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PODCAST

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning

Gold Hat Productions

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 original

news politics

All Episodes

35:42

Whatever You Say, Say Nothing - Kneecap and Britain's...

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning ·

2025/05/01

"We know no spectacle so ridiculous as the British public in one of its periodical fits of morality,” a man once said,When it has come to the pursuit of Kneecap, the ridiculousness has extended far beyond the British public to its media and politicians too. It has reached the Irish political class and media as well.Kneecap have apologised to the families of murdered MPs but still they are pursued by those lost in what Philip Roth called the “ecstasy of sanctimony”.On Free State, Joe and Dion ask

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42:38

Kneecap, Louis Theroux and how the truth became...

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning ·

2025/04/29

Micheál Martin has called on Kneecap ‘to urgently clarify’ their views on Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as killing Tory MPs. Why? How is society served by the Taoiseach involving himself in this confected outrage?On Free State today Joe and Dion look at the hysteria surrounding Kneecap since their Coachella appearance and their statements in support of Palestine.While some might believe they are just experiencing the usual backlash from the establishment to any anarchic act, the attempt to silence

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55:00

The Killing Fields: How the GAA survived the British...

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning ·

2025/04/26

"Each of the entries included in the book has the same ending.” Peadar Thompson wrote those haunting words in his introduction to Lost Gaels, the story of GAA members killed in Ireland during the Troubles.On Free State today Peadar Thompson is the guest and talks about his extraordinary book. It details, not just the horrific nature of how these GAA people lost their lives, but also their lives within the community and, most profoundly, within the GAA.“To be a GAA member in the north back then was

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48:00

No Pope of Rome, no bilingual signs, no border poll....

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning ·

2025/04/24

When Pope Francis’s death was announced by the Vatican this week, the world found the words to pay tribute.From Kings to Prime Ministers to Presidents, everyone reached for the most appropriate tribute. Even Donald Trump was looking forward to the funeral.But what does the reaction from unionist parties in the north tell us about the loyalist mindset?On Free State, Dion and Joe look at what the pope, the Irish language, Casement Park and a border poll tell us about the supremacist mindset.They argue

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1:05:24

High Noon: How one man retreated from the world and...

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning ·

2025/04/22

Eamonn Sweeney’s life changed on a June day in the year 2000.He was a sportswriter enjoying the traditional rhythm of the GAA summer as he arrived at Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney.Suddenly he was hit by a bomb and couldn’t put one foot in front of the other.It was the beginning of a descent into isolation and fear.On Free State today, Eamonn Sweeney talks about the terror of those days when travelling became a nightmare and he retreated into a cocoon.He speaks about his new book and how writing it

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1:21:28

This Machine Kills Fascists - Historian Padraig Óg Ó...

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning ·

2025/04/19

The history of the far right in Ireland is long and dark. From the Blueshirts and Eoin O’Duffy to the Nazi collaborator Sean Russell and the return in modern times.On today’s Free State, historian Padraig Óg Ó Ruairc talks about his new book on the far right and how he entered into the world of conspiracy to learn more about the movement.He talks about the Blueshirts and how close Ireland came to a coup and why even when the far right seem absurd they can’t be underestimated. Hosted on Acast. See

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41:14

Arise Sir Rory and Joe Brolly says sorry

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning ·

2025/04/17

Are you still talking about Rory McIlroy? Joe has reflected on his comments on Tuesday’s episode and Dion believes his views have changed. Have they? Joe also looks at the uniformity of the celebration and what it tells us about society. Dion sees similarities with Italia 90 but Joe thinks there are echoes of Princess Diana’s death. They look at why all sport requires a suspension of rational thought. There is also more anonymous correspondence about Joe’s remarks.Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion

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45:10

Rory McIlroy. Glory is forever, winning is closure.

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning ·

2025/04/15

Rory McIlrory ended his quest for the Masters on Sunday night. It was sporting drama which gripped the nation. Well, nearly all the nation. On Free State today Joe wonders if golf really can produce profound sporting drama given that it is ultimately a game of golf. Dion isn’t prepared to defend golf but argues that McIlroy transcends the game because of his inability to wear the mask that the modern sportsman is supposed to wear. And Joe suspects he knows the identity of the anonymous emailer who

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42:07

Edna O’Brien: The woman who defied a nation

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning ·

2025/04/12

Edna O’Brien’s early novels shocked Ireland which plotted its revenge. Her first novel The Country Girls was banned and she had to withstand the whispering of the establishment that she didn’t write her own novels.Her career would be a rebuttal to the cynics and the priests, but her life had its share of trauma and despair. In the 1970s she began an affair with a renowned and married British politician whose identity has never been revealed. She was consumed by the relationship, unable to work or

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44:08

iPhones, groceries & tinned cats. The truth about...

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning ·

2025/04/10

When Donald Trump paused tariffs for 90 days after a week of chaos, once again the world tried to interpret his actions.When people tell you who they are believe them and Trump has told us plenty of times. These were not the actions of a man playing 4D chess but of an infant trying not to choke on the pieces. Trump is the idiot wind blowing through America bringing anarchy and misery across the world. On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at the man behind the actions and those who have decided to

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30:59

Long Orgasms and Golden Years. The Secrets and Myths...

