run	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
on	O
a	O
commercial	O
basis	O
with	O
the	O
critical	O
support	O
of	O
Ireland	O
's	O
advertising	O
industry	O
based	O
in	O
Dublin	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
commercial	O
radio	O
stations	O
and	O
others	O
such	O
as	O
Radio	O
West	O
in	O
Mullingar	O
,	O
Coast	O
103	O
FM	B-Application
in	O
Galway	O
and	O
WLR	O
in	O
Waterford	O
changed	O
the	O
landscape	O
of	O
radio	O
in	O
Ireland	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
led	O
to	O
a	O
new	O
Radio	O
and	O
Television	O
Act	O
in	O
1988	O
which	O
paved	O
the	O
way	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
cooperation	O
of	O
nearly	O
all	O
pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
stations	I-Application
,	O
to	O
a	O
new	O
era	O
in	O
independent	O
local	O
radio	O
in	O
Ireland	O
which	O
commenced	O
in	O
1989	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
a	O
great	O
success	O
and	O
offered	O
secure	O
employment	O
to	O
many	O
pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
stars	O
who	O
have	O
since	O
thrived	O
and	O
been	O
joined	O
by	O
younger	O
broadcasters	O
over	O
the	O
decades	O
in	O
a	O
flourishing	O
local	O
radio	O
industry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
1988	O
Act	O
effectively	O
limited	O
future	O
pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
stations	I-Application
by	O
making	O
it	O
illegal	O
to	O
advertise	O
or	O
support	O
them	O
with	O
stiff	O
penalties	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
1980s	O
were	O
therefore	O
the	O
heyday	O
of	O
pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
in	I-Application
Ireland	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
other	O
countries	O
,	O
Irish	O
pirate	B-Application
stations	I-Application
were	O
almost	O
always	O
on	O
land	O
,	O
with	O
publicly	O
available	O
phone	O
numbers	O
and	O
addresses	O
,	O
advertising	O
and	O
known	O
presenters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stations	O
nowadays	O
are	O
usually	O
FM-based	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
1980s	O
however	O
,	O
most	O
major	O
stations	O
broadcast	O
on	O
both	O
MW	B-Algorithm
and	O
FM	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
have	O
also	O
been	O
several	O
shortwave	O
pirate	B-Application
stations	I-Application
in	O
Ireland	O
,	O
but	O
pirate	O
shortwave	O
broadcasting	O
has	O
declined	O
greatly	O
,	O
as	O
with	O
SW	O
broadcasting	O
in	O
general	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
early	O
pioneering	O
pirates	O
were	O
usually	O
MW	B-Algorithm
only	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
stations	O
was	O
Radio	O
Milinda	O
which	O
broadcast	O
on	O
300	O
metres	O
MW	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Today	O
Ireland	O
has	O
few	O
pirate	B-Application
stations	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
some	O
cases	O
,	O
the	O
issuing	O
of	O
licences	O
to	O
new	O
stations	O
to	O
broadcast	O
in	O
a	O
genre	O
traditionally	O
served	O
by	O
pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
has	O
led	O
to	O
local	O
pirates	O
closing	O
down	O
as	O
their	O
listeners	O
,	O
staff	O
and	O
advertisers	O
move	O
to	O
the	O
licensed	O
station	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
addition	O
to	O
pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
,	O
particularly	O
in	O
the	O
late	O
1990s	O
has	O
been	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
Catholic	O
churches	O
,	O
particularly	O
in	O
rural	O
areas	O
,	O
who	O
broadcast	O
their	O
services	O
at	O
the	O
high	O
frequency	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
FM	B-Application
band	O
,	O
or	O
on	O
frequencies	O
around	O
27MHz	O
(	O
an	O
arrangement	O
not	O
permitted	O
by	O
legal	O
27MHz	O
CB	O
)	O
for	O
parishioners	O
who	O
cannot	O
attend	O
personally	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
high	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
FM	B-Application
band	O
was	O
favoured	O
by	O
church	O
broadcasters	O
using	O
the	O
domestic	O
FM	B-Application
band	O
,	O
as	O
this	O
was	O
mostly	O
unused	O
for	O
legal	O
stations	O
outside	O
Dublin	O
and	O
