Saor Raidió Chonamara (Free Radio

Connemara Connemara ( ; ) is a region on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, ...

) was an

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

pirate radio Pirate radio is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license, whether an invalid license or no license at all. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are rec ...

station that was formed out of frustration over the lack of Irish-language media by the civil rights movement Gluaiseacht Cearta Sibhialta. The station was inspired by "Radio Free Derry" set up at the outbreak of

the Troubles The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed t ...

in 1969. Seosamh Ó Cuaig, one of the key organisers, announced in the Connacht Tribune on 17 October 1969 that a fully Irish-language pirate station was being planned, noting that a transmitter could be acquired for £50. With technical support from Micheál Ó hÉalaithe, an engineering student at

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) () is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork (city), Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of three Queen's Universit ...

, Saor-Raidió Chonamara made its debut broadcast on 1484 kHz (202 metres) from a caravan in Ros Muc on Saturday 28 March 1970. The station remained on the air until Sunday 5 April, and resumed later that year in November to coincide with the Oireachtas na nGael festival, also hosted in Ros Muc. The station gained some press coverage (it was featured in the ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray backgrou ...

'' once and in the regional press). These transmissions in the

Gaeltacht A ( , , ) is a district of Ireland, either individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The districts were first officially recognised ...

were illegal (

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, ...

had the monopoly at the time). The station's success helped force the

Irish Government The Government of Ireland () is the executive authority of Ireland, headed by the , the head of government. The government – also known as the cabinet – is composed of ministers, each of whom must be a member of the , which consists of ...

to establish

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 ...

which finally came on the air in 1972.

External links

a first hand account of one man's experiences with Free Radio Connemara

Irish media and cinema: A chapter in a book on Irish culture and customs
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saor Raidio Chonamara Pirate radio stations in Ireland Irish-language radio stations 1970 establishments in Ireland Culture in County Galway Mass media in County Galway