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning ·

2025/04/08

As the world sinks deeper into madness, Joe and Dion remember the time of wonder that was the Kerry team under Mick O’Dwyer. What was it that drove O’Dwyer on? Joe recalls his own encounters with Mick O’Dwyer. Dion tells of when his father lined up alongside O’Dwyer in a Kerry team in 1960. They look at what drove Mick O’Dwyer and that Kerry team to greatness and why certain myths had to be rejected. Joe also reveals some non sheep nuts related news about his sex life that absolutely nobody will be

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1:02:03

‘I betrayed women all over the place’. Author John...

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning ·

2025/04/05

“I thought I came here to talk about books.” John Banville is one of Ireland’s great writers. He won the Booker Prize for his novel The Sea and he has remained one of the foremost figures in Ireland since. John Banville will turn 80 this year. In an extraordinary interview on Free State today, he talks about life, death and why we live too long. He has lived a complicated life and he discusses those complications, the hurt he caused his wife and the other women in his life. He speaks about his

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1:07:05

Rebel With a Cause. How Martin Galvin galvanised...

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning ·

2025/04/03

In 1984, the British government banned Martin Galvin from entering Northern Ireland. Galvin was a key figure in Noraid, the American organisation raising funds for Republican prisoners. In an explosive appearance on today’s Free State, Martin Galvin tells the story of his journey in the republican movement. Ahead of a brilliant new RTÉ documentary he describes the events of that summer in 1984. Galvin was smuggled into the North and made an appearance at a rally where one man was killed by the RUC

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46:15

Exile On Main Street: Rosie Schaap the New Yorker who...

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning ·

2025/03/29

Rosie Schaap grew up leading the archetypal New Yorker lifestyle. Her mother was impossibly glamorous and her father was a sportswriter who befriended a young boxer on the way to the Rome Olympics and stayed friends with him all his life. That boxer was Muhammad Ali. Among Rosie’s most cherished possessions is a picture taken by the legendary photographer Carl Fischer with Ali in a safari suit tenderly looking down at her. The picture is now in her Antrim home. On Free State today Rosie Schaap tells

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37:55

Two fingers: Michael Lowry and the humiliation of...

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning ·

2025/03/27

Michael Lowry giving Paul Murphy - and everybody else - the fingers has become the defining image of the controversy over speaking time in the Dail. Lowry said it was ‘an errant gesture under provocation’. It captured the headlines but it was meaningless. On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at the real power Michael Lowry now holds and what it means. They ask why Lowry has this power and why was it so important to give him what he wants?Joe explains why the circus in the Dail only distracts from

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43:23

Remembering Giants: George Foreman, Muhammad Ali, and...

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning ·

2025/03/25

George Foreman’s death robbed the world of one of the great sporting figures. It was also a reminder of a time when boxing ruled the world. On Free State today, Joe and Dion look back on the time when Muhammad Ali and Foreman were kings. And Joe remembers his aunt Susan who died this week and who lived an extraordinary life.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

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1:08:00

The Truth About Stakeknife: Legendary journalist...

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning ·

2025/03/22

Martin Dillon knew Rosemary Nelson. He says he has only met a few people like her in his life. He describes her as someone with "overarching respect for human life". Nelson was a solicitor and in March 1999, she was blown up when a car bomb exploded as she drove to work. On Free State today, the legendary journalist Martin Dillon joins us to talk about the women whose lives were destroyed and lost during the Troubles. In his new book The Sorrow and the Loss, Dillon looks at the shadow cast by the

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40:45

The Battle for Adolescence: How Conor McGregor and...

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning ·

2025/03/20

The former England football manager Gareth Southgate warned this week that “callous, manipulative and toxic influencers” are having a dangerous effect on the lives of young men. The Netflix drama series Adolescence has captured the public’s imagination because of what it says about the dangers of social media and the corrupting influence of certain figures who warp the brains of young people. Donald Trump, meanwhile, invites them to the White House. On Free State today, Joe and Dion explain why

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46:06

Conor McGregor and The Burkes: Coming To America (Be...

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning ·

2025/03/18

Conor McGregor’s appearance in the White House for St Patrick’s Day was another insight into Trumpworld. McGregor was claiming to speak for Ireland while the Burkes went to Washington but were left to shout and roar outside.McGregor may seem to have no chance of running for president but Ireland would need to take heed of the forces that have brought Trump to the White House. On Free State today Joe and Dion look at the dark money that has bolstered the elites in Britain and the US. They detail how

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57:10

Life and Death in the Ring. With legendary boxing...

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning ·

2025/03/15

When Donald McRae was a young sportswriter, Hugh McIlvanney told him one night at a bar in Las Vegas that as he made a life covering boxing, “ambivalence will be your constant companion”. McRae found the romantic in boxing and particularly in boxers. He was drawn to fighters and trainers rather than promoters and advisers. His gifts as an interviewer meant that men like Tyson Fury revealed their vulnerabilities to him. But, as he writes in his new book, The Last Bell, even “the zealots grow weary”

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