Cork	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
(	O
A	O
few	O
months	O
after	O
this	O
move	O
the	O
high	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
FM	B-Application
band	O
became	O
populated	O
by	O
transmitters	O
for	O
the	O
almost	O
national	O
roll-out	O
of	O
Newstalk	O
radio	O
,	O
which	O
previously	O
broadcast	O
to	O
Dublin	O
only	O
-	O
these	O
broadcasts	O
were	O
not	O
accused	O
of	O
interfering	O
with	O
airband	O
frequencies	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
form	O
of	O
religious	O
broadcast	O
to	O
appear	O
in	O
Ireland	O
in	O
the	O
1990s	O
was	O
the	O
many	O
FM	B-Application
and	O
AM	O
relays	O
of	O
the	O
UK-based	O
UCB	O
(	O
United	O
Christian	O
Broadcasters	O
)	O
and	O
to	O
a	O
lesser	O
extent	O
the	O
related	O
CrossRhythms	O
station	O
from	O
satellite	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Radio	O
Dublin	O
broadcast	O
on	O
MW	B-Algorithm
,	O
SW	O
and	O
FM	B-Application
simultaneously	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
station	I-Application
to	O
be	O
raided	O
and	O
prosecuted	O
in	O
the	O
republic	O
of	O
Ireland	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sunshine	O
Radio	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
of	O
the	O
so-called	O
Super	O
Pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
stations	I-Application
in	O
the	O
Republic	O
of	O
Ireland	O
and	O
commenced	O
broadcasting	O
on	O
9	O
September	O
1980	O
from	O
studios	O
in	O
the	O
Sands	O
Hotel	O
,	O
Portmarnock	O
,	O
County	O
Dublin	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sunshine	O
Radio	O
was	O
set	O
up	O
by	O
former	O
Radio	O
Caroline	O
men	O
Chris	B-Application
Cary	I-Application
,	O
Robbie	O
Robinson	O
,	O
aka	O
Robbie	O
Dale	O
,	O
and	O
ex-BBC	O
broadcast	O
engineer	O
Jimmy	O
White	O
with	O
some	O
financial	O
support	O
from	O
one	O
of	O
Radio	O
Caroline	O
's	O
partners	O
Phil	O
Solomon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sunshine	O
Radio	O
started	O
on	O
531kHz	O
(	O
announced	O
as	O
539	O
metres	O
)	O
medium	B-Algorithm
wave	I-Algorithm
,	O
adding	O
an	O
FM	B-Application
service	O
a	O
year	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chris	B-Application
Cary	I-Application
went	O
on	O
to	O
start	O
Radio	O
Nova	O
in	O
the	O
following	O
year	O
,	O
1981	O
,	O
with	O
studios	O
in	O
Herbert	O
Street	O
,	O
Dublin	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nova	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
major	O
Irish	O
pirate	O
to	O
commence	O
with	O
FM	B-Application
,	O
on	O
88.1MHz	O
(	O
it	O
ended	O
up	O
on	O
102.7MHz	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
Radio	O
Nova	O
on	O
FM	B-Application
,	O
Robbie	O
Robinson	O
broadcast	O
Sunshine	O
at	O
high	O
power	O
on	O
101MHz	O
,	O
and	O
renamed	O
the	O
station	O
Sunshine	O
101	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nova	O
ran	O
until	O
1986	O
when	O
Chris	B-Application
Cary	I-Application
closed	O
the	O
station	O
following	O
a	O
dispute	O
with	O
the	O
National	O
Union	O
of	O
Journalists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
stations	O
came	O
on	O
air	O
like	O
Q102	O
some	O
claiming	O
a	O
Cary	O
connection	O
like	O
NRG	O
103	O
(	O
some	O
thought	O
that	O
"	O
NRG	O
"	O
was	O
an	O
abbreviation	O
for	O
"	O
Nova	O
Radio	O
Group	O
"	O
)	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
name	O
sounded	O
like	O
Energy	O
103	O
and	O
Power	O
FM	B-Application
,	O
but	O
none	O
were	O
able	O
to	O
come	O
near	O
to	O
the	O
Nova	O
or	O
Sunshine	O
success	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
had	O
a	O
very	O
noticeable	O
impact	O
on	O
both	O
listener	O
figures	O
and	O
the	O
advertising	O
revenue	O
of	O
RTÉ	O
,	O
which	O
could	O
resort	O
only	O
to	O
frequency	O
jamming	O
of	O
the	O
Nova	O
and	O
Sunshine	O
MW	B-Algorithm
&	O
FM	B-Application
transmitters	O
to	O
try	O
to	O
reduce	O
listenership	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Well-known	O
names	O
in	O
radio	O
associated	O
with	O
the	O
superpirates	O
Sunshine	O
Radio	O
,	O
Radio	O
Nova	O
,	O
Nova	O
's	O
sister	O
stations	O
,	O
Magic	O
103	O
,	O
Q102	O
or	O
Energy	O
103	O
include	O
:	O
now	O
retired	O
broadcasters	O
Bob	O
Gallico	O
and	O
