Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning

Fintan Drury trained as a journalist before becoming a hugely significant figure in Irish corporate life, something he has talked about previously with honesty and some regret.He returned to his journalistic roots and the tragedy in Gaza compelled him to speak out. His new book Catastrophe is the story of Nakba II. On Free State today, he explains why he had to go to the West Bank to find out the truth and why Netanyahu is running rings around the US when it comes to war with Iran. He explains why the establishment desperately wants to take his side. He talks too about why Joe Biden, not just Netanyahu, should be facing charges at the International Criminal Court. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Kneecap arrived at Westminster Magistrates Court, the scene was like Beatlemania if the Beatles' fans were supporting a Free Palestine.Kneecap were in court for the first hearing in the case against Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, whose stage name is Mo Chara.On Free State today Joe explains why he isn't part of the legal team and what will happen next.They look at the politically motivated charges and why taking a stand against genocide and Israel's warmongering matters more than ever.Emotions are tested in the podcast when Joe accuses Dion of both-sidesing what is happening in Iran. The argument gets heated and ends in an unexpected fashion... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The world is moving closer to annihilation and still people beat the drumbeats for war.On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at how Israel's attack on Iran is a case of history repeating itself. Iran is the bogey man that allows warmongering to prosper and no matter how many times this has happened before, the noises are still the same and as bloodthirsty.Joe also explains why Mayo footballers aren't serious people after their defeat to Donegal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Political history, not natural history, turned a potato failure into a famine.”Between 1845 and 1851, one million people on the island of Ireland died of famine-related causes. Another 1.5 million people emigrated. On Free State today, historian Padraic X Scanlan, author of the outstanding history of the Famine, Rot, joins us to discuss what caused Ireland to suffer as it did.He considers the main characters like Charles Treveleyan and the failure of an ideology that believed in the pure virtue of the market. “The blight was a consequence of a novel pathogen spreading among fields of vulnerable plants,” Scanlan writes. “But the famine—a complex ecological, economic, logistical, and political disaster—was a consequence of colonialism.”Scanlan looks at how Ireland has dealt with the famine and how the potato itself became a symbol for those who blamed the Irish people themselves for the great hunger. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Ballymena this week, those who have come from abroad to make their lives in the town were putting union jacks in the window in the hope it would prevent them being attacked.In the random and brutal rioting that saw the homes and businesses of foreigners attacked and terrorised this was they did to protect themselves and their families. On Free State today, Joe and Dion ask what is the root cause of this savagery which the police described as feral. Is it hatred or fear, supremacy or inferiority? Joe looks at how hate has been transferred from nationalists to other minorities - with plenty held back for nationalists too and projects like Casement Park. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“The kids were coming down for breakfast when these five men wearing cargo pants, big jackets arrived. They came into the third floor, stood in front of the bedroom door, took the three kids back in and told them to pack up. We heard them say: ‘You are going to be deported.' As soon as the other children heard then they were all crying. It was such a horrific scene.”This was how a resident in an IPAS centre in West Dublin described the scenes when families were deported last week and sent back to Nigeria.“This is not a pleasant part of my job,” Jim O'Callaghan said on RTE. On X he said, “Another deportation flight left Dublin last night and landed safely this morning in Lagos, Nigeria. There were 35 people on board who had received but had not complied with Deportation Orders.”On Free State today, Dion and Joe asked who these messages are aimed at? What is Ireland doing to combat the fantasies being spun by people like Conor McGregor about a lost Ireland that never existed?Is appealing to those with concerns about immigration necessary to head off the far right or is this world without compassion and empathy Ireland's dystopian future? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TP O'Connor was elected as MP for the Liverpool constituency of Liverpool Scotland in 1885. He represented that constituency from then until his death in 1929. TP O'Connor was an Irish Nationalist MP and he is the only Irish Nationalist ever elected to a constituency outside the island of Ireland.On Free State today, we look at the story of Liverpool and Ireland and the tensions that travelled from Ireland to the city. While it returned a nationalist MP, it also had 50 Orange Order lodge by the start of the 20th century and a 12th of July parade still takes place in the city today. Writer David Swift discusses his book Scouse Republic. We ask if the city's Irish heritage contributed to its sense of separateness and its determination to fight the establishment when attacked by Thatcher and the media that demonised the city after Hillsborough.They also ask if Jurgen Klopp's Christianity contributed to his status in the city and tell the extraordinary story of the time capsule Jim Larkin buried in Liverpool. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When a jury found in Gerry Adams's favour in his case against the BBC, executives from the British Broadcasting Corporation sounded like they had won.On Free State today, Joe and Dion disagree about the importance of the verdict in the libel trial. Joe explains why the jury reached that verdict and why the BBC's evidence was flawed.They look at how the BBC was a propaganda tool in the north for too long and why this verdict might be a long awaited turning point. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Our revenge will be the laughter of our children,” Bobby Sands famously said. But what happens in a land where children are being killed in their thousands?On Free State today, trauma surgeon Morgan McMonagle provides a harrowing insight into his time working in the Nasser Hospital in Gaza.Morgan went to Gaza for the first time in 2024 and returned in 2025. He talks about how Israel's onslaught over the past 20 months has destroyed a land and a people.He talks about the playgrounds that are no longer playgrounds but graveyards for the children who used to play there. They have no other use in a land where genocide is taking place and more than 50,000 children have been killed by the IDF.Morgan speaks about the four pillars of humanitarian work and why he has been compelled to speak out since he returned. It is not about taking sides, he says, it is about advocating for the truth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do we make sense of a world when it no longer contains the people we love?How do we make peace with the past when it's still a mystery?On Free State today, writer Oona Frawley talked about her new memoir This Interim Time. A book about the loss of her parents and the gratitude that comes from her children.She talks about her own father's struggle with alcoholism and Dion reflects on how drink and its consequences can be handed down through generations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a recent survey, supporters of Nigel Farage ranked ‘being English' ahead of ‘being a parent' as a signifier of who they are.How has it come to this? Even as the dissatisfaction with Brexit grows, Farage who drove so much of the vote by playing on the most irrational fears, is England's most popular politician. On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at the rise of English nationalism and what it means for the rest of Britain, as well as Ireland.They look at the frenzy within minutes of the Liverpool Parade crash to find the identity of the suspect, but only if it fitted with their existing prejudices.They identify how nationalism always ends in an assertion of supremacy.While Joe has some good things to say about Fintan O'Toole and Dion offers a solution to the Celtic Soul Brothers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with terror offences, it made global headlines. The world reported the charge that the man had allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah in November 2024.Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh is better known as Mo Chara of Kneecap and he is alleged to have committed the act at a gig in Kentish Town in London 18 months ago. He denies the charge.On Free State today, Joe provides a legal insight into the charge and what it is intended to do. They look too at the story of Hezbollah and why they are a more complex organisation than some allow.They also consider the chilling effect when artists worldwide are silenced and why it is happening now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the 20th December, 2004, £26.5 million was stolen in plain sight from the Northern Bank in Belfast. This wasn't a victimless crime, but some saw it as a caper. Most believed only one organisation was capable of pulling off an operation of this scale. On Free State today, the great writer Glenn Patterson joins us to discuss his new book on the Northern Bank robbery and what it tells us about Ireland. Patterson talks about his own identity too, growing up in a Protestant estate. Belfast has changed he says, but he reflects on what he believes is still holding integration back. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gary Lineker will leave the BBC this weekend but why has it come to this?On Free State, Joe and Dion look at how Lineker had a target on his back for years but when he spoke out about Gaza, the clock was ticking. As Israel's actions in Gaza become more atrocious and babies starve, more and more people are becoming tarred. How has the western world allowed this to happen? How have so many people been silenced when it comes to speaking out on genocide?Joe recalls a situation in his own life when he had to defend himself from accusations of antisemitism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Keir Starmer said Britain risked becoming an ‘island of strangers', in whose interests was he speaking?When Gary Lineker left the BBC, was it because he unwittingly shared an antisemitic post - which he subsequently apologised for - or because he had been outspoken on the genocide in Gaza?On Free State today Dion and Joe look at how the world is ordered and what needs to change. They examine how inequality is now hardwired into systems and ask what can be done about it.Joe also has a story of inequality of his own and naturally it involves the Mayo