PHANTOM FM say that they’re "biding their time" before deciding whether or not to resume their illegal operations.

"It’d be unwise to do anything before the IRTC tell us their reasons for turning down our application, which they say they’ll do in three weeks time," Station Manager Simon Maher tells hotpress. "One thing they’ve already said is that they won’t be issuing any more licences – specialist or otherwise – in the foreseeable future."

The Commission’s view that there’s "no demand" doesn’t tally with the hundreds of emails that Phantom have received since the decision was announced.

"A lot of them have been from musicians saying, ‘For Christ’s sake, this is our livelihood!’" Maher resumes. "We’ve been down like this before, though, and bounced back."

Returning to the air isn’t necessarily an option, with the Chairman of the IRTC, Conor J. Maquire, noting that the question of pirate radio in the capital will be "addressed" in the near future.

Whether this results in stations being raided remains to be seen, but the Department of Justice certainly have the legal muscle to take the likes of Phantom off the air.

Meanwhile, the victorious Star FM consortium are hoping to be up and running with their 24-hour-a-day country service by September.

"Star FM will complete the jigsaw of choice for Dubliners who prefer music radio," proffers a spokesman. "Country is currently only heard to any great extent on the pirate operators Radio Dublin and K.I.C. FM. No station is dedicated to the genre but research demonstrates a passionate audience for it."

Promising a 75% : 25% breakdown between music and speech, they add that, "the Star FM presentational style will be warm, friendly and authoritative."

One person who’s looking forward to Star FM’s launch is the MD of the Ritz Music Group, Mick Clerkin.

"Outside of a tiny handful of specialist shows, it’s been impossible to get country music played on legal radio in Dublin," he says. "This has been disastrous for new acts who, without the exposure, can’t get gigs or any sort of fan base going in the capital. The likes of Treble TR and K.I.C. FM have been great, but you can’t rely on the pirates being there forever."

Clerkin knows what he’s talking about, having set up his own dedicated country music station, Ritz 1035AM, in London.

"Lonestar and LeeAnn Rimes are two of the artists who wouldn’t have charted in the UK without the initial support they received from us," he reflects. "If they get the mix between homegrown and American country right, Star will be very successful."