Bilingual community radio station Erris FM, also known as Iorras FM, broadcasts to the Erris region of north-west Mayo every Friday and Saturday throughout the year. It began in 1995 as a special events station and broadcast every summer for eight years until 2002, when problems with suitable premises became insurmountable. Widespread community support helped the station return to air and they eventually opened their new studios in the Áras Inis Gluaire arts centre in Belmullet.
One popular programme was ‘Back on the Road’. For the station’s run in 2011 it was mentioned in the Mayo Advertiser…
Back on the Road is now running on Saturdays in the Iorras FM studio at Áras Inis Gluaire. This programme from 1pm to 2pm is a chance to join in with stories and music from days gone by. This is an open invitation to anyone who would like to join in reminiscing on the history of Erris.
In 2008 it was available on 106.8MHz from Tuesday August 5th through to September 3rd, on the air every day bar Sundays from 11am. In 2009 they ran from July to October.
Throughout the 2010s they virtually broadcast every Friday and Saturday.
Staffed by volunteers, they support the community by airing programmes which are of interest and or showcase the diverse local area which they serve. They broadcast bilingually and at least 2 programmes per week are in Irish only.
Presenters include Damian Reilly, Colm Henry, Ann Marie Healy, James Cafferkey, Ian McAndrew, James Munnelly, Lindsey Bright, Stephen Donoghue, Tony Conway,
Music played includes Traditional Irish, American Country, Irish Country, Jazz, Blues, Classical, Pop, Punk, Rock, Heavy Rock, Easy Listening, Alternative, Dance, R&B,
The station’s postal address is Belmullet Civic Centre, Sráid Na Heaglaise,
Belmullet, Co. Mayo. Telephone number is 097 81079, text number is 086 6699908 and the email address is errisfm@gmail.com.
Radiowaves Newspaper Archives
Connaught Telegraph – July 14th 2015
Erris fm programme on Dr Tom Kelly wins national radio award
YOUNG Kelly – the two-part documentary series produced by Erris FM and broadcast in the early part of the year – has won a prestigious radio award at the recent CRAOL Achievement Awards.
The programmes told the the story of a young Tom Kelly from his school days in Glenamoy through his time in college and university to his many years as a rural family doctor serving the people of Erris.
The series gave a unique insight into the lives of country people in the early years of the Irish state, following the story of a young Tom Kelly as he strove to qualify as a doctor, gaining experience abroad before returning to his native Belmullet to serve as a family doctor for more than 60 years.
In the programme, Dr. Kelly illustrates clearly the high levels of poverty in Erris in the ’40s and ’50s and how this impacted on health, infant mortality, childhood diseases and the poor outcomes of adult disease.
The series will be re-broadcast over the following few weeks on Erris FM on Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. Tune in to Erris FM every Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on 90.8 FM, or online at www.errisfm.com.
Resources for Erris FM
The station’s website is at errisfmradio.com
The Facebook page is here…
The Twitter page is here…
Listen back to archived programmes on Mixcloud by tapping here…