Claim OwnershipFree State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning
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Description
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 thinker with a fascinating backstory, who donated a kidney to a stranger and then led a crusade to transform organ donation on the island of Ireland, and Fanning is an award-winning interviewer and author.
They are not motivational gurus or life coaches. They will never try to sell you a penis scented candle. They are two people from very different worlds, with one core belief uniting them - this is not a high performance podcast.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
156 Episodes
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What are the election candidates’ favourite biscuit? Who is the best runner? Who can pour the best pint? Given the photo ops that have marked the election campaign so far these would seem to be the issues convulsing Ireland. On a Free State Saturday special, Dion and Joe ask if these stage managed stunts are what will decide the election. Or will the issues that matter to people like housing and the cost of living take over? Joe reveals the contents of The Monk’s election manifesto, including his plan to abolish extradition. When Eoghan Murphy tells us that when he was Fine Gael Housing minister he didn’t solve the housing crisis because Fine Gael did not want to, do we believe him? Will it make a difference to voters once they learn about a candidate’s love of custard creams?Dion and Joe also tell the truth about small talk while extending an invitation to the Taoiseach Simon Harris.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.
What is Mary Lou McDonald’s vision for a United Ireland? On the second part of a Free State Special, Mary Lou McDonald talks about the Ireland she believes in and the 32 county country she imagines.With half a million new voters added to the register this year, McDonald outlines how she wants to change Ireland. She explains what led Sinn Fein to alter their policy on immigration and why the far right protestors were not disenchanted Sinn Fein voters. Mary Lou also talks about her difficult relationship with her father and what she said to him before he died earlier this year.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.
Mary Lou McDonald is promising change but will Sinn Fein be able to deliver? On the first Free State election special, Mary Lou McDonald joins Dion and Joe for a major podcast interview.She talks to Dion and Joe about the challenges facing her party and why she believes the media is hostile to Sinn Fein. Will Dion indulge in ‘IRAing’ or are these legitimate questions to be asked of the leader of Sinn Fein? When does IRAing come to an end and normal politics begins? When it does will Sinn Fein bring the same radical change as Bernie Sander and Jeremy Corbyn promised? Or will they be destroyed by the system before addressing Ireland’s fundamental problems. Will this be the first podcast where one of the interviewers storms out? And will any hamsters be harmed in the making of the podcast?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 historian Rick Perlstein is asked what awaits America under Donald Trump’s second presidency, he quotes Clubber Lang in Rocky III - Pain.On a Free State Special, Perlstein talks to Dion and Joe about the long rise of the right in the US. Through his books Nixonland and Reaganland, Perlstein has chronicled the Republican Party and their journey to the world beyond truth.He tells Dion and Joe how Trump is now ready to take full control of American democracy and what will happen to that democracy.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.
1How do you destroy democracy and will anyone notice if it happens in America? On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at how Donald Trump became US president again. Was it the economy, stupid, was it the weakness of Kamala Harris or did America embrace the hateful elements Trump has tapped into.Joe Biden’s role in Trump’s return can’t be overlooked. What will Trump do with the power which is coming his way and which he is ready for this time. Are there any warning for Ireland in what has happened in America? Democracy might be under threat but do the 70 million Americans who voted for Trump care?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.
