Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning

Labour Together was set up in the summer of 2015 as a way of uniting the UK Labour Party, but with the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader it soon became something very different. Driven by Morgan McSweeney, it became a means of destroying Jeremy Corbyn‘s leadership ‘by any means necessary. Keir Starmer was the vessel to take Labour away from Corbyn‘s politics.On Free State today, Peter Geoghegan talks to us about the extraordinary and chilling practices of Labour Together. He tells the story about the decision to hire a PR firm to investigate the motivations of journalists who were reporting on their funding. As Keir Starmer faces threats from all sides, will this be the scandal that upend him. Is this the scandal that is grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the House of Commons, a Labour minister described Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as a ‘man on a constant self-aggrandising and self-enriching hustle; a rude, arrogant and entitled man who could not distinguish between the public interest, which he said he served, and his own private interest'.This is undoubtedly true but is Andrew the exception or the norm?On Free State we look how the establishment has protected the monarchy at all costs.We recall the horrific abuse in Kincora and the work done by Chris Moore to uncover Louis Mountbatten's part in that scandal.When the future of the monarchy is discussed, is what has been revealed in the Epstein files an aberration or simply another chapter in a long history of self enriching hustle and worse? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What links Bono and Tony Blair? You may be asking, what doesn't? Both men have made the news as U2's new EP was released and Blair addressed the world as part of Donald Trump's Board of Peace.But what is the fervour that drives them?On Free State today we look at Blair and Bono and what happens when a man believes he can change the world.What is Blair's goal on the Board of Peace and why is he there? Some people ask the same about U2 and their music…Let us know what you think - info@freestatepodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In March 1922, a relatively unknown member of the IRA was asked by journalists if they could take from his answers that Ireland would have a military dictatorship.‘You can take it anyway you like,' he replied.On Free State today we look at the life of Rory O'Connor who was prepared to go to any lengths for the Republic of his ideals. We talk to the author of a new biography of O'Connor Gerard Shannon about the fanaticism that drove him.O'Connor became the public face of opposition to the Treaty but he also became the most human face when he was executed in December 1922, following a decision by the Free State cabinet including his great friend Kevin O'Higgins.O'Connor had been best man at O'Higgins's wedding a year before and now O'Higgins was part of the brutal decision to have him executed. Shannon explains too why O'Connor faded from memory after his death and the extraordinary coincidence behind the killing of O'Higgins as he walked home from Mass in 1927. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the 19th century, Manchester first began to be a destination for immigrants. It was Scottish, Welsh and Irish in huge numbers who shaped the city and made it their home.Over the next hundred years, immigrants from across the world turned Manchester into the city it was. It was this vibrant and complex city that Matt Busby loved and which saw him shape the great Manchester United sides in its image. As a lifelong supporter of Manchester United, Jim Ratcliffe might have known that. Last week the Manchester United minority owner said the U.K. had been ‘colonised by immigrants'. On Free State today we explore what drives the billionaire class to demonise the most vulnerable in society. Ratcliffe apologised if ‘my choice of language has offended some people' but in doing so he revealed more about what drives him. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the Irish football team was drawn against Israel last week, many people in Ireland immediately hoped the game wouldn't happen.Instead as the days have passed, the game seems more likely not less. On Free State today we look at what has stopped Israel being banned from sport while Russia have been. Dion wonders what a boycott would achieve and explains how Uefa and Fifa have failed to act.Joe disagrees and calls on the Ireland team to represent the Irish people and take a stand. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David McCloskey says he was once a clandestine journalist. Another way of putting it is that he once worked for the CIA.McCloskey is now a spy novelist. His first book took readers inside the CIA, now he is exploring Mossad, Israel and Iran in his new novel The Persian.On Free State, he talks about the shadow war between Israel and Iran.He explains what has happened to agencies like the CIA under Trump and why as more true Trump believers are appointed, the demand is not for truthful intelligence. They do not just believe what they see, they only see what they believe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘Doors open at the Watergate'. Those words in June 1972 signalled a break in at the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate Building. They were picked up on a police scanner by a reporter at the Washington Post. They began a chain of events which would eventually bring down a president. Last week the paper of Woodward and Bernstein, of Ben Bradlee and publisher Katharine Graham, laid off a third of its staff. The paper that stood up to the White House and took down a president now has an owner in Jeff Bezos who can't do enough to be a supplicant.On Free State today we look at how democracy dies in the