COOL FM (1988 to Present)

2015 and into the Future

Mr  Damian Tully (co-ordinating teacher of Cool FM and former student) was a 5th year student at the inauguration of Cool FM. “I remember that there was great excitement in the school when the Cool FM show was on. It made school life more enjoyable and got us all involved. Students liked being able to make requests for their favourite songs.”  When Mr. Tully returned to Coolmine to join the teaching staff, Mr Lynch and Cool FM team of students were still broadcasting. Cool FM at this stage had been broadcasting for sixteen years. Over the years the station has been supported by 2FM, 98 FM, FM104, Spin Fm & Phoenix FM.

Unfortunately when Mr. Lynch left Coolmine, Cool FM went off air for five years from 2004 -2009. However his vision and commitment remains as an inspiration to Mr. Tully and the current students involved in Cool FM today. It was that inspiration that re-launched Cool FM on Friday 3rd April 2009 to the present day. Mr. Tully remembers finding the Cool FM equipment locked away in the audio / visual room of the school. After removing the dust and wheeling the trolley out, it was like a blast from the past, a hidden treasure had been found. It has been five years since the transition year students of Coolmine Community School announced that Ireland’s first school radio station, Cool FM was back on air.

The current teams (3 teams with a total of 14 students involved) aspire to follow in the footsteps of past Cool FM teams and produce a professional and top quality radio show. They broadcast at events such as the Fun Day, First Year Halloween Party, Christmas events, Seachtáin na Gaeilge, Sixth Year Graduation and the Sports Awards ceremony. The show gives the students on the Cool FM team a real taste of the pressures of live radio, as well as many other benefits. Students research, produce and present each programme under the guidance of one of their teachers. Recently some of the students completed a level 4 FETAC course (Introduction to Community Radio) funded by the ITB and run by Phoenix FM.

A big thank you to all past, present and future CoolFM teams for their commitment and hard work!