Peter	O
Madison	O
,	O
2FM	O
's	O
Colm	O
Hayes	O
and	O
John	O
Clarke	O
,	O
Today	O
FM	B-Application
's	O
Tom	O
Hardy	O
,	O
Phil	O
Cawley	O
and	O
Tony	O
Fenton	O
,	O
FM104	O
's	O
Dave	O
Kelly	O
,	O
Alan	O
Hunter	O
(	O
now	O
consulting	O
in	O
Broadcasting	O
and	O
online	O
radio	O
)	O
,	O
licensed	O
Q102	O
's	O
Scott	O
Williams	O
,	O
Gerry	O
Stevens	O
,	O
Liam	O
Coburn	O
,	O
Aidan	O
Cooney	O
and	O
Ernie	O
Gallagher	O
(	O
now	O
at	O
Radio	O
Nova	O
)	O
,	O
licensed	O
Sunshine	O
106.8	O
'	O
s	O
David	O
Dennehy	O
and	O
Jim	O
Kenny	O
,	O
licensed	O
Radio	O
Nova	O
's	O
Greg	O
Gaughren	O
and	O
Pat	O
Courtenay	O
,	O
Radio	O
1	O
's	O
John	O
Kenny	O
,	O
East	O
Coast	O
FM	B-Application
's	O
Declan	O
Meehan	O
(	O
also	O
on	O
Sundays	O
on	O
Today	O
FM	B-Application
)	O
,	O
4FM	O
's	O
Gareth	O
O'Callaghan	O
(	O
ex-2FM	O
and	O
Galway	O
Bay	O
FM	B-Application
)	O
,	O
and	O
David	O
Harvey	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
memorable	O
pirate	B-Application
stations	I-Application
in	O
Dublin	O
included	O
Radio	O
Dublin	O
,	O
Capitol	O
Radio	O
(	O
Alternative	O
Music	O
station	O
which	O
from	O
September	O
1986	O
had	O
an	O
alter	O
ego	O
station	O
Nitesky	O
96FM	O
)	O
,	O
Big	O
D	O
,	O
Radio	O
City	O
,	O
TTTR	O
(	O
Country	O
Music	O
)	O
and	O
ARD	O
(	O
Alternative	O
Radio	O
Dublin	O
-	O
based	O
in	O
Drimnagh	O
then	O
at	O
the	O
Crofton	O
Airport	O
Hotel	O
in	O
Whitehall	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
North	O
Dublin	O
Community	O
Radio	O
(	O
a	O
forerunner	O
to	O
NEAR	O
FM	B-Application
)	O
,	O
was	O
a	O
local	O
community-based	O
radio	O
station	O
,	O
which	O
operated	O
in	O
the	O
Northside	O
of	O
Dublin	O
broadcasting	O
on	O
100MHz	O
FM	B-Application
and	O
on	O
1008kHz	O
AM	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
XFM	O
was	O
seen	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
grandads	O
of	O
operating	O
pirates	O
in	O
Ireland	O
,	O
having	O
run	O
almost	O
continuously	O
since	O
1991	O
,	O
when	O
it	O
was	O
called	O
Alice	O
's	O
Restaurant	O
;	O
Although	O
other	O
stations	O
such	O
as	O
Radio	O
Star	O
Country	O
,	O
shortwave	O
pirate	O
Jolly	O
Roger	O
Radio/Riverside	O
Radio	O
and	O
EFR/Choice	O
FM	B-Application
(	O
Mayo	O
)	O
have	O
been	O
around	O
longer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Xfm	O
's	O
studios	O
were	O
based	O
in	O
Walkinstown	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
UHF	O
link	O
to	O
an	O
old	O
piggery	O
at	O
Kiltipper	O
in	O
Dublin	O
's	O
south	O
west	O
where	O
the	O
FM	B-Application
transmitter	O
was	O
located	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Xfm	O
operated	O
on	O
107.5MHz	O
and	O
moved	O
to	O
107.9MHz	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
FM	B-Application
spectrum	O
being	O
busy	O
with	O
adjacent	O
pirates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Xfm	O
continued	O
broadcasting	O
on	O
FM	B-Application
until	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kiss	O
103	O
FM	B-Application
launched	O
in	O
March	O
1993	O
with	O
a	O
powerful	O
signal	O
on	O
103.2MHz	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kiss	O
FM	B-Application
was	O
unique	O
amongst	O
the	O
pirates	O
of	O
the	O
time	O
in	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
heavily	O
formatted	O
and	O
operated	O
twenty-four	O
hours	O
per	O
day	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
station	O
was	O
regarded	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
to	O
have	O
attracted	O
the	O
best	O
of	O
the	O
talent	O
from	O
the	O
burgeoning	O
pirate	O
scene	O
–	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
several	O
presenters	O
who	O
had	O
worked	O
on	O
the	O
pirate	B-Application
stations	I-Application
of	O
the	O
1980s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
No	O
station	O
in	O
the	O
history	O
of	O
pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
in	I-Application
Ireland	I-Application
experienced	O
as	O
much	O
Government	O
action	O
as	O
did	O
Kiss	O
103	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kiss	O
103	O
was	O
said	O
to	O
have	O
caused	O
a	O
change	O
in	O
the	O
attitude	O
of	O
the	O
Government	O
and	O
the	O
commercial	O
radio	O
sector	O
toward	O
unlicensed	O
