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Free State is a podcast for the curious that stimulates, provokes, challenges and entertains, while never taking itself too seriously. Free State covers topics from sport to politics, love to loss, the human condition and how to fix the world, with guests from across the planet including Nigerian princes, former Prime Ministers, ex convicts, footballers, boxers and extraordinary people from every walk of life. Free State is presented by Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning. Brolly is a barrister, an ...
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Conor McGregor believes he lives in a world without rules, a world where he hears only the laughter of his entourage and answers to nobody. Like Andrew Tate, he is mainstreaming misogyny and violence to an audience of young men who idolise him. On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at the world McGregor lives in and how he came to believe the law …
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Should RTÉ be independent? Or is free speech a thing of the past? Free State Weekend Election Special
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How does RTÉ influence politics in Ireland? During an election campaign dominated by photoshoot which are just government press releases on camera, is power being questioned as it should? On Free State today, Dion and Joe ask what does press freedom mean in Ireland? They argue about Sinn Féin’s independent review into RTE’s coverage of Gaza. Joe al…
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When Paul Mescal said meeting King Charles was ‘not on his list of priorities’, some were appalled. We should be thanking the British not booing them, one commentator said. On Free State today, Dion and Joe argue about what the British have ever done for us. Why is the history of Empire still concealed from so many? And do we all have a reckoning w…
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The Godfather, the Garda commissioner & the McGahon dynasty. Another Free State Election Special
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What does the selection of John McGahon as a general election candidate tell us about Fine Gael and their attitude to power? On Free State today, Dion and Joe look at the controversy, what it tells us about Irish politics and how power has been acquired in Ireland through the generations. Will people continue to vote as their forebears vote or has …
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The Monk’s Manifesto, abolishing extradition and winning the egg and spoon race: A Free State Election Special
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What are the election candidates’ favourite biscuit? Who is the best runner? Who can pour the best pint? Given the photo ops that have marked the election campaign so far these would seem to be the issues convulsing Ireland. On a Free State Saturday special, Dion and Joe ask if these stage managed stunts are what will decide the election. Or will t…
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What is Mary Lou McDonald’s vision for a United Ireland? On the second part of a Free State Special, Mary Lou McDonald talks about the Ireland she believes in and the 32 county country she imagines. With half a million new voters added to the register this year, McDonald outlines how she wants to change Ireland. She explains what led Sinn Fein to a…
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Hello Mary Lou. A Free State Special with the leader of the opposition, Part 1 (no hamsters were harmed in the making of this podcast)
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Mary Lou McDonald is promising change but will Sinn Fein be able to deliver? On the first Free State election special, Mary Lou McDonald joins Dion and Joe for a major podcast interview. She talks to Dion and Joe about the challenges facing her party and why she believes the media is hostile to Sinn Fein. Will Dion indulge in ‘IRAing’ or are these …
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When historian Rick Perlstein is asked what awaits America under Donald Trump’s second presidency, he quotes Clubber Lang in Rocky III - Pain. On a Free State Special, Perlstein talks to Dion and Joe about the long rise of the right in the US. Through his books Nixonland and Reaganland, Perlstein has chronicled the Republican Party and their journe…
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How do you destroy democracy and will anyone notice if it happens in America? On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at how Donald Trump became US president again. Was it the economy, stupid, was it the weakness of Kamala Harris or did America embrace the hateful elements Trump has tapped into. Joe Biden’s role in Trump’s return can’t be overlooked…
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America gets ready to vote but what is really at stake? Kamala Harris doesn’t have a radical plan to tackle the inequality that plagues America. Donald Trump might have a radical plan, but it looks a lot like fascism. On Free State Dion and Joe look at the polarisation of America, Trump’s Project 2025 plan which attacks democracy at its heart and w…
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What drives people to behave recklessly? What is it that motivates men to send dick pics without a thought to the consequences? On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at the anatomy of scandals and how they unfold. They move on to disagree about the developments in the Brian Stanley affair. They also consider the new drama Say Nothing and argue abo…
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Sinn Féin set to lose seats as their part in the assassination of JFK revealed. And Mary Lou denies involvement in the crucifixion of Jesus.
