'After leaving Boyneside Radio in March 1982, I was looking for some work to keep the wolf from the door. My friend and colleague Eric Vaughan suggested that I try Radio Carousel in Navan. So, I recorded a demo in the Boyneside studio and dropped it in to a contact that Eric knew. Within a couple of days I got a call from, I think, Tony Farrelly asking me to join Radio Carousel in Navan. That is a story in itself, but for this I would like to cover my time with the Carousel station in Castleblayney, County Monaghan.
I was a little wary of working so close to the so called “Bandit Country” just a few miles across the border in South Armagh. However, I was assured by Eric that there would be no problems.
The station was already on the air relaying the output from Dundalk on 1062 khz. The transmitter and aerial were located just outside the town at the Big Tom recording studios. The output was probably around 400 watts and probably built by Bill Ebrill. This location was where the original Big M was located in the 1979/80 period. I was to find out the connection when I was introduced to Tommy Toal (aka Fat Sam) who would be presenting a morning programme on Carousel. Tommy was the main man behind the first Big M and was one of the pioneers of local community radio in the area.
The studios were in a room in the Big Tom building. Eric, Tommy and myself would present the bulk of the days programmes, with Hugh Hardy coming across from Dundalk for the first week to present his “Hugh Hardy Special” in which he would give away £100 to a lucky listener. I remember one lady who was doing well and getting further in the quiz than Hugh expected. This was the Tuesday and he planned to have a winner on the Friday! I can remember his panic as he rummaged for his “difficult questions” and managed to thwart the listeners progress.
The journey from Drogheda or Dundalk, depending on where we were, was for me always worrying. There was a route from Dundalk to ‘Blaney that did not necessitate crossing the border, but it added quite a bit on the journey. Eric was always more interested in the direct route which involved crossing into the North through an RUC checkpoint and after a few miles through South Armagh, crossing back into County Monaghan through another checkpoint. Of course this was during the height of the conflict and checkpoints were always vulnerable to attack. Although the chances of being in the wrong place at the wrong time were slim, it did worry me.
I spent several weeks travelling to Castleblaney, but Hugh’s focus seemed to go back to Drogheda and Eric and I were then sent to be part of the live programming from the Boyne Valley Hotel in the town. The transmitter on 1413 kHz normally just relayed the Dundalk station, but Hugh had decided to try again to establish the station in the town. I had left by the time the live programmes were terminated, probably around July 1982.
As for Castleblaney, Hugh had offered me the station manager job there, but I just felt uncomfortable being so close to the border. I was only 20 years old and had not yet sussed the area. Had it been a year or two later I probably would have accepted. Live programmes continued with Tommy, but he also left probably around July to re-start Big M along with Frank Morgan. The transmitter remained on air for a period, but was then re-located, perhaps to the border near Jonesborough, but I am not sure.'