radio	O
;	O
prior	O
to	O
its	O
launch	O
,	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
hobby	O
pirates	O
had	O
operated	O
with	O
relative	O
impunity	O
–	O
Radio	O
Dublin	O
,	O
DLR	O
106	O
,	O
Sunset	O
Radio	O
,	O
NSR	O
,	O
Coast	O
FM	B-Application
,	O
Kiss	O
FM	B-Application
(	O
which	O
changed	O
its	O
name	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
Kiss	O
103	O
)	O
,	O
Radio	O
Active	O
and	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
months	O
after	O
the	O
closedown	O
of	O
Kiss	O
103	O
,	O
only	O
three	O
pirates	O
remained	O
on	O
air	O
in	O
Dublin	O
–	O
Coast	O
FM	B-Application
,	O
Club	O
FM	B-Application
(	O
Dance	O
)	O
and	O
DLR	O
106	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
station	O
was	O
removed	O
from	O
the	O
air	O
by	O
the	O
Black	O
Tuesday	O
raids	O
in	O
May	O
2003	O
(	O
see	O
Pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
today	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pulse	O
FM	B-Application
began	O
life	O
as	O
a	O
garden	O
shed-based	O
radio	O
station	O
,	O
as	O
with	O
others	O
in	O
this	O
list	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
backers	O
invested	O
heavily	O
in	O
CTE	O
transmission	O
and	O
modulation	O
equipment	O
,	O
producing	O
a	O
slick	O
,	O
clean	O
FM	B-Application
sound	O
,	O
clearly	O
received	O
all	O
over	O
the	O
Greater	O
Dublin	O
Area	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pulse	O
FM	B-Application
was	O
characterised	O
by	O
professional	O
,	O
well	O
spoken	O
,	O
south	O
Dublin	O
posh	O
accented	O
DJs	O
contrasting	O
with	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
other	O
Dublin	O
pirates	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Heavily	O
playlisted	O
,	O
slick	O
voiceovers	O
and	O
jingle	O
work	O
all	O
combined	O
to	O
make	O
Pulse	O
FM	B-Application
extremely	O
successful	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
its	O
closure	O
,	O
Pulse	O
FM	B-Application
's	O
owners	O
commissioned	O
an	O
'	O
independent	O
 '	O
report	O
which	O
put	O
Pulse	O
on	O
a	O
par	O
with	O
currently	O
licensed	O
commercial	O
stations	O
such	O
as	O
FM104	O
and	O
98FM	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pulse	O
FM	B-Application
formed	O
a	O
consortium	O
to	O
apply	O
for	O
the	O
new	O
'	O
Youth	O
Music	O
 '	O
station	O
licence	O
,	O
offered	O
by	O
the	O
IRTC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Quite	O
a	O
few	O
former	O
deejays	O
with	O
Pulse	O
FM	B-Application
are	O
currently	O
on	O
licensed	O
radio	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
include	O
Declan	O
Pearse	O
(	O
Today	O
FM	B-Application
)	O
,	O
Daragh	O
O'Dea	O
(	O
FM104	O
)	O
,	O
Chris	O
Murray	O
(	O
LMFM	O
)	O
,	O
Al	O
Gibbs	O
(	O
FM104	O
)	O
and	O
Kevin	O
Brannigan	O
(	O
Radio	O
Nova	O
-	O
CEO	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Co-founder	O
and	O
deejay	O
Daragh	O
O'Sullivan	O
,	O
aka	O
Steven	O
Davitt	O
,	O
and	O
deejay	O
Garvin	O
Rigby	O
are	O
amongst	O
the	O
founders	O
of	O
Christmas	O
FM	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phantom	O
FM	B-Application
began	O
broadcasting	O
to	O
Dublin	O
in	O
1997	O
from	O
a	O
garden	O
shed	O
in	O
Sandyford	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
(	O
previously	O
it	O
had	O
broadcast	O
under	O
various	O
names	O
including	O
Spectrum	O
FM	B-Application
from	O
Ballybrack	O
)	O
Arguably	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
successful	O
pirate	B-Application
stations	I-Application
of	O
the	O
1990s	O
,	O
Phantom	O
played	O
mainly	O
indie	O
music	O
which	O
had	O
a	O
huge	O
underground	O
following	O
in	O
Dublin	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
unlicensed	O
Phantom	O
FM	B-Application
came	O
to	O
an	O
end	O
in	O
the	O
May	O
2003	O
crackdown	O
on	O
Dublin	O
pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
stations	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phantom	O
were	O
notable	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
the	O
first	O
of	O
post-1989	O
pirate	B-Application
stations	I-Application
to	O
broadcast	O
legally	O
in	O
Ireland	O
when	O
the	O
Broadcasting	O
Commission	O
of	O
Ireland	O
awarded	O
temporary	O
licences	O
on	O
2	O
occasions	O