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Are you happy with the Ireland you live in? Are you happy with the Ireland your children are going to grow up in? When the General Election is called, it won’t be a parlour game, but a chance to shape Ireland for the better. On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at the media coverage of the crises that have engulfed Sinn Fein and how it affects th…
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Free State Interviews: Dion talks to author Roddy Doyle
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Roddy Doyle is the great chronicler of Dublin in our time. On the latest Free State special, he talks to Dion about working with Roy Keane, the housing crisis and an encounter in a toilet with Liam Gallagher. Doyle’s new book The Women Behind the Door has been nominated for an A Post Irish Book Award. Doyle talks about his long journey with the mai…
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What is at the heart of the media response to the Sinn Fein ‘omnicrisis’? On Free State today, Joe and Dion debate the coverage of Sinn Fein. Is it just a new form of IRAing, a way of denying Sinn Fein a platform to talk about how they would change Ireland or are these serious issues being covered seriously by the media. Joe argues that the talk of…
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The world is divided into the bereaved and unbereaved. On Free State today, Dion talks about the death of his mother, the enduring pain of loss and how some sadness has deepened with time. Dion and Joe ask the question we all will face-how do we keep going when death visits us? They talk about the rituals we have to cope with death and they also ma…
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What is the difference between winning and losing? In 2023, Ireland lost another World Cup quarter final to New Zealand, but was this different to their other failures? In the second part of the Johnny Sexton interview, he talks to Dion and Joe about how Ireland had only one goal in 2023 and what failure felt like. He speaks about other obsessives,…
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What drove Johnny Sexton? What did he have that separated him from other players? On a Free State Special, one of the world’s great rugby players joins Dion and Joe to talk about obsession, falling out with people and Irish rugby culture. He explains why telling the truth in his autobiography was difficult and he gets to the bottom of a story invol…
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"Almost nobody in the world who has ever got power has wanted to lose it,” author Robert Harris tells Dion during this special episode of Free State. Harris was once a political journalist and he became close to Tony Blair but absorbed the change in Blair as he moved from everyman to a messianic figure. Dion and Harris discuss what drives politicia…
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In 2002, Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the US congress as the drums for war in Iraq beat louder and louder. “If you take out Saddam I guarantee you that it will have enormous positive reverberations on the region,” Netanyahu said. He supported the decision to invade Iraq. “The choice of Iraq is a good choice, it’s the right choice.” Netanyahu was ho…
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Since the horrors of October 7, Israel has waged war on the people of Gaza with genocidal intent. The slaughter now has spread to Lebanon with the west offering little but hollow words and repeating the mantra that Israel has the right to defend itself. On Free State, Joe and Dion look at how it reached this point and how the media has failed not o…
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If you are building a bike shed in the Oireachtas or the new children’s hospital, Ireland is a good place to live. But what about those marginalised who ask: what does Ireland stand for? Whether it is Gaza, Lebanon, housing or asylum seekers, the ruling elite recoils from action that would have meaning. On Free State, Joe and Dion look at how Irela…
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How do you reason with a 13-day-old baby? On Free State, Joe deals with the after effects of a night trying to soothe an unsoothable newborn while Dion feels like he’s taken a role in Falling Down. They look at Israel’s attack on Lebanon. Israel is preparing for a ground invasion of the country. Will the west do anything to stop them after the sick…
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In one of the most personal episodes of Free State, Joe talks to Dion about his childhood growing up surrounded by violence and trauma. He talks about how it shaped who he was as a TV personality and a barrister who wanted acclaim and recognition. But too much was never enough so he reached a point where he knew it would have to change. He speaks h…
