Digital Radio in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

is broadcast on a number of

digital terrestrial Digital terrestrial television (DTTV, DTT, or DTTB) is a technology for terrestrial television, in which television stations broadcast television content in a digital signal, digital format. Digital terrestrial television is a major technologica ...

cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

and

internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

platforms. Until 31 March 2021, official broadcasts of the full complement of radio services of Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) using the

digital audio broadcasting Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) is a digital radio international standard, standard for broadcasting digital audio radio services in many countries around the world, defined, supported, marketed and promoted by the WorldDAB organisation. T ...

standard were also available in the state. From April 2021 until the summer of 2024, unlicensed, low-powered DAB

multiplexes In telecommunications and computer networking, multiplexing (sometimes contracted to muxing) is a method by which multiple analog or digital signals are combined into one signal over a shared medium. The aim is to share a scarce resource—a ...

operated in a small number of locations.

Digital Terrestrial Television

All of RTÉ's digital radio services, and the private radio service Radio Maria Ireland, are available on

Saorview Saorview ( ) is the national digital terrestrial television (DTT) service in Ireland. It is owned by RTÉ and operated by 2RN. The service began operation on 29 October 2010 on a trial basis with a full launch on 26 May 2011. By legislation i ...

. Generic DVB receivers generally need mains power, but are typically cheaper than DAB radios. Many portable DAB radio sets have th to th of the running time of an AM/FM set, typically giving only 6 hours use. There are also in-dash DVB Terrestrial receivers for cars, though it is illegal for the driver to watch the TV channels.

Digital Satellite

A number of public and private radio services from Ireland are available nationwide on both Saorsat and

Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the planetary surface, surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from ...

where 99% of geographic coverage is possible.

Internet Radio

A number of public and private radio services are available across the state from broadband internet and mobile phone networks receivable on

smartphone A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multi ...

Internet radio device An Internet radio device, also called network music player is a hardware device that is capable of receiving and playing streaming media, streamed media from either Internet radio stations or a home network. Background Streaming media became main ...

s and

smart speaker A smart speaker is a type of loudspeaker and voice command device with an integrated virtual assistant (artificial intelligence), virtual assistant that offers interactive actions and Hands-free computing, hands-free activation with the help of o ...

Digital Audio Broadcasting

Digital Audio Broadcasting Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) is a digital radio international standard, standard for broadcasting digital audio radio services in many countries around the world, defined, supported, marketed and promoted by the WorldDAB organisation. T ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

is due to be trialled for 12 months beginning Spring 2025 b
Fáilte DAB
Both Wireless Ireland and

Bauer Media Heinrich Bauer Publishing (), trade name, trading as Bauer Media Group, is a German multimedia conglomerate headquartered in Hamburg. It operates worldwide and owns more than 600 magazines, over 400 digital products and 50 radio and TV stations, ...

Audio Ireland have announced plans to operate services on the platform. Currently six transmission sites are being utilised using frequency blocks 5B, 7D and 10D

Services on Fáilte DAB

* Classic Hits 80s * Q102 * Freedom * LaserHits *

Newstalk Newstalk (formerly NewsTalk 106) is a national independent radio station in Ireland. It is operated by News 106 Limited, a subsidiary of Bauer Media Audio Ireland, and broadcasts under a sound broadcasting contract with the Broadcasting Aut ...

Nova A nova ( novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white ...

Xtra * Onic Alternative * Onic Country * Onic Gold * Onic Hits * Onic Kids * Onic Movies * Onic Rock * Onic R&B * Onic 80s * Rí-Rá * Rewind *

SPIN Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

* Spirit * Sunshine Soul Radio *

Today FM Today FM is an Irish commercial FM radio station, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio Ireland Limited. Broadcasting since 17 March 1997, it broadcasts mostly music, with a daily news and current affairs programme. Today FM holds a licen ...