footballers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Jon Trigg was sent to Northern Ireland as a young officer, he was going to war. It wasn't the Troubles or a conflict but a war.Trigg served his tour of duty in 1993 and moved on, but, unusually he returned, not as a soldier but as a writer.In an extraordinary conversation today, Jon Trigg talks to Joe and Dion about his new book on the IRA in Derry. Joe and Jon speak frankly, and sometimes with tension, about the conflict, but also recall the figures from the IRA they both knew.He tells of his difficulty in getting former IRA men to trust him and where they found common ground. Jon recalls too the decisions that led to the Paratroopers moving into Derry on Bloody Sunday and the massacre that followed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When is a cocaine spoon not a cocaine spoon? When is a tissue a wrap of an illegal substance?On Free State today look at how a story spreads online as it did over the weekend when Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer and Friedrich Merz were filmed on a train going to Kyiv. Soon the idea that drug paraphernalia was in the carriage took hold online. The story was dismissed as fantasy and Russian propaganda but does it demonstrate something more profound: a severe distrust in what people have been asked to believe in the west?Dion doesn't think so and he rants at Joe about the story. But is he just a gullible centrist or is Joe in danger of falling for the craziest online fantasies? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lisa Harding's stunning new book The Wildelings is set in a fictional university in Dublin. On Free State today, Lisa talks to us about her own time at Trinity in the 90s, when students would be rated on their looks. She talks to Dion about the male gaze and their shared experiences of drink and how when she became an actress she turned to tequila to take the edge off her anxiety. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since we launched the podcast, we have never been afraid to ask the big questions. This has sometimes come at a cost but that is the way it has to be. Today we ask one of the questions that will define this generation: what is a skort?On Free State, Joe and Dion wonder why this issue which should be so simply resolved in favour of women in sport became so complicated and laced with bullshit. There are working groups and committees working to resolve the issue going forward to the satisfaction of all stakeholders.More importantly, what does it tell us about the world today and its obsession with triviality that the skort takes up so much airtime? 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.On 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 Always Have 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rosita Sweetman wanted to change the world. Like many of her generation, she was inspired by the civil rights movement in the US. She became a founder of the women's liberation movement in Ireland. She was fearless and it was fun.But her life wasn't. On Free State today Rosita Sweetman talks about her new memoir Girl With A Fork In A World of Soup. She tells us about having to divorce her family and the extraordinary scene when at a family meeting, her sisters were asked by a psychiatrist if any of them had slept with her ex husband. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"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 what does it tell us about the ability to comment freely in the modern world? At a time when n it seems critical to be able to speak out, it is under constant threat.Dion also recalls a GAA road trip while Joe explains why he considers Jesus Christ a role model. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 them is in fact part of something more insidious. The response to the Louis Theroux documentary is part of the same motivation. But is the truth about Gaza, the West Bank and Israel no longer something that can be silenced? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"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 to put your head above the parapet,” Peadar says. He provides the profiles in courage of those who wanted nothing more than to lead ordinary lives but who became targets often because of nothing more than a love of the GAA. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 about Micheál Martin's talk about reconciliation before a united Ireland and wonder what does it actually mean? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 helped to restore him as he found purpose again. It is a story about the community and the power of the GAA Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Fanning is a Gold Hat Production For more on Free State: https://freestatepodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 takes issue with Joe's comments about the GAA and soccer.Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production For more on Free State: https://freestatepodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 think of anything else. A new documentary Blue Road tells the remarkable story of Edna O'Brien. On Free State today, Blue Road's director Sinead O'Shea talks about the Edna O'Brien she got to know at the end of her life and why she remained so fiercely independent. She looks at O'Brien's life ridiculed and castigated by the establishment, firstly for writing about sex and then for writing about Gerry Adams. Sinead also tells the story of the acid trip that altered Edna O'Brien's life forever when she had to be rescued by James Bond.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 information.

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 support him. They identify the grift in the middle of the pandemonium and wonder if the bully who wants the world to grovel will be undone by the chaos he can't control.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 information.

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 interested in.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 information.

“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 hatred of the Catholic Church, how his mother was cheated by the clergy and why he feels the church has never really gone away. He explains why he wants to be cancelled and what will be left when he is gone. “The work will be forgotten and my sins will be remembered.”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 information.

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 as they tried to arrest Galvin Joe and Galvin clash with Dion over the events of that day. They also discuss his work to get Gerry Adams a visa in America and how Sinn Fein went in another direction when they decided it was a time for pragmatists.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 information.

Joe spent a weekend at funerals and reflects on two extraordinary lives, his aunt Susan and Duncan O'Neill. He also considers how what we hear about people in churches is an insipid version of those actual extraordinary lives. He tells the tragic story of his in laws and the daughter he and his ex wife raised as their own. Having defended Bono and Michael Healy Rae, Dion now jumps to the defence of Jesus. Joe wonders if he - Jesus, not Dion - really suffered as much as the Christian churches have made out for the past two thousand years.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 information.

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 the story of how a New York girl ended up in Glenarm following the death of her first husband from a rare form of cancer. Rosie was just 39. She talks about how she found in Ireland a way of talking about death she hadn't experienced in New York. She explains how a fascination with Roger Casement led her to Antrim and then to Glenarm where she made a new life and found love again. Rosie also provides some startling revelations about Joe's Harry Potter life at St Pat's Armagh.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 information.

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 the real intent of the government. And there is news from the Dungiven WhatsApp who are surprised by something they've learned about Dion.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 information.

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 acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Troubles on so many lives. He returns to the case of Rosemary Nelson and the collusion that was involved in her murder. He talks about the killing of Caroline Moreland and who knows what about her murder. He talks too about Stakeknife. The world knows Stakeknife as Freddie Scappaticci but Dillon says he believes more than one man was Stakeknife.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 information.

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 nobody should have been surprised by Conor McGregor's visit on St Patrick Day. They look at how an army are being mobilised to hate and fear while the real corruption takes place elsewhere. In a time of alarm and fear around the world, Joe takes heart from the beauty of sport and the importance of community.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 information.

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 these movements designed to stop regulation and higher taxes for the richest were repurposed as phoney populist movements. The Burkes have paid Facebook €45,000 over the past six years for advertising but where has that money come from? Is Ireland immune to these movements or should we be more alert to the dangers of a McGregor presidency?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 information.

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”. On Free State today, Don McRae joins Dion and Joe to talk about his obsession with boxing, how he fell out of love with it and why his new book is a journey into the darkness of the ring. He speaks to about the great Belfast trainer Gerry Storey, Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran. He recalls his own father's incredible life, defying the apartheid laws in South Africa to meet the ANC in Soweto while Nelson Mandela was in jail to bring electricity to the townships. At a time of personal grief, McRae lost himself in boxing again, but in a sport that has grown increasingly ugly, is it possible to be anything but ambivalent? And what does the decline of boxing tell us about the fate of all professional sport?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 information.

Micheál Martin walked out of the Oval Office feeling triumphant. He had left the lion's den - or the bully's lair - without humiliation. Donald Trump demands craven obedience and while history might look differently on those who humoured him, the Taoiseach wasn't thinking about history. On Free State today, Dion and Joe ask if Micheál Martin had any choice but to laugh along as Trump played his hits? Was his responsibility to those in Ireland who depend on American firms for employment more important than taking a stand? What does it tell us about how the world is ordered that he must behave like that? What does it tell us about Trumpworld that this is the only behaviour tolerated?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 information.

The Irish establishment is softening people up to sacrifice the country's neutrality. But why? On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at how countries throughout history have been organised to prepare for war. They trade on anxiety and fear to push towards increased militarisation. Joe looks at Simon Harris's recent interview with RTÉ about Israel and why the government is looking to retreat from whatever position it said it would take.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 information.

Colum McCann won't look back. His life as a writer has always drawn him to the edge. In an exhilarating conversation on Free State today, McCann talks about what is needed to change the world at this time of peril. He speaks about his new novel Twist and how the connected world we take for granted exists precariously in the darkness of the ocean. This new colonialism demonstrates why the real power today rests with the tech companies rather than any nation. With a mother from Derry, he recalls the lack of interest in the South in what was happening during the Troubles. He reflects on the experiences of the two men, Palestinian and Israeli, he made the central characters of his book Apeirogon and the conversations he's had with them since October 7th.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 information.