darkness. We explore how history has a lesson for what happens when oligarchs and authoritarians come together and why it isn't only democracy that ultimately dies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Gregory Campbell approached President Connolly in Derry last week, what was the purpose of his intervention?Was he trying to make a good faith case for Protestant and unionist people in Derry or was he just throwing some red meat to his base?On Free State today Dion and Joe look at the life and times of Gregory Campbell.Dion and Joe argue about the merits of his argument and whether who is saying it matters.Joe explains how progressive unionism has been denied oxygen while Dion offers Gregory Campbell an invitation to come dance with him in Ireland - or at least south Dublin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Ireland, we like to think that the class system is something that dominates Britain. But it shapes this country too.RTE's new comedy drama These Sacred Vows is a series which challenges what we believe about class, identity and religion in Ireland in 2026.On Free State today, the show's creator John Butler talks about what he wanted to say in the series about the middle class, the priesthood and homosexuality.He explains how he was only now able to write comfortably as a gay man about Ireland and he talks with Dion about their own school days and the oppressive culture of the time. They also consider the new conformity. They wonder what has really changed and ask what it tells us about the country when the religion of old has now been replaced with saunas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the House of Commons, Keir Starmer said that Peter Mandelson had ‘betrayed our country, our parliament and my party'.But what was that betrayal and who was actually complicit?On Free State today we look at the rise and fall of Peter Mandelson. We explain why the election of a football mascot monkey as mayor in Hartlepool was an early sign of who Mandelson was. We explain how Mandelson worked to undermine Jeremy Corbyn and advance a corporate agenda where New Labour would be ‘intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich'.We also examine the link between Starmer's right hand man Cork's Morgan McSweeney and Mandelson. In the House of Commons Starmer said ‘if I knew then what I know now, Mandelson would never have been anywhere near government.'We show how it was impossible not to know who Peter Mandelson was. Only more details have been revealed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘If they showed this film on a plane, people would still walk out.'As Melania, the documentary about the US First Lady, opened at the weekend, this line seemed to capture the feelings of critics.But, like so many things in Trumpland, even this line of criticism may not be all that it appears.On Free State today Dion and Joe look at what the Melania documentary tells us about the court of Donald Trump.Amazon has invested $75 million in the documentary, money they will never get back, at least not through the box office.But what is really at play here? A movie that is panned by the critics is not the story. A movie that flatters the sun king Trump and enriches his family has other advantages. This is how America works. The question is how will anyone stop it? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the Orwellian world we now live in, gaslighting is now standard. When Donald Trump creates a Board of Peace, we know that where it says one thing, the opposite is the truth.On Free State today Peter Oborne joins us to talk about how we reached this point in the Middle East.Peter's new book Complicit looks at Britain's role in sustaining the genocide in Gaza and why there might be consequences.He explains why the U.K. is moving from democracy to oligarchy. He also tells Dion about a book he has just finished on cricket.You can order his book here - COMPLICIT: Britain's Role in the Destruction of Gaza | Peter Oborne | OR Books.Email us your thoughts on the episode info@freestatepodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the president of the German football club St Pauli said it was "clearly time to at least discuss a boycott" of the World Cup in the US this summer, he was quickly reminded of his station. "He hasn't been with us long," the president of the German football federation said. The idea of a boycott was completely "misguided" he said.But why? On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at why the World cup could be boycotted and, more importantly, why it won't.When FIFA created a peace prize, did they think about what would happen if they entered the peace business? Did they reflect that people might seriously ask them to consider peace, especially in a country which is going to war on everyone including its own people? They also look at Allianz's ongoing sponsorship of the National Football League and wonder why the protests have been so muted? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“We have all seen the video and our eyes don't lie,” a friend of Alex Pretti said in the aftermath of Pretti's murder.He was speaking as Donald Trump's administration advanced a lie, undeterred by what people had seen in the video which dismantled the story spun by ICE and their protectors.On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at the rise of authoritarianism in America and what comes next.As ICE rampage as the Black and Tans once did in Ireland, they also look at the money that is going to ICE and who has benefited. As people in Minnesota protest, what is the end goal for Trump and his goons? When people take to the streets will Trump step back or is this a deliberate step towards an American dictatorship. