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Independent Radio Dundalk is a new FREE community media project that we are running between September and December 2021 and it is supported by the Communities Integration Fund. If you would like to join us email info@dundalkfm.ie or call 042 93 95 100 and ask to reserve your place. You will have the choice to do the class online or come into our training room. We will introduce you to radio work such as compiling running orders and scripting links. We will show you how to work the sound desk, use a digital recorder and how to edit audio recordings. This introductory class runs for three sessions each lasting an hour and a half. Mornings from 10.00 to 11.30 Afternoons 3.00 – 4.30 or Evenings 7.00 – 8.30 You will be in a small group of four people. Each of the groups will have their programmes broadcast on the Independent Radio Dundalk Series that will begin on Sunday afternoons starting in September. So if you would like to meet some new people and have some fun call 93 95 100 or email info@dundalkfm.ie today to book a place. Training Resources News SAMPLE Community Notices SAMPLE 25 Min Show Running Order1 Programme Report AROUND THE TOWN Philip O Brien, Town Talk Presenter and Louisa Moss from Group 1. Mark Corcoran and Ena McGrath, Group 2. Ryan Sheerin, Jane McDermot and Caroline Byrne, Group 5. Michael Murray, Micaela Ottaviani and Angela DelDuca, Group 6. Programme Proposal 2020
Nov 22 Orla Crilly presents a new Friday night show at 7 pm featuring new releases.
Nov 22 2nd Monday at 8 pm Louisa Moss hosts a music show with mainly Irish indie music with a strong slant on diversity.
Dundalk FM is pleased to offer Work Experience opportunities to Transition Year, PLC, Adult Education and 3rd level Students. If you are a TY or PLC Student, please download and complete this application form and return it to info@dundalkfm.ie. TY-and-PLC-Work-Experience025026-Application-Form Month/2025 TY and PLC Work Experience Dates available October 6th – 10th November 3rd – 7th 2026 January 12th – 16th February 9th – 13th March 2nd – 6th April 13th -17th If you are in Adult Education or on a 3rd level course please email info@dundalkfm.ie with the details of the request for work experience.
When Jim Ryan joined us in 2003, he presented a classical music programme from half past 12 until one o clock on Sunday for the duration of the temporary Community Radio Station Dundalk Weekend Radio DWR107 FM. His son Stephen came in as his Sound Desk Operator selecting the CD track numbers. Jim would have spent hours listening to each track just to get the right sequence for his weekly playlist. Jim’s knowledge of classical music was immense. He introduced us to baritone, bass, mezzo-soprano, contralto, countertenor, arias, chorus and overtures. Jim often said that he would have liked to do a Jazz programme and that would have been quite something to tune in to. Jim’s daughter, Vanessa shortly afterwards followed her Dad’s footsteps into radio and presented a history programme called Time Detectives. Vanessa interviewed many local and national archaeology professors and experts and also stood in to present Classic Sounds on occasion. When the station received its full-time community radio service contract in September 2004, Jim presented a midday Current Affairs show. He kept the Classic Sounds programme on Sunday, moving it to one hour. During the ensuing years, myself and our Weekend Duty Staff who worked the sound desk for Jim got to chat with the listeners who rang in asking for a request. Sundays had a certain routine – Joe Martin presented Magic Moments from 10 am to 12 pm, followed by Jim Ryan and Classic Sounds from 12 pm to 1 pm, Joe Duffy followed at 1 pm with Showband Street, Tom Gernon at 2 pm with Back to the Sixties and Jimmy Neary (with his wife Marita taking the phone requests) with Shades of Green from 3 pm to 5 pm. In the recent past, Jim’s weekly show was curated and kept on air by Tony Moran. So, we’ll bid adieu, slán to our radio colleague Jim Ryan. Thank you for bringing your wealth of knowledge of Classical Music to the listeners and for your considerable contribution to the success of the Community Radio Service – Dundalk FM. Alan Byrne Manager Jim Ryan presents Classic Sounds every Sunday at 12.00 noon.