* UCB Ireland * 8Radio. Prior to this, a number of national multiplexes in the republic have ceased transmissions. A small number of unlicensed low-powered, small-scale DAB multiplexes did run in the state after the cessation of the RTÉ DAB multiplex, but they all ceased during the summer of 2024. Areas near the border of

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

can receive overspill reception of UK national, Northern Ireland local and small scale multiplexes.

Former National Multiplexes

DAB Ireland Mux1 (RTÉ - 2006 to 2021)

The first national public service multiplex operated on Block 12C (227.360 MHz) by RTÉ from just five transmitters:

Three Rock Three Rock Mountain (; archaism, archaic: ''Sliabh Ruadh'') is a mountain in County Dublin, Ireland. It is high and forms part of the group of hills in the Dublin Mountains which comprises Two Rock, Three Rock, Kilmashogue and Tibradden Mou ...

, Co. Dublin;

Kippure Kippure (; ) at , is the 56th-highest peak in Ireland on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Arderins, Arderin scale, and the 72nd-highest peak on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Vandeleur-Lynams, Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (September ...

, Co. Wicklow; Clermont Carn, Co. Louth; Spur Hill, Cork; and Woodcock Hill, Limerick. Hence the service was only available in parts of Ireland. Its line-up has varied considerably since its launch on 1 January 2006. All stations were provided by

RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...

. It carried the following stations:DAB Ensembles Worldwide , Ireland
/ref> *

RTÉ Radio 1 RTÉ Radio 1 () is an Irish national radio station owned and operated by RTÉ and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926. The total budget for the station in 2010 w ...

, 128 kbit/s Stereo * RTÉ Radio 1 Extra, 64 kbit/s Mono (part-time service, used bandwidth from Chill) *

RTÉ 2fm RTÉ 2fm, or 2FM as it is more commonly referred to, is an Irish radio station operated by RTÉ. The station specialises in current popular music and chart hits and is the second national radio station in Ireland. History The station commenc ...

, 128 kbit/s Stereo *

RTÉ lyric fm RTÉ Lyric FM (stylised as RTÉ lyric fm) is an Irish classical music, jazz and arts radio station, owned and operated by RTÉ. The station, which is based in Limerick, was launched in 1999 and is available on 96-99 FM throughout Ireland (in ...

, 160 kbit/s Stereo *

RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta (; "Radio of the Gaeltacht"), abbreviated RnaG, is an Irish language radio station owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). The station is available on FM in Ireland and via satellite and on the inter ...

, 112 kbit/s Stereo * RTÉ Gold, 128 kbit/s Stereo *

RTÉ 2XM RTÉ 2XM (stylised as "RTE 2>digital radio service of the RTÉ Junior, 128 kbit/s Stereo (07:00-21:00, timeshared a slot with RTÉ Chill). Drops to 96 kbit/s Mono when required * RTÉ Chill, 128 kbit/s Stereo (21:00-07:00, timeshared a slot with RTÉ Junior). Drops to 96 kbit/s Mono when required * RTÉ Pulse, 128 kbit/s Stereo. It was proposed to close the RTÉ DAB service as well as the Digital only RTÉ radio channels as part of the November 2019 cost saving plan. This proposed closure was set to take place in April 2020 but was delayed pending review through the outcome of a commissioned report. In March 2021, RTÉ announced that it is to cease transmission of its radio services on the Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) network on 31 March 2021. A report commissioned by the broadcaster found that just 0.5% of adults in Ireland listen to radio via DAB while 77% of adults in Ireland listen on FM.

DAB Ireland Mux2

;2007–08 No longer operating since November 2008, this multiplex launched in mid-March 2007 and operated from Three Rock Mountain and Clermont Carn on Block 12A (223.936 MHz). It carried ten services: four stations supplied by

Communicorp Bauer Media Audio Ireland (formerly Communicorp Group) is a media holding company based in Ireland, owned by Bauer Media Group. History Communicorp Group Ltd was formed by Denis O'Brien in 1989. It launched its radio operations in Ireland that ...

