LOUISE QUIRK

Like any other teenager, Louise listened to Radio Caroline in the 60s.  It was a such a completely new and exciting kind of radio. Poor reception from Radio Luxembourg was a major factor in her tuning to Caroline, which was to those on the Isle of Man, in effect, a 'local' radio station. 

Her allegiance had to change however because on September 6th 1967, she joined Manx Radio. Their studios were then on the Loch Promenade in Douglas.

A Manx Radio promo listing all their "friendly hosts" described Louise thus: "Glamour behind the mike. Pretty-looking, sweet-sounding hostess of the Childrens' programme, Women's News and her own sweet style of music."

She worked briefly with Paul Burnett who was on his way to Radio Luxembourg and then BBC Radio One.

Soon after she joined Manx Radio, Louise was contacted by the Daily Mirror who then produced an article on "Britain's youngest female DJ."  She had just turned 16 when she started broadcasting. Paul Graham also tells me that around 1969, Louise was tipped to be joining Radio One, but that never happened.

One person at Manx Radio at the same time as Louise was "Daffy" Don Allen. After Don left Manx Radio, he joined Radio Northsea International and  it was Don that talked Louise into recording links for the overnight Skyline Programme, which went out between 0400 & 0600 CET.

The deejays from the international service from RNI often talked in their programmes about the Lovely Louise when they did a run down of the programming and mentioned that Louise Kirk would be on that night. However, Bob Noakes & Andy Archer reassure everyone that Louise never actually set foot on board the MEBO II. She recorded some bits and pieces on the Isle of Man, where she lived (at Manx Radio). This tape was taken to the ship and mixed with music. As Bob says: "She never did a show but only recorded some phrases on the Isle of Man. There were only two cartridges on the MEBO II. One had the intro and outros of the shows. On the other were a few lines which we could insert while playing the records. Actually she never announced a song during the so called shows."

Louise left radio to run a pub/restaurant on the Isle of Man around 1990.

The following article appeared in the December 2004 newsletter of "London Manx Society": Visitors to Cyprus will like to know that there is a Manx welcome awaiting you at a restaurant in Limassol. Harry and Louise Kewin (Louise Quirk of Manx Radio) who an the Viking at Castletown for fifteen years until this summer, have moved to Cyprus, with their daughter Jessica, son-in-law Scott, granddaughter Ruby (18 months) and their chef Declan Quigley. They have now opened The Bay Tree café (licensed, with a hundred seats) in the middle of Limassol.