to	O
the	O
station	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phantom	O
subsequently	O
won	O
the	O
competition	O
for	O
an	O
Alternative	O
Music	O
licence	O
in	O
November	O
2004	O
,	O
but	O
due	O
to	O
legal	O
challenges	O
from	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
losing	O
consortia	O
(	O
Zed	O
FM/scrollside	O
FM	B-Application
)	O
,	O
it	O
only	O
went	O
on	O
air	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
October	O
2006	O
with	O
its	O
new	O
licence	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phantom	O
has	O
had	O
a	O
mixture	O
of	O
very	O
experienced	O
pirate	B-Application
broadcasters	I-Application
and	O
some	O
new	O
talent	O
during	O
its	O
different	O
phases	O
from	O
unlicensed	O
broadcasting	O
right	O
up	O
to	O
its	O
current	O
permanent	O
licensed	O
state	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
General	O
Manager	O
Simon	O
Maher	O
had	O
built	O
up	O
experience	O
in	O
a	O
few	O
pirates	O
,	O
starting	O
in	O
1990	O
with	O
Radio	O
Dublin	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
the	O
key	O
figure	O
in	O
setting	O
up	O
Coast	O
FM	B-Application
from	O
his	O
garden	O
shed	O
in	O
Ballybrack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steve	O
Conway	O
(	O
some-time	O
Phantom	O
presenter	O
and	O
writer	O
)	O
,	O
who	O
goes	O
back	O
to	O
'	O
80s	O
pirates	O
,	O
has	O
the	O
distinction	O
of	O
having	O
been	O
involved	O
in	O
the	O
most	O
famous	O
off-shore	O
pirate	B-Application
Radio	I-Application
Caroline	O
during	O
the	O
late	O
'	O
80s	O
and	O
the	O
'	O
90s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
station	O
called	O
itself	O
105.2	O
FM	B-Application
until	O
Monday	O
31	O
March	O
,	O
when	O
it	O
relaunched	O
itself	O
as	O
TXFM	O
with	O
a	O
new	O
schedule	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Various	O
ex-Phantom	O
presenters	O
from	O
the	O
pirate	O
era	O
have	O
surfaced	O
on	O
other	O
stations	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Keith	O
Walsh	O
,	O
Cormac	O
Battle	O
and	O
Dan	O
Hegarty	O
on	O
2FM	O
,	O
Ritchie	O
McCormack	O
on	O
Newstalk	O
,	O
Alison	O
Curtis	O
on	O
Today	O
FM	B-Application
and	O
Jack	O
Hyland	O
on	O
Radio	O
Nova	O
(	O
Dublin-based	O
rock	O
station	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Simon	O
Maher	O
,	O
the	O
original	O
founder	O
,	O
set	O
up	O
an	O
online	O
station	O
called	O
8Radio.com	O
in	O
2013	O
,	O
which	O
has	O
also	O
had	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
temporary	O
FM	B-Application
licences	O
around	O
various	O
parts	O
of	O
Ireland	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CBC	O
(	O
Cork	O
Broadcasting	O
Company	O
)	O
230m	O
MW	B-Algorithm
was	O
the	O
first	O
pirate	O
station	O
in	O
Cork	O
in	O
1978	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
around	O
1978	O
were	O
ABC	O
Radio	O
235m	O
medium	B-Algorithm
wave	I-Algorithm
(	O
Steve	O
Bolger	O
)	O
Which	O
Later	O
became	O
Capitol	O
Radio	O
Cork	O
and	O
also	O
Broadcasting	O
was	O
Cork	O
City	O
Radio	O
(	O
CCR	O
)	O
which	O
transmitted	O
on	O
261m	O
medium	B-Algorithm
wave	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Then	O
came	O
one	O
station	O
on	O
the	O
air	O
waves	O
of	O
Cork	O
called	O
Radio	O
City	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
occupied	O
by	O
DJs	O
from	O
the	O
former	O
CBC	O
and	O
CCLR	O
stations	O
along	O
with	O
some	O
from	O
the	O
DJing	O
circuit	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
the	O
closures	O
of	O
both	O
CBC	O
,	O
CCLR	O
with	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
Radio	O
Licensing	O
Laws	O
which	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
closure	O
of	O
many	O
pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
stations	I-Application
in	O
Ireland	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Radio	O
City	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
station	O
to	O
use	O
and	O
switch	O
from	O
the	O
medium	B-Algorithm
wave	I-Algorithm
transmitter	O
to	O
an	O
FM	B-Application
transmitter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
notable	O
stations	O
that	O
came	O
along	O
were	O
radio	O
caroline	O
cork	O
the	O
longest-running	O
pirate	O
station	O