, two by Digital Audio Productions, two by UTV Radio, and two privately held. As of July 2008, it consisted of: * All 80s, 128 kbit/s Stereo * Dublin's 98FM, 128 kbit/s Stereo *

FM104 FM104 is an independent local radio station broadcast across Dublin, Ireland, on the frequency 104.4 MHz. It is operated by Capital Radio Productions Limited (unconnected with, and not to be confused with, Capital Radio plc), and is a sub ...

, 128 kbit/s Stereo * Mocha, 128 kbit/s Stereo *

, 64 kbit/s Mono *

Phantom FM TXFM (formerly Phantom 105.2) was a Dublin-based radio station, founded in 1997 as a pirate radio station. TXFM broadcast under a contract awarded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI). The station ceased broadcasting on 26 October 2016 ...

, 128 kbit/s Stereo * Q102, 128 kbit/s Stereo *

Radio Kerry Radio Kerry is a full-service, licensed radio station that operates from the franchise area of County Kerry in Southwest Ireland. Radio Kerry was established in 1989 and began broadcasting on 14 July 1990.Today FM Today FM is an Irish commercial FM radio station, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio Ireland Limited. Broadcasting since 17 March 1997, it broadcasts mostly music, with a daily news and current affairs programme. Today FM holds a licen ...

, 128 kbit/s Stereo *

SPIN 1038 SPIN 1038 (or simply SPIN; pronounced "spin one-oh-three-eight") is a local radio station in Dublin, Ireland. It is owned by Bauer Media Audio Ireland and broadcasts on 103.8 FM under a sound broadcasting contract with the Broadcasting Auth ...

, 128 kbit/s Stereo * Raidió Rí-Rá Radio stations licensed by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland ceased broadcasting on Ireland's second digital radio multiplex (Mux 2) on Sunday, 30 November 2008. The stations were broadcasting on Mux 2 as part of a digital radio trial. RTÉ continues to broadcast on the RTÉ multiplex.

ComReg The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) () is the general communications regulator for Ireland, covering almost all possible types of communications. Founded on 1 December 2002, ComReg took over from the Office of the Director of ...

and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland are currently exploring regulatory frameworks for digital radio multiplex licensing and broadcast licences.

DB Digital Broadcasting (2012 to 2017)

DB Digital Broadcasting launched a national multiplex in some areas of Ireland in July 2012. Plans to expand to Limerick were dropped in 2014. The multiplex closed on 30 June 2017 due to a lack of enthusiasm for DAB from the commercial sector and after its licence from ComReg expired. The operator was attempting to relaunch a national service after the announcement of the closure of the first national multiplex.

Trial Multiplexes

DAB was launched to the public on 30 November 2006, with a number of trials taking place in 1998, 2001 and 2006. Before April 2021, 52% of Ireland's population — mainly in Counties

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

and

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

and the North East – could receive permanent DAB services. Geographic coverage on a portable or car radio was much less. The service began to be marketed in May 2007 by a collective of commercial broadcasters, digitalradio.ie; and receivers to this day are still sold by most major electronics retailers. Since 2010, a number of privately run trial broadcasts have been made.

Trial multiplex

= FáilteDAB (Spring 2025 - Spring 2026)

Fáilte DAB
were granted a licence by ComReg to commence a one year DAB+ trial starting in Spring 2025 for a multiplex that will cover six transmitter sites across the eastern part of the republic with the view to expand nationally during the trial period.