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Today’s Free State is the podcast you didn’t know you needed. Joe provides tips on nappy changing, getting babies to sleep and dealing with the unreasonable demands of a newborn baby. Joe was in Belfast last week. He saw the families protesting over the Legacy Act lay out the shoes of their loved ones. It was an act of memory and honour. It was a r…
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When the British government announced a public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane, the news was met with the same noises from the usual chorus. On Free State, Joe tells the real story of the Finucane family, a story of a mixed marriage and children raised to be non sectarian. Pat Finucane was murdered in 1989, a brutal time in what Heaney call…
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On Free State today we celebrate life. Joe spent the weekend on the maternity ward and he speaks with joy and wonder about the experience of being present as a new life come into the world. He is equally in awe of those who work in hospitals and provide guidance and inspiration during the darkest hours before the dawn. One of those who contacted Jo…
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Donald Trump was undermined by his own narcissism in his presidential debate. Kamala Harris took him apart with a lawyer’s precision. On Free State, Joe considers how he would deal with Trump in a debate but also how the genocide in Gaza is being normalised. Dion and Joe look at the story of the Two Nice Jewish Boys podcast and how they joked about…
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The Tánaiste Micheál Martin condemned the booing of God Save The King by Irish fans before Ireland played England on Saturday. The Daily Mail called for England manager Lee Carsley to be sacked before the game because he said he wouldn’t sing the anthem. On Free State today, Joe and Dion wonder why this plastic patriotism is indulged and why real p…
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What is more rewarding? Winning or glory? If you are Donald Trump or the modern GAA coach then nothing matters except winning. But can we as Trump said, get tired of winning? Is the story of the coalman’s son, Tommy Loughran, the moment when people had enough? On Free State today, Joe and Dion talk about the decision to give a marking job on Tommy …
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Enoch Burke is in jail again. He is unwavering in his beliefs but is he a pawn in other people’s games? On Free State, Dion and Joe look at foot soldiers like Enoch Burke and what they are doing for their beliefs. Brazil has banned X as they attempt to protect their country. Elon Musk insists free speech is the cornerstone of democracy but is free …
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On August 31, 1994, the Provisional IRA announced that “there will be a complete cessation of military operations. All our units have been instructed accordingly”. It was a statement that brought joy, tears and relief to so many in Northern Ireland who had endured violence. So much that would follow came from the ceasefire and the delicate negotiat…
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More than 30 years ago, Bill Clinton said he still believed in a town called Hope. At the Democratic National Convention, Michelle Obama said hope is making a comeback. Is this just a tagline for a bad movie or if Kamala Harris was elected would she make a difference in Gaza and in fixing structural inequality in the US? On Free State today, Dion a…
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When Doug Beattie sank a bayonet into Taliban fighter during a hellish fight for survival in Afghanistan, he could never escape his actions. Yet the trauma of killing also brought an empathy that was missing in other unionists leaders. On Free State today Dion and Joe look at the fall of Doug Beattie. Joe recalls his day with Beattie when he talked…
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Funerals matter in Ireland. They are an expression of community. On Free State today, Joe recalls the extraordinary life of Colm McCusker and why his funeral told so much about the man. Colm McCusker was 91 when he died and he didn’t waste a minute during a life packed with love and family, but also car chases, tommy guns and All-Irelands. Joe also…
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Drinking with Loyalists, Part 2. Conor McGregor is not at war. While he sails his yacht in the Med, it’s your kids who go to prison.