America gets ready to vote but what is really at stake? Kamala Harris doesn’t have a radical plan to tackle the inequality that plagues America. Donald Trump might have a radical plan, but it looks a lot like fascism. On Free State Dion and Joe look at the polarisation of America, Trump’s Project 2025 plan which attacks democracy at its heart and why Trump might not care about the polls. Joe also reveals a letter to his new baby from a surprising sourceFree State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG Productions.For more on Free State: https://freestatepodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What drives people to behave recklessly? What is it that motivates men to send dick pics without a thought to the consequences? On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at the anatomy of scandals and how they unfold. They move on to disagree about the developments in the Brian Stanley affair. They also consider the new drama Say Nothing and argue about the damage it may or not do to Sinn Fein.Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG Productions.For more on Free State: https://freestatepodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Are you happy with the Ireland you live in? Are you happy with the Ireland your children are going to grow up in? When the General Election is called, it won’t be a parlour game, but a chance to shape Ireland for the better. On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at the media coverage of the crises that have engulfed Sinn Fein and how it affects the opportunity for change. Will the election be shaped by these issues or will the need for radical change in housing, health and education dominate? What would make Ireland a better place to live in?Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG Productions.For more on Free State: https://freestatepodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Roddy Doyle is the great chronicler of Dublin in our time. On the latest Free State special, he talks to Dion about working with Roy Keane, the housing crisis and an encounter in a toilet with Liam Gallagher. Doyle’s new book The Women Behind the Door has been nominated for an A Post Irish Book Award. Doyle talks about his long journey with the main character Paula Spencer from the seminal series Family to today. He remembers the abuse he and his mother received at the time. He also explains why death threats aren’t what they used to be.Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG Productions.For more on Free State: https://freestatepodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What is at the heart of the media response to the Sinn Fein ‘omnicrisis’? On Free State today, Joe and Dion debate the coverage of Sinn Fein. Is it just a new form of IRAing, a way of denying Sinn Fein a platform to talk about how they would change Ireland or are these serious issues being covered seriously by the media.Joe argues that the talk of glove puppets and unseen controllers insults those in the north who have voted and relied on Sinn Fein, while Dion believes there are legitimate questions.But is this because Sinn Fein also ate his hamster?Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG Productions.For more on Free State: https://freestatepodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The world is divided into the bereaved and unbereaved. On Free State today, Dion talks about the death of his mother, the enduring pain of loss and how some sadness has deepened with time. Dion and Joe ask the question we all will face-how do we keep going when death visits us? They talk about the rituals we have to cope with death and they also make up after a weekend falling out.Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG Productions.For more on Free State: https://freestatepodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What is the difference between winning and losing? In 2023, Ireland lost another World Cup quarter final to New Zealand, but was this different to their other failures? In the second part of the Johnny Sexton interview, he talks to Dion and Joe about how Ireland had only one goal in 2023 and what failure felt like. He speaks about other obsessives, the agonies he put his body through and why he responded so well to the black and white philosophy of Joe Schmidt. Sexton explains why loyalty would make him a bad pundit and how he thinks his mother will respond when she reads his book.Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG Productions.For more on Free State: https://freestatepodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What drove Johnny Sexton? What did he have that separated him from other players?On a Free State Special, one of the world’s great rugby players joins Dion and Joe to talk about obsession, falling out with people and Irish rugby culture.He explains why telling the truth in his autobiography was difficult and he gets to the bottom of a story involving Tadhg Furlong and duck eggs.Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG Productions.For more on Free State: https://freestatepodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
"Almost nobody in the world who has ever got power has wanted to lose it,” author Robert Harris tells Dion during this special episode of Free State. Harris was once a political journalist and he became close to Tony Blair but absorbed the change in Blair as he moved from everyman to a messianic figure. Dion and Harris discuss what drives politicians and how they are different from the rest of us. Dion also solves a mystery that has bothered him for nearly 20 years.Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG Productions.For more on Free State: https://freestatepodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In 2002, Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the US congress as the drums for war in Iraq beat louder and louder. “If you take out Saddam I guarantee you that it will have enormous positive reverberations on the region,” Netanyahu said. He supported the decision to invade Iraq. “The choice of Iraq is a good choice, it’s the right choice.” Netanyahu was horrifically wrong but he had established his credentials with the neocons. On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at how the Israeli government has turned the horror and trauma of October 7 into a narrative that advances war and slaughter. As Beirut is attacked as Gaza was once attacked, Israel are beating the drums of war as loud as they can again. War with Iran may be inevitable. Joe and Dion consider The Troubles and why how we deal with trauma determines how we respond to it. They also have news about a new weekend podcast where Dion will be listening to someone other than Joe…Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG Productions.For more on Free State: https://freestatepodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Since the horrors of October 7, Israel has waged war on the people of Gaza with genocidal intent. The slaughter now has spread to Lebanon with the west offering little but hollow words and repeating the mantra that Israel has the right to defend itself. On Free State, Joe and Dion look at how it reached this point and how the media has failed not only Palestinians but the world. There’s also the latest in parenting with Joe Brolly and the tragedy of Aidan O’Shea.Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG Productions.For more on Free State: https://freestatepodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
If you are building a bike shed in the Oireachtas or the new children’s hospital, Ireland is a good place to live. But what about those marginalised who ask: what does Ireland stand for? