Fermoy on the airwaves

Fermoy Radio Station 1979. Jim Byrne, Fermoy waiting to go 'On Air' with Fermoy Radio Station. Pic: John O'Connell (Stritch/Bartley Collection)

When RTE Mobile Radio Studio came to Fermoy on September 11, 1978, it was the source of great excitement in the town but it was about to be the beginning of something much bigger – the creation of Fermoy Radio. 

RTE arrive

In 1975, RTE announced that they were going to bring an outside broadcast van around the country, where each community would get the chance to run their own radio station for a week and Fermoy was the first town they came to. 

The Mobile Radio Studio arrived on Monday, September 11 and parked up on New Barrack Road, despite the original plan to locate at the GAA Grounds. 

Programmes on the temporary ‘Fermoy Community Radio’ were broadcast on MW 202 and FM 96.9 from between 11.30am – 1.30pm and 4.30pm – 6.30pm on Monday 11 to Friday 15 and from 11.30pm – 1pm on Saturday 16. 

“The programmes were all about Fermoy and everyone at work was talking about it all that week,” explained Fermoy man Jim Byrne. 

Full story in our Christmas special ‘By The Fireside’ in shops now