of	O
them	O
all	O
still	O
on	O
corks	O
airwaves	O
to	O
this	O
present	O
day	O
on	O
the	O
weekends	O
on	O
107	O
fm	B-Application
,	O
South	O
Coast	O
Radio	O
and	O
WBEN	O
and	O
even	O
Hospital	O
Radio	O
in	O
the	O
CUH	O
and	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
other	O
smaller	O
stations	O
growing	O
as	O
the	O
FM	B-Application
transmission	O
was	O
getting	O
ever	O
so	O
popular	O
like	O
Leeside	O
Radio	O
and	O
Big	O
Brother	O
Radio	O
,	O
City	O
View	O
Radio	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
station	O
had	O
an	O
incredibly	O
clear	O
signal	O
on	O
225m	O
MW	B-Algorithm
due	O
to	O
its	O
5k	O
transmitter	O
which	O
was	O
imported	O
from	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
and	O
set	O
up	O
by	O
Ex	O
Radio	O
Nordsee	O
DJ	O
and	O
Engineer	O
Robin	O
Adcroft	O
(	O
Banks	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
station	O
got	O
its	O
name	O
from	O
its	O
owners	O
MR	O
P	O
,	O
Miss	O
Ken	O
D	O
and	O
some	O
Djs	O
from	O
Dublin	O
's	O
Power	O
FM	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
jammed	O
by	O
a	O
City	O
Pirate	O
called	O
Pulse	O
FM	B-Application
which	O
had	O
previously	O
used	O
this	O
frequency	O
which	O
they	O
were	O
broadcasting	O
since	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kiss	O
found	O
a	O
new	O
frequency	O
at	O
the	O
lower	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
band	O
,	O
87.8	O
,	O
the	O
former	O
frequency	O
of	O
Galaxy	O
FM	B-Application
with	O
the	O
same	O
owner	O
(	O
Franko	O
aka	O
the	O
Man	O
who	O
CAN	O
be	O
moved	O
....	O
to	O
tears	O
)	O
of	O
Pulse	O
FM	B-Application
who	O
had	O
returned	O
onto	O
the	O
airwaves	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kiss	O
fm	B-Application
went	O
off	O
air	O
from	O
2/4/10	O
and	O
returned	O
in	O
the	O
summer	O
of	O
2010	O
on	O
lower	O
power	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
January	O
2013	O
,	O
Kiss	O
FM	B-Application
was	O
broadcasting	O
once	O
again	O
on	O
104.9FM	O
with	O
quite	O
a	O
strong	O
signal	O
which	O
could	O
be	O
heard	O
in	O
many	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
county	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
city	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Limerick	O
has	O
had	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
stations	I-Application
over	O
the	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
inexplicable	O
failure	O
to	O
offer	O
more	O
choice	O
–	O
Limerick	O
had	O
initially	O
been	O
earmarked	O
for	O
at	O
least	O
two	O
stations	O
–	O
meant	O
that	O
inevitably	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
pirate	B-Application
stations	I-Application
reappeared	O
,	O
the	O
biggest	O
ones	O
being	O
Kiss	O
FM	B-Application
(	O
2000	O
–	O
2001	O
)	O
,	O
specialist	O
dance	O
station	O
Touch	O
107	O
,	O
Radio	O
Magic	O
107.6FM	O
,	O
Galtee	O
Radio	O
,	O
Country	O
Gold	O
,	O
Estuary	O
,	O
NCW	O
106	O
,	O
and	O
Wave	O
FM	B-Application
(	O
2003	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
later	O
became	O
Galaxy	O
105	O
(	O
2004	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
were	O
also	O
all-too-brief	O
appearances	O
of	O
Q101	O
,	O
Power	O
98FM	O
,	O
Club	O
FM	B-Application
,	O
Fresh	O
103	O
and	O
Enterprise	O
Radio	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Galway	O
's	O
first	O
pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
station	I-Application
was	O
Saor	O
Raidió	O
Chonamara	O
(	O
Free	O
Radio	O
Connemara	O
)	O
which	O
first	O
came	O
on	O
the	O
air	O
during	O
Oireachtas	O
na	O
Gaeilge	O
1968	O
as	O
a	O
direct	O
response	O
to	O
the	O
Irish	O
government	O
's	O
inaction	O
over	O
Irish	O
language	O
broadcasting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
station	O
used	O
a	O
medium	B-Algorithm
wave	I-Algorithm
transmitter	O
surreptitiously	O
imported	O
from	O
the	O
Netherlands	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
summer	O
of	O
1978	O
,	O
a	O
pop-format	O
pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
station	I-Application
,	O
IRG	O
Independent	O
Radio	O
Galway	O
,	O
staffed	O
mostly	O
by	O
local	O
university	O
students	O
,	O
began	O
broadcasting	O
from	O
a	O
studio	O
off	O
Shop	O
Street	O