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What would it mean to be free of financial insecurity? Why does money scare us so much?On Free State today money expert Eoin McGee talks about how we can achieve financial freedom and faces one of his greatest challenges: Dion's attitude to money.In doing so, he talks about things far more profound than money. What do we really want from life and Dion explains why your wedding day is not the best day of your life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Donald Trump backed down on Greenland, he tried to make it sound like a victory.But what caused him to cave? Western leaders have tried to placate Trump and continued this approach at Davos until Canada's prime minister Mark Carney laid out the truth about the world today.‘The strong can do what they can, and the weak must suffer what they must,' he said quoting Thucydides.This is the reality of the world and somebody naming it shook Trump.On Free State today we look at where he goes next and how Tony Blair remains part of the Gaza Peace Board.We look at Blair's journey to the heart of power and wealth. Dion and Joe disagree on what drove him to this. Joe outlines how Blair moved closer to Israel during his time in power and why he has always sided with the strong while the weak suffer what they must. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the Senegal team walked off the pitch in the last seconds of the AFCON final, were we witnessing a moment of brave resistance or gamesmanship?Was this a stand against the technology which is destroying sport or a stroke?On Free State today we ask if injustice has to be part of sport? Joe makes his case for video evidence in Gaelic football.Joe and Dion also look at Trump's determination to land the biggest real estate deal in American history as he pursues Greenland. Is this a negotiation or the actions of a narcissist? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What drove DJ Carey? What did he believe of the fraud and deception that ended up with him being sent to prison? And as he faces life as a social pariah, what does he think today of his crimes?On Free State today Eimear Ni Bhraonain, author of The Dodger, the bestselling book about DJ Carey looks at what drove one of Ireland's greatest sportsmen.She considers the childhood of excellence and isolation and what removed DJ Carey from the world around him and sent him into the field of deception and fraud. She looks at how DJ might redeem himself and considers the question that even asking makes some people angry: Is it ok to feel sorry for DJ Carey? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In August Belfast will host Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. More than half a million people will visit the city from around the world for the festival which is a global event. Last year nearly a million people attended the Fleadh in Wexford.But be warned. All this music and culture is not what it appears. A DUP councillor has warned that a spin off event in Bangor has potential to cause ‘ill feeling' because it takes place on the same day as the Ulster Championships for Pipe Bands.On Free State today Joe and Dion look at how a strand of unionism sees everything as a zero sum game. But it's a game they are losing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘A society,' Dostoevsky said, ‘should be judged not by how it treats its outstanding citizens but how it treats its prisoners.'In the U.K. Nigel Farage is promising to build bigger prisons and send prisoners to Estonia and El Salvador. There are more people in prison in the US than in any country in the world.On Free State today we look at how society gave up on prisoners. We examine why populism and media scares matter more than any idea of rehabilitation. And there is news on the GAA quiz which was postponed as Joe questioned Dion's right to even answer the questions. Send your questions to info@freestatepodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In November, 2022, the principals of Blackrock College and its two junior schools issued a statement. It followed a public apology that had been made by the Spiritan Order over abuse that took place in its schoolsThe statement by the schools spoke of the “great harm done” to pupils over an extended period.It added that “Philip Feddis, Corry McMahon, Louis Hoffman and John Coulter, all of whom left school at the end of the 1970s, showed extraordinary courage in bringing the scale of the problem to attention. Over the last number of years the determination these four men and indeed many others have displayed, warrants our collective gratitude.”On Free State today, two of those extraordinarily courageous men Corry McMahon and John Coulter talk to us about their years in Blackrock College and the junior school Willow Park. They talk about the darkness and the light of their schooldays and the joy of friendship which has helped them deal with the horrors.They speak about the restorative justice programme they have worked on for the past four years and what needs to happen next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the US military pursued the Russian tanker Marinera in the North Atlantic, a village in South Tyrone might have been paying close attention.The world is not a safe place for many these days but in this time of danger, the residents of Fivemiletown are particularly at risk.On Free State today we look at why Fivemiletown appeared on a Russian strike list. What does it tell us about the drumbeats for war that the residents of the village are being told to prepare for nuclear annihilation?Meanwhile Dion prepares for a purity test as Joe decides to set a GAA quiz for him. Send your questions to info@freestatepodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Nicolás Maduro, the deposed Venezuelan leader, appeared in a federal courtroom in lower Manhattan, he insisted ‘I am still president of my country.'Maduro was labouring under a misapprehension, not just about his own country but about how things now work.On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at the new age of empire as Donald Trump's gangsterism spreads across the world.America now has Venezuela's oil but it also has exercised muscle and for a bully like Trump that is its own reward.They explain why international law matters except when it doesn't and they wonder what this means for the FIFA peace prize. