BLB Sounds From The Past
This series takes listeners through the incredible history of a community radio station formerly based in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland which was launched in 1979. The station began as a pirate radio operation, challenging conventional broadcasting norms and setting the stage for global innovation in community radio. The series, told from the perspective of one of its founders, Mark Quinn, provides a deeply personal account of the station’s journey and its profound impact on everyone who was in its orbit.
Credits:
Sound recording by Mike Quinn
Sound mixing by Luke Conlon
High Wire Post Production, Dublin, Ireland
www.highwire.ie
Artwork by Jody Hogg Design
www.jodyhogg.com
Produced and presented by Mark Quinn
The copyright for this podcast series is owned by Mark Quinn and is hereby reserved.
Episodes
14 episodes
Colbert Martin
This 1987 'stream of consciousness' was recorded in the home of a man whose name is practically synonymous with the preservation of local heritage in Bray. The writer, historian and true Bray character, Colbert Martin.If you have ever pi...
Gladys Sheehan, Mike Murphy & Bill Scott
A true local legend, a flamboyant, larger-than-life actress, drama teacher and theatre producer; first up in this archive podcast is Gladys Sheehan. Known affectionately to many as the Grande Dame of Bray, Gladys ran renowned drama schools in B...
Joe Loughman
Joe Loughman is a man whose name is woven into the very fabric of civic and sporting life in the town of Bray, County Wicklow in Ireland.Anyone who was ever involved in community groups in Bray, would have likely come across Joe’s legacy...
Lady Valerie Goulding, Michael Collins & Olivia Tracey
Lady Valerie Goulding was born into English high society. Her father was Lord Monckton, who was a key legal advisor to King Edward VIII during the 1936 Abdication Crisis, and played a pivotal role in negotiating the constitutional terms of the ...
Niall Lynch & Hazel O'Connor
Back in the mid-1970s, the traffic layout on Bray Seafront was very different from how it is today. To handle the summer tourist rush, the then Bray Urban District Council ran a seasonal system. In the winter, Strand Road was a standard two-way...
John Wilson & Éamon de Buitléar
From Saturday 13th Oct 1990 and the studios of Horizon Radio, Bray, County Wicklow in Ireland. In the studio chairs either side of host Mark Quinn are two men who, in their own unique ways, became guardians of Ireland’s natural world.Joh...
Bonus Episode: BLB The Last Broadcast
BLB - Bray Local Broadcasting ceased broadcasting for good at the end of December 1988, bringing to a close more than nine years of service to the local community.Launched in 1979, the station became a beloved fixture in the area, kn...
Bonus Episode: What Happened After BLB?
Despite a nearly ten year on-air and behind the scenes campaign in the 1980's to establish community radio in Bray, County Wicklow and the securing of a legal licence in 1989 by the North Wicklow Community Radio Co-op, we do not have a station ...
6. Closing The Fader on BLB
There were tears in the studio at the end of December 1988 when the faders were finally closed on the BLB mixing desk and the transmitter was silenced for good. In this final episode of the series, Mark Quinn muses over the lasting legacy of th...
5. BLB The Authentic Lifeline
In this episode Mark Quinn explores when BLB's listeners needed the local community radio station most, it answered the call. At a time when there was no internet or mobile phone services, BLB became the communication channel as Bray suffered t...
4. Local Politics and Commercial Breaks on BLB
In episode four of this personal journey through the development of Bray Local Broadcasting, Mark Quinn looks at how, despite the station operating outside the law, local politicians were eager to make appearances on air. The episode also trans...
3. Voices of Bray on BLB
In the third episode of this series Mark Quinn continues his journey through the history of Bray Local Broadcasting. As the 1980’s progressed BLB experienced significant growth and development, establishing itself as a potent presence in North ...
2. BLB: The Sound Way To Spend Your Day
In this second episode we learn how a determined group of young people managed to get their radio station on the air. Before launching, they carefully considered a unique approach to broadcasting. They were determined not to follow in the foots...
1. From Idea to Airwaves: The BLB Origins
In this first episode Mark Quinn takes us back to the late 1970’s to explore the origins of pirate radio in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. He reveals how Southside Radio, and later BLB, provided exciting and fresh experiences for both the deeja...