,	O
Galway	O
City	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
its	O
Galway-accented	O
jingles	O
advertising	O
the	O
station	O
's	O
presence	O
on	O
199	O
metres	O
MW	B-Algorithm
,	O
the	O
station	O
was	O
a	O
great	O
local	O
success	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1986	O
Twiggs	O
FM	B-Application
came	O
onto	O
the	O
airwaves	O
,	O
the	O
brainchild	O
of	O
Shane	O
Martin	O
and	O
owners	O
of	O
Twiggs	O
nightclub	O
where	O
he	O
worked	O
as	O
a	O
nightclub	O
DJ	O
in	O
Salthill	O
,	O
Galway	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shane	O
Martin	O
eventually	O
left	O
Twiggs	O
FM	B-Application
and	O
the	O
nightclub	O
because	O
the	O
original	O
focus	O
had	O
changed	O
,	O
and	O
with	O
Barry	O
Williams	O
set	O
up	O
KFM	O
about	O
8	O
miles	O
outside	O
Galway	O
City	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Coast	O
103	O
became	O
the	O
most	O
successful	O
Pirate	B-Application
Radio	I-Application
station	I-Application
on	O
the	O
Irish	O
west	O
coast	O
ever	O
,	O
reaching	O
all	O
the	O
way	O
to	O
Limerick	O
and	O
beyond	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
County	O
Sound	O
Radio	O
moved	O
to	O
Galway	O
City	O
early	O
in	O
1988	O
and	O
broadcast	O
live	O
24	O
hours	O
per	O
day	O
until	O
31	O
December	O
1988	O
when	O
the	O
then	O
Minister	O
for	O
Communications	O
Ray	O
Burke	O
introduced	O
new	O
legislation	O
aimed	O
at	O
suppressing	O
pirate	B-Application
stations	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
CHR/AC	O
stations	O
,	O
mostly	O
headed	O
and	O
staffed	O
by	O
professional	O
broadcasters	O
with	O
experience	O
in	O
Israel	O
,	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
Ireland	O
and	O
Britain	O
,	O
brought	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
community-based	O
pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
in	O
Galway	O
to	O
an	O
end	O
(	O
with	O
the	O
exception	O
of	O
NUIG	O
College	O
Campus	O
Radio	O
,	O
FlirtFM	O
)	O
,	O
but	O
heralded	O
the	O
new	O
and	O
legal	O
local	O
radio	O
format	O
which	O
survives	O
in	O
the	O
legally	O
broadcasting	O
Galway	O
Bay	O
FM	B-Application
,	O
which	O
came	O
on	O
the	O
air	O
in	O
1989	O
(	O
Broadcast	O
as	O
"	O
Radio	O
West	O
"	O
1989	O
–	O
93	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
stations	O
in	O
Galway	O
during	O
the	O
1980s	O
included	O
Emerald	O
Radio	O
,	O
Candy	O
FM	B-Application
in	O
Ballinasloe	O
and	O
GDR	O
in	O
Loughrea	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
official	O
Irish	O
Government	O
closedown	O
of	O
all	O
Pirate	B-Application
Radio	I-Application
stations	I-Application
on	O
31	O
Dec	O
1988	O
,	O
there	O
was	O
very	O
little	O
pirate	O
activity	O
in	O
the	O
city	O
with	O
the	O
exception	O
of	O
Quincentinial	O
Radio	O
,	O
Run	O
by	O
Steve	O
Marshall	O
and	O
Tony	O
Allan	O
when	O
the	O
voice	O
of	O
Shane	O
Martin	O
was	O
heard	O
once	O
again	O
at	O
6:07	O
pm	O
,	O
nine	O
days	O
into	O
the	O
new	O
legislation	O
with	O
the	O
assistance	O
of	O
Tony	O
Allan	O
voiced	O
liners	O
in	O
reference	O
to	O
"	O
Galway	O
DJ	O
's	O
prefer	O
not	O
to	O
be	O
unemployed	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Waterford	O
was	O
home	O
to	O
three	O
long-running	O
stations	O
–	O
Suirside	O
,	O
ABC	O
Radio	O
and	O
WLR-FM	O
,	O
the	O
latter	O
winning	O
the	O
franchise	O
to	O
run	O
the	O
legal	O
station	O
for	O
the	O
Waterford	O
City	O
and	O
County	O
area	O
after	O
the	O
competition	O
run	O
in	O
early	O
1989	O
(	O
following	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
Radio	O
and	O
Television	O
Act	O
,	O
1988	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
that	O
same	O
year	O
they	O
imported	O
a	O
high	O
power	O
professional	O
medium	B-Algorithm
wave	I-Algorithm
transmitter	O
from	O
the	O
US	O
,	O
enabling	O
it	O
to	O
cover	O
Waterford	O
City	O
with	O
a	O
strong	O
signal	O
and	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
coastal	O
location	O
,	O
also	O
provide	O
a	O
strong	O
signal	O
as	O
far	O
as	O
Dungarvan	O
and	O
Rosslare	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ABC	O
Radio	O
,	O
which	O
changed	O
its	O
name	O
to	O
'	O
ABC	O
The	O
Hot	O
FM	B-Application
 '	O
in	O
1986	O
,	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