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"One day, when it's safe, when there's no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it's too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this." On October 25 2023, novelist Omar El Akkad posted this message on X/TwitterOn Free State today Omar El Akkad joins Joe and Dionto talk about how the world looked away. His magisterial new book One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This details the complicity of the west. Gaza is enduring a famine and Israel maintains a blockade where children's hunger is a weapon of war and an instrument of monumental cruelty. Omar's voice is a compelling and necessary counterpoint.This episode originally aired on May 6th 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are those who believe Artificial Intelligence will lead to the extinction of mankind. There are those who believe AI will save the world.On Free State today, journalist and author of the Empire of AI Karen Hao explains why AI is an imperialist project and how the colonising is already taking place. She says why she believes the doomer vs boomer debate is a distraction and how Ireland is on the frontline of this imperialist project. Water and energy resources will be drained as empires are built while humans will be expendable.Karen also tells us why the term Artificial Intelligence was a marketing term in the first place which set the technology on a destructive path.This episode first aired on June 28th 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Colm Toibin returns to the Free State studio for what is now the traditional Christmas interview.He reflects on the year when he turned 70, why there is too many men watching rugby on television and why it's important to take the 99 out of Irish politics forever.He talks too about the death of his father when he was 12 and how the great Irish psychiatrist Ivor Browne tried to open him up to the trauma in the most extraordinary way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First there was the music. Keith Donald was always looking to escape. Music offered the first exit. Then came drink.Keith Donald was abused as a child by his headmistress. He found that jazz had the power to transform his existence.As a teenager he began to play music wherever he could. He played for a band on the Twelfth and toured the country with showbands.On Free State today Keith Donald talks about the music and the mayhem and how he found peace. He speaks about founding Moving Hearts and why even now music has the power to transform.This show was originally broadcast on August 23rd, 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do so many of us still cherish Christmas? And why do so many find it a tough time of year?On Free State today, Joe and Dion reflect on the power of Christmas and what it tells us about us as a people.Joe looks forward to a child's wonder at Christmas while Dion is looking forward to the Ashes over Christmas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When he was 11, Leon Diop had his first experience of aggressive racism. But his identity was something he wrestled with in many ways.In a remarkable interview on Free State, Leon Diop talks about the Ireland he grew up in and being mixed race in that world.He talks about the confusion and shame he felt about his father, a Muslim from Senegal, and how he internalised that shame for many years.He explains how education changed him as he realised the difference between standing up for yourself and fighting for yourself. At a time when Ireland is experiencing more racism, he says he might be frightened but he refuses to despair. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Causes, as we know, are notoriously bloodthirsty,' James Baldwin wrote. What does it do to do somebody when they have crossed the boundary into a world of killing and destruction? How do they enforce their code in a place untethered from the one the rest of us inhabit?On Free State today, Joe and Dion follow on from Tuesday's episode on Stakeknife by looking at how rules of organisations like the IRA were enforced. Joe talks about what made his father lose faith in the republican movement. He also accuses Dion of deference to the British Empire which leads Dion to launch a verbal attack on Joe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the state sanctions it, is it murder? When the state protects its agents from the consequences of their crimes, how long before cynicism corrupts society?On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at the dark and dirty existence of Freddie Scappaticci, MI5 and the British state.They argue about what the report tells us about the IRA and the British government, while Joe tells the extraordinary story of Danny Morrison and Sandy Lynch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1948, Herbert Simms, under increasing pressure from the demands of his job, took his own life.The pressure came from his job as Dublin's housing architect. Between 1932 and the time of his death, Simms was responsible for building 17,000 homes for the ordinary people of Dublin.On Free State today Sinn Féin's housing spokesperson Eoin O Broin talks about his beautiful new book on Simms, produced in conjunction with the photographer Mal McCann.He looks at how Simms transformed the city and suburbs with a vision and an ideology that placed communities first. He explains too why the same could happen today and why the question shouldn't be could it happen but why isn't it happening? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During the heroin epidemic in Dublin in the 1980s, one drug baron infamously remarked as he was jailed, ‘If you think we're bad, wait til you see what's coming after us.'Australia banned social media for under 16s this week but will the next wave of online consumption be devastating for us all? If we thought social media was bad, what is coming next in terms of AI and the artificial friendships it promises?On Free State, Joe and Dion look at the next wave of AI and what it means for future generations. Are you afraid of AI? Info@freestatepodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Gianni Infantino created FIFA's Peace Prize, how could he have imagined that the inaugural winner would be his great friend Donald Trump.But there Trump was on stage in Washington, presenting himself with the peace medal.On Free State, Joe and Dion look at how FIFA cosied up to autocrats, snake oil salesmen and Trump.They examine how money not only drives professional sport but has become the distorting lens. These days Trump may be a fan of the FIFA World Cup but he has always been a fan of money Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I believe to the core of my soul that the response Israel is taking, and with it the American support both for that response and for the status quo of the occupation, will only lead to more and deeper suffering for both the Israeli and the Palestinian people.”With these words, in October 2023, Josh Paul quit the US State Department. He was protesting over the Biden administration's ongoing funding of Israel's onslaught in Gaza.On Free State today Josh Paul explains what led him to take the action he did. He speaks about his time in Iraq. He insists that Ireland must be strong on the Occupied Territories Bill, why the ceasefire will not bring a just and lasting peace and what his new organisation A New Policy is hoping to achieve in Washington. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are there reasons to embrace AI? Are the doomsayers wrong and the apocalyptic warnings overstated? What if an ordinary person can access medical or legal advice for fraction of the cost and difficulty it takes today?But what if there is no room for an ordinary person? On Free State today Dion and Joe look at the next frontier. In the technological revolution, we have allowed ourselves to become the product of the social media companies. AI promise us expertise at our fingertips but will the price be our own obsolescence Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daniel Lambert is many things, football man, band manager and activist.Kneecap's manager was the driving force behind the motion approved by the FAI last month to ban Israel from international football.On Free State today he talks to Dion and Joe about how the motion was about breaking the rules not the genocide in Gaza. He speaks too about Kneecap and the extraordinary resilience they showed when so many in the establishment were out to bring them down.While Dion thinks he has a fellow soccer man to outnumber Joe, Daniel explains what it is he admires about the GAA.Who do you want to be a guest on the show? Email at info@freestatepodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oisin Murphy has been the Champion Jockey in Britain for the past two years. He will travel the country and beyond in pursuit of a winner. Horse racing is an addiction but it is not his only addiction.On Free State today Oisin Murphy speaks about his alcoholism and how he fooled himself into believing he could drink like a gentleman.He discusses with Dion the ways a drinker will fool himself and how he ended up drunk and asleep at the wheel of a car in April. A moment which scared him and changed him. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Donald Trump's Education Secretary Linda McMahon called ‘AI' ‘A-One' it was treated as a gaffe that said a lot about the intellectual calibre of his cabinet.But it told us something else too.On Free State today we look at how the world has been conned by AI to advance the ambitions of the new colonists, the Tech Bros.Does it matter that many expect the AI bubble to burst or is the relentlessness of artificial intelligence pushing us towards extinction?Linda McMahon may not know the difference between AI and A-One but this is the role of politicians in the project: to be overwhelmed by the scale of what is on offer and to say nothing but nonsense. Do you think AI will destroy us all? Let us know at info@freestatepodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sport is what sustains so many of us through the winter. Ireland is a sporting country but what does that mean?On Free State today, we ask if Ireland is really a sports mad country or are we just a nation of bandwagon jumpers, willing fleeced by those charging huge money for tickets?We ask if the communities who get so much from sport deserve more support and wonder how much is too much for a ticket for a rugby match. Let us know what you think at info@freestatepodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Colin Davidson is one of Ireland's great artists.In a raw and powerful conversation, he joins us on Free State today to talk about a childhood that saw him find an escape into art.He speaks of how he approaches his subjects and what he is trying to find when he paints people as diverse as Martin McGuinness and the Queen.And he considers the question, is there anyone he wouldn't paint? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What are the things that matter in this world? What do we mean by the common good?On Free State today Joe talks about the extraordinary beauty and grace he is witnessing in the Mayo Hospice at the moment.When life and death visit us we understand what is important and we grasp what is valuable. Joe and Dion also talk more about the extraordinary week of football and the achievements of Ireland and Scotland.Joe also finally gives his views on Troy Parrott and provides some lessons in finishing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Troy Parrott has transformed the mood of the nation. On Free State today we ask why the player and the Ireland team have had the impact they had?What is it about a game like football, even at a time when it is scarred by money and greed, that brings people together in a profound way?Dion looks at Troy Parrott and wonders about Ireland's need for a saviour. Parrott was tipped for greatness from a young age but has taken a different route. Yet, he has captured the heart of the country because of more than just his talent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘Thanks a million, big fella.' Charlie Haughey's words to Ben Dunne summed up how Ireland worked for many.But who was Ben Dunne and what were the compulsions that drove him?On Free State today Matt Cooper talks about his gripping new book Dynasty about the Dunnes family.It looks at how Ben Dunne Senior built an empire and how Ben Jr never recovered from the kidnapping.He talks to us about the scene in Florida where, after taking a mountain of cocaine in a hotel with parrots roaming the lobby, Ben Dunne had a breakdown. He was hog tied and taken out of the hotel and it became an event which would eventually provide a glimpse into how Ireland works. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the difference between nostalgia and lamenting the loss of something special?Have we become a society that places too much emphasis on propriety at the expense of the unpredictability that makes life worth living.As Joe and Dion reflect on Monday Clubs they've belonged from Mayo to Kilburn, they look at the lives of the great hellraisers.They lament too the decline of sports coverage on RTE. Joe shares a story about a day with Pat Gilroy when he knew the writing was on the wall at RTE. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump is threatening to sue the BBC for a billion dollars.On Free State today we ask what is driving this campaign against the BBC?Many studies have concluded that there is a pro Israeli bias at the BBC, but the report that led to the resignation of the director general alleged the opposite. Why has that led to such upheaval when so many say the opposite.Is this the real driver for this coup against members of the establishment and is there ever any point in giving in to the forces that include Trump, the Israeli government and, er, Kemi Badenoch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Iain Dale knows he is walking on perilous terrain.Dale is one of Britain's best known broadcasters and podcasters but his new book is about Ireland, specifically Irish Taoisigh.On Free State today Iain Dale has an animated conversation about what has gone wrong in England and the dangers of nationalism. Yet he argues that he doesn't believe Nigel Farage is an extremist. Dale has recruited some of Ireland's foremost writers to write about the holders of the Taoiseach's office. But he talks about how his own fascination with Ireland began and why he believes it is part of history that Britain needs to reckon with. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In numbers not seen for half a century, New Yorkers went out and voted for Zohran Mamdani as their new mayor.Mamdani becomes New York's first Muslim mayor. He came to America at the age of seven and he has created a sense of the possible that was once at the heart of the American condition.On Free State today we ask how did Zohran Mamdani do it? How did he overcome the campaign of demonisation that branded him a dangerous antisemite? He was called a ‘communist lunatic' by Donald Trump, who threatened to revoke his citizenship.But Mamdani delivered a message of change but one of substance. Joe and Dion also look at the constant emails discussing Joe's compassionate stance on DJ Carey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Halloween night, a fire broke out an IPAS centre in Drogheda. Four children, including a 20-day-old baby, were among those rescued from the top floor of the building. The next morning the Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan condemned the attack and said that fireworks had been thrown into the building. There were no fireworks, CCTV footage showed a figure setting fire to the staircase. Police believe it was arson and the nature of the attack may justify attempted murder charges.On Free State today, we ask if this will be a turning point in the demonisation of asylum seekers or is Ireland heading down the same road as other countries?Dion and Joe disagree about the direction the country is going. They look at Simon Harris's comments about immigration and ask what responsibility politicians have in a febrile atmosphere to lead rather than to stoke fears? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the day of the All Ireland football final in 1978, Anne Marie Allen believed she was beginning the life she dreamed of.She was 15 years old and wanted to be a chef. When two visitors came to her house promising a catering course and a job, it seemed like too good to be true.It was. For the next seven years she entered into the secretive world of Opus Dei. On Free State today Anne Marie Allen tells her extraordinary story. She talks about how she entered into a world of servitude and domestic slavery.From the age of 16, she had to do mortifications which meant wearing a barbed wire chain around her leg for two hours every day. She explains how the mental anguish of what she endured stayed with her for a long time and she talks about the courage of her father in standing up to Opus Dei.But it is her own courage that is the most astonishing thing of all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.