Increasing Bin Taxes – the real culprits

LMFM radio’s “Loosetalk” programme today (Friday) devoted much air time to the understandable public anger at the decision by the Panda private waste collection company to do away with their “Tag” system and consequently, by stealth, massively increase their bin collection charges.

Recession – when was there an economic boom???

This week’s “official confirmation” from the ESRI that Ireland’s economy was now in recession stands common sense and ordinary intelligence on it’s head. Talk of Ireland going into recession pre- assumes that, up to now, everything was “apple pie” with the country’s free-market capatilist economy which clearly was never the case.

Drogheda’s Saturday Market – Public Anger Builds

Reports in the local media in early May announced that Drogheda Borough Council (with the full support of the vast majority of the elected local councillors) plans to extinguish the town’s centuries-old “market right” and introduce by-laws to regulate the weekly Saturday morning market.

The “EU Crisis” and the REAL world

While Ireland’s political establishment agonise over how to explain to their pompous E.U. counterparts, why their ungrateful constituents shoved the Lisbon Treaty “up their fat, expense-account arses”, they could do themselves a big favour by reading the e-mail (below), sent to LMFMs “Loosetalk” programme today (June 20th 2008).

Pay Parking – No Solution

A new traffic management plan for Drogheda that includes the introduction of pay parking on The Windmill Road, Boyle O’Reilly Terrace, Beechgrove, Church Street, Park View, Upper Magdelene Street, Hardman’s Gardens, Scarlet, Street, Francis Street, Cord Road, Marsh Road, Ship Street, Mary Street, Barrack Street, North Strand, Sampson’s Lane, Old Cornmarket Hill, and Bachelors Lane will not alleviate the town’s notorious and chronic road traffic difficulties.

SOCU – Dail Demo Planned

Drogheda’s Save Our Cancer Unit (SOCU) group plan to march on Dail Eireann on Wednesday afternoon next, June 25th, as part of their campaign of opposition to the closure of the Dochas Cancer Services Unit at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. A coach (kindly provided by Matthews Coaches) will depart from St. Peter’s Church, in West Street at 12 mid-day, returning to Drogheda immediately after the demonstration.

Lisbon Turned Over

The referendum on the so-called “Lisbon Treaty”, a re-worded draft EU Constitution – the original having been flung out by the citizens of France and Holland, met with the same fate here.

What’s going on with the developers lobby in Drogheda?

Just after 3o’clock on a very wet Tuesday afternoon in February last, a “gentleman” called to my home with an unusual request.

Lisbon – Unions urging “NO”

Unite, the biggest trade union in the British Isles, is urging it’s members in Ireland to vote No in Thursday’s referendum on the so-called Lisbon Treaty.

RADIO CAROLINE – The Louth Connection

A major commemoration event will begin in August on the Isle of Man to mark the 40th anniversary of the “sinking”, in 1968, of Radio Caroline by the then British government’s Marine Offences legislation.
Radio Caroline began broadcasting from a converted Danish car ferry, the MV Fredericia, on Easter Sunday morning 1964 from off the south-east coast of England. At the time the output from both the BBC and Radio Eireann (now RTE Radio) was essentially wall-to-wall talk, with little or no “pop” or chart music being played. Radio Caroline with it’s blurb “This is Radio Caroline on 199 – your all day music station every day” completely changed the style and format of radio broadcasting in Britain and Ireland, leaving a legacy that has endured to this day.

In July of 1964 Caroline moved from the south coast of England, dropped anchor in international waters (three miles off Ramsey Bay on the Isle of Man) and began blasting the chart music of the time to millions of listeners all across Britain and Ireland. The British Navy made a number of ham-fisted and unsuccessful attempts to “scuttle” Caroline on behalf of he UK government (and the BBC). This took the form of attempting to “jam” Caroline’s signal and generally harrass it’s tender (supply) vessels. Radio Eireann and the Irish authorities were also unhappy but were powerless and ill-equipped to intervene. The “official” political position of the Manx government was one of disapproval. Privately, however, the Isle of Man authorities milked the publicity and attention and used the Caroline adventure as an aid to promote the island as a holiday destination.

Radio Caroline started life in Greenore Port (north Co. Louth) in the winter of 1964 when the 35 year old, second-hand MV Fredericia was, under the noses of the authorities, fitted out as a floating radio station and re-named “Caroline” by Ronan O’Rahilly, son of the then port owner Aodaghan O’Rahilly, and grandson of Michael (“The O’Rahilly”) the famed 1916 rebel.

The station remained on the air until 1968 after Westminster made it a criminal offence to supply, service or advertise on Caroline. The resultant difficultiy in getting supplies to Caroline’s crew and Djs was overcome by tendering the vessel from Greenore, Dundalk, and Holland. However getting fearful advertisers to break the law and continue advertising on Radio Caroline was alltogether a different matter.

Radio Caroline very quickly found itself with a diminishing income-stream when advertising on the station was outlawed. Mounting debts and unpaid bills led to the Caroline ship being impounded by a Dutch tug company to whom it owed money, causing it to cease broadcasting.

The Radio Caroline commemoration event will take the form of an exhibition, begining in August in The House of Manannan, Peel on the Isle of Man. It will also encompass a Radio Caroline Weekend that includes a special Caroline Conference, guided coach trips to Ramsey Bay and around the Caroline exhibition in Peel.

To coincide with the commemoration on the Isle of Man, which runs until next February, island-based author, broadcaster and event management consultant Andy Wint has just published a book entitled “Manx Giant – the story of Radio Caroline 1964 -1968″ The publication, which has been extensively researched, is now available and is being hailed as “the definitive history” of Radio Caroline (North).

Andy’s beautifully presented work has already been the subject of much acclaim. The research and publication of the Radio Caroline story, as well as the Radio Caroline Commemorative Exhibition, featured on (ITV) Border Television recently.

Here in Ireland, LMFM’s Mid-Morning Show (Daire Nelson), on a couple of occasions over the summer, had Andy as an interview guest to speak about the commemoration event and the publication of his book, which generated much interest and feedback from listeners around the north-east region, including Greenore, Co. Louth – the birthplace of Radio Caroline.

 For more information and purchase details, check out: www.manxgiant.com

Postscript: The success of the Radio Caroline Commemoration Event  last September has prompted Manx National Heritage (MNH) to extend the run of the Caroline Exhibition through this summer (2009). Andy Wint’s book on the history of Radio Caroline (Manx Giant) quickly sold out, leading to a second (revised and updated) edition to be published, which is due out around now.