A Listener’s Guide to the Airwaves of the Rebel County

Cork people love their radio. That is not a marketing line or a nice thing to say. The numbers prove it. The most recent listenership figures from Ipsos B&A show that Cork has the highest share of local radio listening anywhere in the country. Nearly 60 percent of all radio minutes listened in Cork go to local and regional stations. That is a full ten points higher than Dublin, where national stations still dominate.

If you live in Cork or you are just passing through, you have a rich choice of stations. Some are big commercial operations owned by international groups. Some are small community projects run by volunteers. Some exist only online. A few are pirate stations that refuse to die.

This article takes a look at what is actually on the air in Cork in 2026. We will cover the main players, the community stations, and the smaller operations that give Cork radio its character.

Cork’s Red FM: The Youth Station That Grew Up

Red FM launched on January 16, 2002. It was Ireland’s first youth radio licence, targeting the 15 to 35 age group in Cork city and county. The station came out of the ashes of Atlantic 252, the longwave station that had broadcast from Ireland to the UK and beyond. Several key people behind Red FM had worked at Atlantic 252 before it shut down in December 2001.

For its first two decades, Red FM was owned by a mix of local and Irish media interests. Thomas Crosbie Holdings, the publisher of the Irish Examiner, held a stake until it went into receivership in 2013. Landmark Media Investments picked up that share. The Irish Times Group inherited a 17.5 percent stake in 2018 when it bought Landmark.

All of that changed in March 2023. Bauer Media Audio, the German-owned group that already ran Today FM, Newstalk, and several other Irish stations, completed its acquisition of Red FM. The station is now part of a large network. In early 2024, it adopted a new tagline: “Cork’s Good Times.” That slogan came from 98FM in Dublin, which Bauer also owns.

The takeover brought major changes to the schedule. Several long-serving presenters left. Philip Bourke and Dave MacArdle, who had each been at the station for over 20 years, departed in July 2023. Isabel Bartak-Healy moved to rival station Cork’s 96FM after 12 years. Keith Cunningham returned to host a new breakfast show after the station let go of Olympian Rob Heffernan and comedian Laura O’Mahony.

Red FM still positions itself as the station for younger listeners. It plays contemporary hit music. Its news department is led by Lana O’Connor, who established it after working at Cork’s 96FM and C103 in the 1990s and later at FM104 in Dublin.

How is it doing? The latest JNLR figures show Red FM has a weekly reach of 155,000 listeners in Cork, with a market share of 18.9 percent. That makes it the most listened-to station in the city and county. It reaches more people than any other single station in Cork.

Cork’s 96FM: The Long-Running Local Favourite

If Red FM is the young upstart, Cork’s 96FM is the established voice. The station has been broadcasting for decades and built a reputation for local news, talk, and music. Its Opinion Line programme is a Cork institution, the kind of show people ring in to argue about everything from potholes to politics.

96FM is now part of the Wireless Group, which also owns C103. The two stations share resources but serve different audiences. 96FM leans toward a broad adult audience with a mix of music and talk. C103, as we will see, takes a more nostalgic approach.

The latest figures show 96FM with a prime-time market share of 16.3 percent in Cork. That is a strong position. Together with Red FM, the two commercial stations dominate the Cork radio market. Most Cork adults who listen to local radio are choosing between these two.

One interesting development in 2026: RTÉ’s 2FM moved part of its afternoon schedule to Cork. The show “2FM Afternoon” is now presented by Demi Isaac from the station’s Cork studio, alongside Mikey O’Reilly in Dublin. Both presenters won their roles through an internal competition at the station. It is a small but notable sign that Cork’s broadcasting infrastructure matters beyond just local output.

C103: The Greatest Hits Station

C103 launched in 1990 as a sister station to Cork’s 96FM. It shares the same owner, the Wireless Group. But its format is different. Where 96FM mixes music and talk for a general audience, C103 focuses on what it calls “Cork’s Greatest Hits.”

That means the playlist leans heavily on music from the 1970s and 1980s. You will hear pop, Irish music, and country tunes from those decades. There is some more recent material mixed in, but the core appeal is nostalgic.

The schedule includes talk shows covering current affairs, entertainment, showbiz, arts, and agriculture. Phone-in segments are a key part of the format. The station places a strong emphasis on County Cork news, sports, travel, and weather in its hourly bulletins, alongside national and international coverage.

C103 broadcasts on a network of transmitters covering the entire county. Frequencies range from 102.6 FM in Cork City to 103.9 FM in Clonakilty and Macroom. There are separate frequencies for East Cork, North Cork, West Cork, and several towns.

The station starts weekday mornings with “Cork’s More Music Breakfast with Ken Tobin” from 6am to 10am. It is a straightforward offering: music, chat, and local information for people starting their day.

Cork City Community Radio: Broadcasting on 100.5 FM

Cork City Community Radio is a different kind of station. It operates on 100.5 FM, but only from Saturday at midnight to Monday at midnight. That weekend window is when the station broadcasts its live schedule. The rest of the week, the programmes repeat on its online stream.

The station runs a variety of live shows across the weekend. Its schedule includes music, talk, and specialist programming. You can find details of what is on at cr.ie. The station also has an app for listening online and links to its social media pages for contact.