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As people are sentenced to years in prison for their part in the riots, what is the real purpose of the pogroms? There are those who will say it is a cry for attention from the dispossessed but what do those in control want? On Free State, Dion and Joe look at how countries are being destabilised by astroturf movements designed to seem like communi…
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At their best, the Olympics represent all that is good about humanity. For Ireland the Olympics brought an outpouring of spontaneous joy and happiness, at least until the homecoming parade. But the hate and fear that is being weaponised across Ireland and Britain won’t be combated by two weeks in Paris. On Free State, Dion and Joe discuss the far r…
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For Pat Spillane, the golden years with Kerry were about a lot more than winning. The game for him was, in Danny Blanchflower’s words, about glory. It was also, sometimes, about holidays. On part two of his conversation with Joe, Pat recalls the brilliance of Mick O’Dwyer, how he motivated a team of geniuses and the lock-ins across the north that w…
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This episode of Free State is sponsored by Manscaped. Visit https://www.manscaped.com/ and get 20% off and free shipping by using code freestate20 Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG. For more on Free State: https://freestatepodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf…
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From Croke Park to the Olympics, the boys of Armagh have been making their mark. Like Daniel Wiffen, Joe is a former pupil of St Pat’s in Armagh and naturally he has his own accomplishments to add to the honours board. Including one few people felt they needed to know. Joe also explains why Armagh’s All Ireland is so important and considers how muc…
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Unforgettable things have happened here. These words were used to describe the history of West Cork but they also could be a fitting description of the history created in Croke Park by Armagh. But some people don’t see it that way. On Free State today, Joe and Dion ask why certain unionist politicians can’t lead. In Armagh a PSNI officer faces sanc…
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Is there hope for America and the world if Kamala Harris becomes president? Or is the deterioration in the US terminal? On this episode of Free State, Joe talks to Dion about the Joe Biden he knows, how he can never forgive him for what is happening in Gaza and why Biden resisted leaving for so long because he knows no other life outside politics. …
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America has Donald Trump’s Republican convention; Ireland has the All-Ireland hurling final. America has Hulk Hogan; Ireland has Tony Kelly. On Free State, Dion and Joe discuss the cultural importance of the All-Ireland final. What is it that makes hurling compelling? Why is sport at its most powerful such an important unifying force? As Joe Biden …
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As tricolours burned on the bonfires in the north before the Twelfth of July, the Irish far right stayed silent. What does that tell us about their allegiances? Why are there so many Israel flags flying in loyalist areas in the north? What does that tell us about their allegiances? On Free State, Dion and Joe look at what is next for unionism as th…
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Across Ireland, people celebrated when Spain beat England in the Euros final. Even Dion was happy, but a few were appalled at the carry on. On Free State today, Joe and Dion wonder why people are still policing celebrations and examine England’s failings, cultural and sporting. The attempted assassination of Donald Trump has been called a crossroad…
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When Keir Starmer visited Northern Ireland, it was a moment when it was possible to believe that things will start moving again. Casement Park will be built, maybe in time for the Euros in 2028 and the childish stunts of the recent past might not be tolerated with Hilary Benn as Secretary of State. Joe talks about why it’s important to distinguish …
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In France, the far right have been rejected. In Britain, the Conservatives are gone. Keir Starmer visited the north this week and there is a new hope in Ireland that change is coming. But what about Derry? In Free State today, Joe and Dion look at the fall of the House of Paisley (and Mickey Harte). What do the election results tell us about Northe…
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And then there were four, part 2. The football factory - how science is replacing humans with robots.
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Sport is too important to fall into the hands of cultural vandals. The death of Mícheal Ó Muircheartaigh was a reminder of the role sport plays in Irish life. Nothing elevates a community like sporting joy and community is central to all that is good in Irish life. On Free State, Joe and Dion look at how sport has been turned into a commodity. From…
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What is wrong with Gaelic football? Joe insisted that Dion watch the All Ireland quarter finals last weekend and will he ever forgive him? On Free State, Joe reflects on the decline and fall of Dublin and explains what they need to do next. Joe and Dion also remember Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh and Joe recalls his days training with him in Dublin. The…
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Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose. Derry, from Death Row to Croke Park. Part 2
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What is your greatest fear? How much do we all dread humiliation? Derry were humiliated three times in the championship but are still alive. They’ve been to the bottom. Now, the only way is up and they have nothing left to fear. On Free State today Joe and Dion look ahead to Derry’s game against Kerry and what may be another upset. Are Derry now Al…
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How much credit does Mickey Harte deserve for Derry’s win over Mayo? On Free State, Joe tells Dion how Derry pulled off what many felt was the shock of the season. Was it really a shock? Joe didn’t think so and neither did the local rat catcher in Mayo. Dion wonders if Mayo are like the Scottish football team but Joe explains why they’re more like …
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