FROM THE ARCHIVES:A group of Cork schoolboys, using aliases from Shakespeare, set up a short-lived pirate music station in 1964. This report described the brief life and death of Radio Juliet. – JOE JOYCE
This country’s first non-political pirate radio station, which has been operating in Cork in the mornings and afternoons for the past few days, closed down yesterday shortly before noon, and shortly before Radio Éireann investigators were given a search warrant to look for it.
A spokesman for the dozen schoolboys who have been operating Radio Juliet said: “It was getting too hot to handle.” The average age of the organisers was 16 years.
The station, operating on 210 metres, medium waveband, provided “pop” music in the mornings and classical music in the afternoons. It also broadcast news bulletins of foreign and local news and a weather forecast. It had been heard clearly in Cork city and up to 10 miles away from it.
Yesterday, three of the boys spoke about their station. One of them, who built the transmitter, said it cost only six shillings [38 cents]. He told how the idea of building and operating a radio station to supplement the Radio Éireann programmes was planned and went into operation a few days ago.
“We feel that there is a desire for more hours from Radio Éireann, so we decided to put on our broadcast in the mornings and afternoons, when Radio Éireann was closed down. We had looked into the legal aspect, as well as the Geneva Convention; we decided to operate on the 210 medium wave, not to interfere with Radio Éireann . . . This is purely a local broadcast service and we proved we could do it,” one said.
He also said that they realised that they would not get authorisation from the minister; but, if they were successful, they could go to the minister and ask him to permit a privately run station to supplement the Radio Éireann programmes. One-third of the announcements were made in Irish, he said, and this was an ideal way of promoting the language. “Now that we have successfully operated this station. . . we intend to seek an interview with the Minister.”
Another boy connected with Radio Juliet said that their budget was £1 a day for telephone calls, petrol, and so on, as they had to shift the site of the station from place to place [. . .]
“Our look-out reported that cars with detection equipment had drawn up outside the first site. We had quickly moved somewhere else,” he said.
The transmitter was built after they had scavenged for spare parts. “It was easy when we got the parts,” said the builder. All of the “directors” used Shakespearian names, the head being known as Romeo.
The only non-schoolboy was Cleopatra, a shorthand-typist with a Cork city firm, whose voice was recorded during her lunchtime break. “She was an announcer, but unfortunately our budget did not allow us to pay her,” said another boy.
http://url.ie/bxuf