station	O
in	O
Ireland	O
to	O
broadcast	O
in	O
FM	B-Application
Stereo	O
(	O
from	O
its	O
inception	O
in	O
1982	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
latterly	O
developed	O
a	O
network	O
of	O
6	O
FM	B-Application
transmitters	O
and	O
2	O
AMs	O
,	O
covering	O
counties	O
Waterford	O
and	O
Wexford	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WLR-FM	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
continuous	O
broadcast	O
operation	O
in	O
the	O
City	O
or	O
County	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WLR	O
moved	O
to	O
studios	O
in	O
the	O
city	O
at	O
Wellington	O
street	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
moved	O
to	O
Georges	O
street	O
(	O
next	O
door	O
to	O
what	O
became	O
the	O
original	O
location	O
of	O
the	O
licensed	O
WLR	O
FM	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Suirside	O
(	O
which	O
was	O
a	O
breakaway	O
group	O
from	O
WLR	O
)	O
was	O
unusual	O
in	O
that	O
at	O
one	O
time	O
it	O
broadcast	O
on	O
Short	O
Wave	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
usual	O
FM	B-Application
and	O
MW	B-Algorithm
frequencies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
late	O
1990s	O
Waterford	O
had	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
more	O
significant	O
pirate	B-Application
stations	I-Application
in	O
the	O
country	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
with	O
the	O
professionally	O
run	O
'	O
ABC	O
Power	O
104	O
 '	O
,	O
which	O
targeted	O
a	O
youth	O
audience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2007	O
Waterford	O
saw	O
its	O
own	O
dedicated	O
Metal	O
and	O
Rock	O
station	O
appear	O
on	O
99.9MHz	O
,	O
the	O
station	O
was	O
called	O
MetalHertz	O
FM	B-Application
and	O
ran	O
every	O
weekend	O
until	O
voluntarily	O
coming	O
off	O
air	O
in	O
2009	O
to	O
explore	O
the	O
possibility	O
of	O
securing	O
a	O
temporary	O
broadcast	O
licence	O
,	O
unfortunately	O
,	O
the	O
cost	O
involved	O
in	O
such	O
a	O
venture	O
was	O
deemed	O
impossible	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
for	O
those	O
involved	O
so	O
the	O
station	O
was	O
put	O
to	O
rest	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
OpenTempoFM	O
is	O
the	O
longest	O
running	O
pirate	B-Application
radio	I-Application
station	I-Application
Ireland	O
has	O
seen	O
in	O
over	O
30	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wild	O
Country	O
,	O
106.6	O
The	O
Frog	O
and	O
Lite	O
101.5	O
FM	B-Application
are	O
all	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Eye	O
Media	O
Group	O
and	O
have	O
also	O
operated	O
alongside	O
Kiss	O
106	O
as	O
sister	O
stations	O
since	O
around	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Currently	O
,	O
Kiss	O
FM	B-Application
is	O
back	O
on	O
the	O
air	O
on	O
101.6	O
,	O
103.9	O
and	O
104.2FM	O
as	O
Feel	O
Good	O
Radio	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
the	O
mid-1990s	O
on	O
,	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
pirate	B-Application
stations	I-Application
ran	O
a	O
dance	O
music	O
radio	O
format	O
with	O
Galaxy	O
107	O
,	O
Energy	O
106	O
,	O
Sunset	O
,	O
NSR	O
105	O
,	O
Kiss	O
103	O
,	O
Club	O
FM	B-Application
and	O
later	O
Pulse	O
103	O
battling	O
for	O
supremacy	O
and	O
enjoying	O
short	O
spells	O
at	O
the	O
top	O
of	O
the	O
pile	O
in	O
Dublin	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Leading	O
Dublin	O
non-dance	O
pirates	O
included	O
Coast	O
FM	B-Application
,	O
DLR/Hits	O
106	O
,	O
Sun	O
FM	B-Application
and	O
Freedom	O
FM	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Outside	O
Dublin	O
most	O
activity	O
was	O
to	O
be	O
found	O
in	O
the	O
border	O
regions	O
although	O
Cork	O
,	O
Limerick	O
,	O
Waterford	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
smaller	O
towns	O
like	O
Castlebar	O
(	O
Static	O
FM	B-Application
106	O
,	O
Kiss	O
FM	B-Application
,	O
Pulse	O
FM	B-Application
,	O
Future	O
FM	B-Application
)	O
,	O
Tralee	O
,	O
Enniscrone	O
(	O
Atlantic	O
FM	B-Application
107.1	O
)	O
,	O
Wexford	O
(	O
Ultra	O
FM	B-Application
)	O
and	O
Enniscorthy	O
(	O
Enniscorthy	O
Local	O
)	O
all	O
had	O
varying	O
levels	O
of	O
pirate	O
activity	O
through	O
this	O
period	O
.	O
</s>
