Jun 29, 2026 · 34 min · 12 segments
Throughout the making of this series, nearly 100 people came forward - by phone, by email, or under the cover of anonymity - all with something to say about Eamon Cooke. This bonus episode features…
About half of the tips sent through to us were sent via our anonymous portal, rte.ie/piratepredator.
Others via our email, documentaries@rte.ie. And we can now listen through some of those which stretch right back to the early 1950s.
I remember the detectives arresting him in the class for the bombing of Glasnevin Cemetery monument.
He told me he was the lookout at the cemetery gates.
Another listener who got in touch sounds like they might have had a very lucky escape as a child.
Myself and my friend used to go to the station on a Sunday afternoon to answer the phones.
The station was a room in the back of the house.
One time we were there and Cooke offered to take us out in his green Jaguar to get ice cream.
We were so excited, but a woman at the station jumped up and said she was coming too.
We all piled into the car and Cooke and herself were arguing.
She always seemed on edge and we thought she was just being mean not letting us sit up front.
But when I look back, she was probably protecting us.
Another person who got in touch with us gave us some insight into just why Radio Dublin was so popular with young children.
As a child growing up in Inchicore in the early to mid '80s, we generally weren't aware of how dangerous Eamon Cooke was.
It was probably like a dirty secret nobody wanted to talk about.
So the thing that constantly attracted kids to the house was the promise of free stickers and posters that were on offer.
Back then, kids loved free stickers and the like.
I feel this was an easy way for Cooke to attract local kids to his house.
It's probably a small point, but I wonder now how many children got tangled in Cooke's web as a result of this.
It was definitely a thing in Inchicore for children to regularly visit there looking for freebies.
About half of the tips sent through to us were sent via our anonymous portal, rte.ie/piratepredator.
Others via our email, documentaries@rte.ie. And we can now listen through some of those which stretch right back to the early 1950s.
I remember the detectives arresting him in the class for the bombing of Glasnevin Cemetery monument.
He told me he was the lookout at the cemetery gates.
Another listener who got in touch sounds like they might have had a very lucky escape as a child.
Myself and my friend used to go to the station on a Sunday afternoon to answer the phones.
The station was a room in the back of the house.
One time we were there and Cooke offered to take us out in his green Jaguar to get ice cream.
We were so excited, but a woman at the station jumped up and said she was coming too.
We all piled into the car and Cooke and herself were arguing.
She always seemed on edge and we thought she was just being mean not letting us sit up front.
But when I look back, she was probably protecting us.
Another person who got in touch with us gave us some insight into just why Radio Dublin was so popular with young children.
As a child growing up in Inchicore in the early to mid '80s, we generally weren't aware of how dangerous Eamon Cooke was.
It was probably like a dirty secret nobody wanted to talk about.
So the thing that constantly attracted kids to the house was the promise of free stickers and posters that were on offer.
Back then, kids loved free stickers and the like.
I feel this was an easy way for Cooke to attract local kids to his house.
It's probably a small point, but I wonder now how many children got tangled in Cooke's web as a result of this.
It was definitely a thing in Inchicore for children to regularly visit there looking for freebies.
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