FESTIVE MUSIC FANS are about to experience the most wonderful time of the year, with Christmas FM set to return to Irish airwaves this week.

The Christmas-themed station will resume its annual broadcast on FM frequencies from the Ballsbridge Hotel in Dublin at 1pm on Wednesday afternoon.

As ever, listeners can expect to hear Christmas classics and festive updates from a host of familiar radio voices across the month of December.

The station is funded through sponsorship and run every by over 100 volunteers on-air, who devote hundreds of hours of their time.

This year, the station is raising awareness and funds for Temple Street Children’s Hospital, with the goal of raising over €200,000.

The money will be used to help over 1,000 critically ill babies and children in the hospital through the purchase of new state-of-the-art incubators and ventilators.

Co-founder of Christmas FM Garvan Rigby said those involved at the station were looking forward to returning to the air to begin fundraising.

“This year, we’re asking people to give the gift of life,” he told TheJournal.ie. “If we can raise enough funds to help with the ventilators and incubators to help babies and children it would be unbelievable.”

Former Irish rugby player and Temple Street Ambassador Brian O’Driscoll says the money will help doctors and nurses care for the young patients at the hospital.

“I hope that Christmas FM listeners all across the country will get involved this December and help make this vital new equipment a reality for children who need it most at Temple Street,” he said.

If you’re looking to tune in, the radio frequencies for Christmas FM in Irish cities are Dublin on 105.2FM, Cork 106.7FM, Galway 87.7FM, and Limerick 105.5FM.

The station also broadcasts in Kildare on 88.1FM, Sligo on 95FM, Kilkenny on 104.3FM Letterkenny on 105.7Fm, Tralee / Killarney on 105FM, Wicklow North on 99.5FM, Wicklow South on 106.6FM, and Ennis/Clare on 105.2FM.

And regionally, it will air in the north Midlands on 101.6FM, the north east of the country on 99.4FM, and the south east of the country on 103.8FM.

The station also has a number of sister stations available globally.

Christmas FM Classical will play classical Christmas music mixed with festive carols, while Christmas FM Classics will play classics and crooners.

Meanwhile, Christmas FM North Pole will broadcasting from a studio on top of the North Pole State Building (the tallest building in the North Pole), to bring the magic of Christmas to the world.

Christmas FM will also broadcast online at ChristmasFM.com and Virgin Media Channel 900.