Former trial multiplexes

= South-East (TOTAL-DAB) DAB trials (2010 to 2012)

= DAB and DAB+ trials were begun in April 2010 in the South-East area of Ireland on channel 9B (204.64 MHz) by Total Broadcast Consultants Ltd, a broadcast engineering company. The company initially obtained a 1-year test and trial licence from ComReg to perform tests from sites, initially just in Waterford City. But from mid May, the trial multiplex was expanded to cover much of the South East of Ireland via a high site in the Blackstairs Mountains, providing coverage in Co. Wexford, Co. Carlow, Co. Kilkenny and East Co. Waterford. In March 2011, a 1-year extension was granted. This was the first DAB multiplex in Ireland to be operated by an independent/private organisation (RTÉ NL operating previous multiplexes), and the first known broadcasts of DAB+ content in Ireland. In addition to all local and regional radio stations, it was carrying several stations previously unavailable in the region. Past trial participants have included Christmas FM, Zenith Classic Rock & Raidió Rí-Rá. * 4fm, 160 kbit/s Stereo * Beat 102 103, 192 kbit/s Stereo *

Sunshine Sunlight is the portion of the electromagnetic radiation which is emitted by the Sun (i.e. solar radiation) and received by the Earth, in particular the visible light perceptible to the human eye as well as invisible infrared (typically per ...

, 128 kbit/s Stereo * KCLR 96FM, 48 kbit/s DAB+ Stereo *

, 128 kbit/s Stereo * Radio Nova, 192 kbit/s Stereo *

RTÉ 2XM RTÉ 2XM (stylised as "RTE 2>digital radio service of the South East Radio South East Radio is an Irish radio station based in County Wexford, broadcasting at 95.6; 96.2, and 96.4 MHz., The station also broadcasts on the same frequencies into adjoining counties - including Wicklow, Carlow, Kilkenny and Waterford. South ...

, 88 kbit/s DAB+ Stereo *

talkSPORT Talksport (styled as talkSPORT) is a sports radio station in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, owned by News Broadcasting. Its content includes live coverage of sporting events, interviews with the leading names in sport and entertai ...

, 56 kbit/s Mono * Tipp FM, 56 kbit/s DAB+ Stereo * UCB Ireland, 32 kbit/s AAC+ *

WLR FM WLR FM, or more commonly WLR (Waterford Local Radio) is the local radio station covering Waterford City and County, Ireland. It was named the IMRO (Irish Music Rights Organisation) "Local Station of the Year" in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2024 ...

, 64 kbit/s AAC+ Stereo

= Dublin 2018 trial

= A test service in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

served parts of the city on Channels 5A and 5B carrying both RTÉ and Independent local radio services from both Dublin and Cork.

= Cork City 2018/19 DAB Trial (éirdab)

= A small scale DAB trial launched in August 2018 in Cork City, Ireland on channel 11A (216.928 MHz). It was operated by Viamux Ltd (éirdab), a DAB/DAB+ digital radio solutions company. éirdab has a 1-year test and trial licence from

Comreg The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) () is the general communications regulator for Ireland, covering almost all possible types of communications. Founded on 1 December 2002, ComReg took over from the Office of the Director of ...

to perform tests from a site in Cork City. éirdab has invited all local and regional radio stations to join the multiplex. It also carried stations previously unavailable to listeners in the area. Stations include: *

Radio Maria Radio Maria, formally known as The World Family of Radio Maria, is an international Roman Catholicism, Catholic radio broadcasting service founded in Erba (CO), Erba, province of Como, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milan, diocese of Milan ...

, 128 kbit/s Stereo *

United Christian Broadcasters United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) is an international Christian broadcasting and media group, founded by Rhema Media. Through affiliates in twenty five countries, it operates radio and television stations and publishes and broadcasts Bob G ...

, 128 kbit/s Stereo * Juice Cork, 192 kbit/s Stereo

Former unlicensed DAB multiplexes

A small number of unlicensed independent DAB multiplexes were available in a few locations until the summer of 2024.

Ireland FreeDAB Network (FreeDAB)

The FreeDAB network carried a number of low-powered multiplexes in Cork, Dublin, the north and north east of Ireland and Sligo. The broadcaster was raided by the Garda in 2020 and resumed broadcasting in Cork, Dublin, Sligo, Waterford, Dundalk, Limerick. These transmissions have ceased.

References

External links