Community radio in Ireland is not about ratings or advertising revenue. It is about giving people access to the airwaves. Cork City Community Radio serves that purpose. It is small, volunteer-driven, and focused on the city itself.

Éist: A New Online Station for Music Lovers

Éist (pronounced “eysh-t,” the Irish word for “listen”) is the newest addition to Cork’s radio landscape. It launched in early 2025 as an online station run by volunteers.

The station grew out of Radio Solstice, a pop-up station that ran twice a year to mark the changing seasons. The first edition was hosted at TEST SITE, an outdoor arts venue on the Coal Quay, as part of Cork Midsummer Festival 2024. The success of that project led to conversations about what a full-time community radio station for Cork’s music lovers might look like.

The people behind Éist are clear about what they are not. They are not a commercial station. They are not hierarchical. They share a headquarters with PLUGD Records, the vinyl-and-coffee shop on the Coal Quay. They operate on a non-hierarchical basis, with everyone having equal input.

When the station put out a call for show ideas, it received nearly 100 proposals. Most of those shows will premiere or pilot on a monthly, pre-recorded basis, with the option to move to live in-studio broadcast later.

Ailbhe Cunningham, one of the co-founders, described the project this way: “I suppose for me, Éist is born out of community, having a place to congregate”. That sentiment captures what community radio is supposed to be about. It is not a product. It is a place.

Radio NOW: The Pirate That Came Back

Radio NOW has a strange history. It started as a pirate station on 87.8 FM between 2011 and 2013. It played non-stop house, dance, and trance music. Then it went away.

In 2026, it returned. This time it broadcast live DJ reunion shows on 104.7 FM and online. It describes itself as “Cork’s underground soundtrack”.

Pirate radio has a long tradition in Ireland. Before the legal local radio network was established in the late 1980s, pirates were the only alternative to RTÉ. Cork had its share of them. Radio NOW is a small reminder of that history, updated for the streaming age.

Gravity Hits: Dance Music on FM for 30 Days

Gravity Hits is not a Cork station in the way that Red FM or 96FM are. It is operated by Emerald Media Group, a Dublin-based company. But in August 2026, it expanded onto FM in Cork for a 30-day run, alongside similar broadcasts in Dublin, Limerick, and Galway.

The station plays electronic dance music. It features Irish DJs and producers alongside international acts. It has a partnership with Dublin’s Twenty Two nightclub for a weekly Saturday night broadcast direct from the venue.

Gerry Stevens, the programme director, said the FM expansion was about “promoting the extraordinary talent of Irish DJs and producers to an even wider audience”. For dance music fans in Cork, it was a brief window when their music was on the FM dial.

What the Numbers Say About Cork Radio

The Joint National Listenership Research (JNLR) survey is the standard measure of radio listening in Ireland. It is commissioned by all the major stations and conducted by Ipsos B&A. The most recent reports give a clear picture of how Cork listens.

Across Ireland, 77.9 percent of adults listen to radio every day. They tune in for an average of 216 minutes per day, or more than three and a half hours, during the prime 7am to 7pm window.

But Cork is different from the national picture. Nationally, local and regional radio has a 54 percent share of listening minutes. In Cork, that figure rises to 59.8 percent. That is the highest local radio share of any region in the country.

What does that mean in practice? It means that when people in Cork turn on the radio, they are more likely to choose a Cork station than a national one. They want to hear about Cork. They want Cork voices. They want Cork music and Cork news.

This is not a new phenomenon. Cork has always had a strong local identity. The radio figures just confirm it.

How to Listen

Most Cork radio stations can be listened to online, through mobile apps, or on smart speakers. Here is a quick guide:

Cork’s Red FM: 104.2 to 106.1 FM across the county. Online at redfm.ie.

Cork’s 96FM: 95.6 to 96.4 FM. Online at 96fm.ie.

C103: Multiple frequencies, from 102.6 FM in the city to 103.9 FM in West Cork. Online at c103.ie.

Cork City Community Radio: 100.5 FM on weekends. Online at cr.ie.

Éist: Online only. Find it through social media and the station’s website.

Radio NOW: 104.7 FM during broadcasts. Online at various streaming platforms.

The Future of Cork Radio

Radio in Cork is not dying. The numbers prove that. More than three quarters of adults listen every day. Local stations command a bigger share of listening than they do anywhere else in Ireland.

But the landscape is changing. Red FM is now owned by a German media group. 96FM and C103 are part of a UK-based group. The big stations are becoming parts of bigger networks, with shared playlists, shared news, and shared branding.

At the same time, small stations are appearing. Éist launched in 2025. Radio NOW came back from the dead. Cork City Community Radio keeps broadcasting on weekends. These stations are not competing for ratings. They are offering something different: a connection to a specific community, a specific music scene, a specific part of Cork life.

That is the thing about Cork radio. It is not just background noise. It is part of how people in Cork talk to each other. Whether it is a phone-in on 96FM, a dance show on Radio NOW, or a volunteer-hosted music programme on Éist, the airwaves belong to Cork.

And Cork people would not have it any other way.

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