When Trevor Birney was arrested by the PSNI in 2018, he was thrown in a police cell and told an incredible tale. His documentary No Stone Unturned had named the man many believed was responsible for the Loughinisland Massacre in 1994. Birney was told by the police that this man's business was being damaged by the documentary and for this reason they could charge him with breaching the Official Secrets Act. On Free State today, Trevor Birney tells the story of how he fought the law and won. He talks too about the day a brave former tabloid journalist from London told him he had seen the future and its name was Kneecap. He looks forward to another contentious project, a movie about Saipan and recalls a day with Roy Keane when it became clear he wouldn't make a film.Miss Part 1 of our conversation with Trevor Birney? Listen here https://shows.acast.com/641338125bde790011089c5b/67c231a315abd9ea5faeac4bFree 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 information.

Volodymyr Zelensky walked into a trap when he sat down beside Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Friday. He was surrounded by bullies who were emboldened by the knowledge that totalitarians around the world had their backs. Trump and JD Vance toyed with Zelensky, dismissing him as a weak man when he has shown more courage than they ever did. On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at Trumpworld, the planet inhabited by the world's worst men. The billionaire class - including Vladimir Putin - will get rich in Trumpworld but the heist will leave nothing for the marginalised. Anyone who questions it will be humiliated as Zelensky was, no matter how high a price we all pay.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 information.

On the evening of June 18, 1994, Ireland stopped. At the Giants Stadium in New York, Ireland were playing Italy in the first match of the World Cup. Across the country, people were making plans to watch the game.In The Heights Bar in Loughinisland Co Down, the small community had gathered on a Saturday evening with the added excitement of the game. In Belfast and other places there were fears of sectarian killings, but not in Loughinisland. In Loughinisland, the Troubles were something that happened somewhere else. On this night it happened here. With eyes on the game, nobody noticed the UVF killers walking in to The Heights Bars. Six men were murdered that night, the oldest of them 87 years old.On Free State today, Joe and Dion are joined by Trevor Birney to talk about the state collusion that was part of that massacre and his documentary No Stone Unturned, which led to a dawn raid on his house from the PSNI one summer morning.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 information.

When Donald Trump shared an AI video of Gaza, the world responded as it often does to Trump's behaviour, with a mixture of disbelief, shock, resignation and laughter. “Gaza 2025…What's next,” read the caption before delivering a vision of what's next. "Donald's coming to set you free,” the video's song's declared, “bringing the light for all to see, no more tunnels, no more fear: Trump Gaza's finally here.” There were no more Gazans either in the video as Trump relaxed on a lounger sipping cocktails beside Benjamin Netanyahu. Because it is Trump, the world also laughs, something we continue to do even as his gangster fascism extends from Ukraine to the Middle East.On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at the truth behind these videos, the erasure of the people of Gaza. Joe talks about Omar El Akkad's stunning new book 'One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This' which details the complicity and silence of the west. In that context, knowing what we know, what are we doing when we laugh at Trump's video?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 information.

Brendan ‘Bik' McFarlane's life could be a metaphor for The Troubles. When he was 16, Bik McFarlane left Belfast to train as a priest in North Wales for two years. But with the nationalist community under siege, he cut short his studies and joined the IRA. During the hunger strikes, he was the commander of the IRA in the H-Blocks, with the unenviable task of being the man whose duty it was to let Bobby Sands and others die. But this was not the whole of Bik McFarlane's life. On Free State today, Joe and Dion discuss the man who in 1975 was part of the IRA unit that murdered five people at the Bayardo Bar in Belfast during the height of sectarian killings in the north. How does a man like Bik McFarlane, remembered by so many for his intelligence and charm, end up committing acts such as these? Joe remembers his friend who became a key champion of the peace process, while Dion wonders what it tell us about Sinn Fein in 2025, that they can be so effusive in their tributes to Bik McFarlane? Is he missing the point about what was endured during The Troubles or does his view have merit?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 information.

It was a week when decades happened. By the end of it, Steve Bannon was doing a Nazi salute, as Trump continued his policy of siding with the strongmen and rewarding their acts of war and aggression. On Free State, Dion and Joe look at what comes next. As Germany prepares for elections this weekend, will there be a further sense that whenever things have hit rock bottom there is further still to fall. But what explains Donald Trump? Joe looks at the story of Trump's election, the sycophants he has surrounded himself with and the narcissism that drives him. This explains why he will stop at nothing and why America itself will soon be unable rto escape his grip.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 information.