Launched in 1989 and owned by Radio Kerry Holdings Ltd, Shannonside FM came into being as a commercial local radio station serving the midlands and northwest regions of Ireland, specifically covering counties Longford, Roscommon, and South Leitrim, filling a gap in localized public service broadcasting for rural Irish communities that had previously been underserved. The station was granted its full broadcast license in 1989 following a period of unlicensed pirate broadcasting that demonstrated strong community demand for the service. Today, Shannonside FM operates under Radio Kerry Holdings Ltd, headquartered in Longford, Ireland. Today, Shannonside FM is mainly focused on local civic news, agricultural reporting, GAA sports commentary, community affairs, and Irish country music programming from their base in Longford, Ireland. One interesting fact: Shannonside FM has preserved localized Irish cultural traditions for over three decades by pairing hard-nosed local news coverage with dedicated programming blocks of traditional Irish folk, American country, and community religious content, making it one of the few commercial stations in Ireland to maintain that cultural programming balance consistently.