Engaging migrants through community radio Twenty New Voices: How Dundalk FM Used Radio to Build Belonging The project began with a simple belief. People who are building a new life in Dundalk should have the opportunity to tell their own stories, in their own voices, on their own community station. Dundalk FM • Community radio training and participation When people move to a new country, they are often talked about long before anybody asks to hear from them.Statistics describe them. Headlines debate them. Policies categorise them. But a microphone can change the direction of the conversation. In 2018, Dundalk FM set out to welcome 20 new migrant voices into its community radio service. The goal was not to create a single programme about migration and then move on. It was to give new contributors the skills, confidence, and weekly space to become part of local broadcasting. 20new voices A place within the station Participants would learn how community radio works, develop practical broadcasting skills, and contribute through a weekly reporter slot. Integration becomes real when people are not merely welcomed into the audience, but trusted with the microphone. Learning how to tell a story on air The training began with the foundations of community radio. Participants explored why a community-owned station exists, how a programme is structured, and what responsibilities come with speaking on air. They learned about running orders, programme links, formats, features, health and safety, and the legal importance of avoiding libel. These were not abstract classroom topics. Each lesson prepared participants to make real radio for real listeners. The project aimed to bring 20 new migrant voices into Dundalk FM through training and regular participation. Then came the microphones, faders, and first recordings Knowing the purpose of community radio was only the beginning. The next step was learning how to make it. Control the soundSet microphone and music levels using the studio sound desk. Record a confident linkIntroduce a subject clearly and guide listeners through a programme. Edit audioShape recorded voices and programme elements into a finished piece. Create a promotionGive listeners a reason to discover an upcoming show or feature. Research local informationFind a news item or community notice and prepare it responsibly. Build a magazine programmeBring several voices and subjects together in a 25 minute format. Every exercise moved the participants closer to the same powerful moment: hearing something they had researched, recorded, and created coming back through the speakers. Media literacy is also a form of confidence The project was designed to develop more than technical ability. Participants could share their experiences with the wider community, explain what they had learned to the groups they represented, and better understand how media stories are selected, framed, and presented. That matters because media literacy changes a person’s relationship with information. A participant no longer hears a radio report only as a listener. They understand the research, choices, editing, and responsibility behind it. The deeper skill was agency. Participants were learning how to move from being represented by the media to becoming active contributors within it. New voices make local radio more local Dundalk has been shaped by people who arrived from many countries, carrying languages, music, memories, skills, businesses, family traditions, and new ways of seeing the town. If those experiences are missing from local radio, the station cannot fully reflect the community outside its door. A weekly reporter slot offered something valuable to everyone. New contributors gained access to the airwaves. Listeners heard experiences they might not encounter in their everyday lives. Community groups gained members with practical communication skills. Dundalk FM became more representative of the place it served. From a training room to a wider culture of participation The project sat within a longer history of Dundalk FM training people from migrant and international communities. Later station records describe Dundalk International trainees, free radio courses for migrants and refugee women, and programmes that explored migration experiences through collaboration. A national report on the social benefits of community radio also documented projects designed to challenge xenophobia by creating direct contact with migrant experiences. Training, teamwork, and participant-led interviews helped replace second-hand assumptions with real voices. This approach still matches the current values described in Dundalk FM’s mission as an inclusive community station. The station welcomes participation from established and newer communities, recruits volunteers from across Dundalk, and offers supportive training without requiring previous broadcasting experience. A photograph can show training. A voice can show belonging. The photographs from the first workshop were taken by Lucie Mingmei Hao, then a fourth-year TV and Film student at Dundalk Institute of Technology. They capture people learning, listening, trying equipment, and working alongside one another. But the true result of a radio project cannot be contained in a photograph. It is heard when somebody introduces a community story with confidence. When a listener recognises their own experience on air. When a participant realises that an accent is not something to hide, but part of the voice they bring to Dundalk. Who has not been heard yet? That question remains essential for every community station. Dundalk continues to change, and its radio service must keep making room for the people, languages, cultures, and stories that now form part of local life. If you or your community group has a story to share, explore the Dundalk FM community hub, contact the station about taking part, or listen live to the voices already on air. This article was researched, refreshed and prepared for Dundalk FM by Astory Media, helping local organisations turn valuable archive material into engaging digital content. Dundalk FM 97.7, a community sounds most like itself when everyone has the chance to be heard
Organized by UNESCO in partnership with WHO, Remote Radio Week is an online training programme aimed at building the capacity of local radio stations to produce accurate and professional radio content in the event of containment measures or emergencies, including financial difficulties. The programme, which will also be available on demand, will cover the several thematic areas, with particular reference to the pandemic crisis. The programme targets radio operators, professionals and managers worldwide with a particular attention to the needs of local radio stations. Remote Radio Week will propose distinct programmes in English, French, Spanish and Arabic each day, featuring experts, examples, debates and technical tips for the audience. Lots of tips available on remote broadcasting on UNESCO Remote Radio Week https://www.remote-radio-week.org/
On the first Saturday Night of the month, Andy McKenna brings you back to the 1980s with his choice of music.
Swing dance tunes from the Lindy Hop scene. Contemporary and vintage big band jazz, and ‘swingified’ pop covers with Sean Fegan every Wednesday night at 9.00 pm. To catch up on Sean’s previous Swing Dance Dundalk programmes, click below.
A monthly show featuring music from Latin and Central America, the Caribbean Islands and beyond with Alan Byrne. You’re invited to La Cantina on the 1st Saturday of the month at 9.00 pm. Christopher Praveen from Tamil Nadu, India was Apal Byrne’s guest on 2nd July 2022. நீங்கள் கேட்டுக்கொண்டிருப்பது டண்டல்க் எப்எம். நான் உங்கள் கிறிஸ்டோபர். இந்த வாரம் சனிக்கிழமை 9 மணிக்கு “லா கேண்டினா” நிகச்சியில் உங்கள் அலன் பைரனுடன் பேசப் போகிறேன். மறக்காம கேளுங்க. சூப்பரான பாடல்கள். உங்கள் டண்டல்க் எஃப்எமில் 97.7. இது உங்கள் எஃப்எம் மச்சி https://www.mixcloud.com/DundalkFMMixcloud/la-cantina2020702-christopher-praveen/ https://www.mixcloud.com/DundalkFMMixcloud/la-cantina0210703-micaela-ottaviani-argentina/ https://www.mixcloud.com/DundalkFMMixcloud/la-cantina0201107-ines-khai-guadaloupe/ Joe Cuba Sextet My Shawl Alfred Sadel Ay! Marmita Alfred Sadel Ay! Marmita Blas Hernandez Que Nos Perdone Dios Blas Hernandez Tormenta Blas Hernandez Tormenta Celeste Mendoza Sobre Una Tumba Una Rumba Celeste Mendoza Sobre Una Tumba Una Rumba Celia Cruz Agua Pa’ Mi Celia Cruz Reine Rumba Celia Cruz Vengan A La Charanga Celia Cruz La Mucura Celia Cruz Suavecito Celia Cruz Vengan A La Charanga Celia Cruz La Mucura Celia Cruz Suavecito Celio Gonzalez Y La Sonora Mantecera Besito De Coco Charlie Palmieri Taxi Driver Contijo Tequila Contijo Tequila Duo Los Compadres En El Monte Edmundo Rivero Se Salve El Pibe Hugo Del Carril La Cumparsita Hugo Del Carril La Cumparsita Joe Cuba Sextet Oye Como Va Jose Melis Su Piano Y Ritmo Magdalena Jose Melis Su Piano Y Ritmo Magdalena Lola Flores Tu Rica Boca Lola Flores Tu Rica Boca Mariachi Alemeda Carta Jugada Mariachi Alemeda Carta Jugada Tito Puente Ran Kan Kan Vincentico Valdez Como Fue Vincentico Valdez Como Fue Xavier Chugat Whatever Happened To You Xavier Chugat Siboney Xavier Chugat Begin The Beguin Xavier Chugat Duerme (Time Was Xavier Chugat Begin The Beguin Xavier Chugat Duerme (Time Was
