Jun 15, 2026 · 33 min · 12 segments
The 1980s was the decade in Ireland in which Pirate Radio hit both its peak, and also its lowest point when legislation enforced blanket closures. Except of course for Radio Dublin – under Eamon Cooke…
No entities detected.
John LeonardGuest
Nicoline GreerThe one thing that did come from it was Cooke found out.
Yes.
Don't ask me.
It's not clear if Gardai tipped Cooke off or questioned him, but either way, Anne was left facing the consequences of Cooke now knowing she had complained about him to Gardai.
And he arrived at my workplace, and he walked into the shop.
And there was people coming, uh, in and out.
I was there on my own, and he just stood there and stood there.
And then eventually, after maybe 10 minutes, 15 minutes, it was just him facing me.
And so he walked up closer, and he said, "20 Rothmans, please." I said, "Get the fuck out of here." And then he turned, and he went into a rage.
"I'll be back," all that kind of threats.
And he did come back, only this time he came back with a little girl, a little girl who was maybe seven, eight, and he sent her into the shop.
And she was crying when she came in.
Now, when I look back on that, I'm thinking, "I should've called the guards.
I should've said, 'Grab that child.'" But you're in your own frozen fear.
You know, I was only 18, 19.
It's one of my greatest regrets, that little girl's face.
We don't know who the little girl in Cooke's company was, but she was clearly under his control, clearly another victim.
Throughout the 1980s, the number of Cooke's victims began to grow exponentially.
Through both new victims reaching out to us and through research, our producers, Nicoline and Shauna, can give us a glimpse into some of those experiences.
The one thing that did come from it was Cooke found out.
Yes.
Don't ask me.
It's not clear if Gardai tipped Cooke off or questioned him, but either way, Anne was left facing the consequences of Cooke now knowing she had complained about him to Gardai.
And he arrived at my workplace, and he walked into the shop.
And there was people coming, uh, in and out.
I was there on my own, and he just stood there and stood there.
And then eventually, after maybe 10 minutes, 15 minutes, it was just him facing me.
And so he walked up closer, and he said, "20 Rothmans, please." I said, "Get the fuck out of here." And then he turned, and he went into a rage.
"I'll be back," all that kind of threats.
And he did come back, only this time he came back with a little girl, a little girl who was maybe seven, eight, and he sent her into the shop.
And she was crying when she came in.
Now, when I look back on that, I'm thinking, "I should've called the guards.
I should've said, 'Grab that child.'" But you're in your own frozen fear.
You know, I was only 18, 19.
It's one of my greatest regrets, that little girl's face.
We don't know who the little girl in Cooke's company was, but she was clearly under his control, clearly another victim.
Throughout the 1980s, the number of Cooke's victims began to grow exponentially.
Through both new victims reaching out to us and through research, our producers, Nicoline and Shauna, can give us a glimpse into some of those experiences.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.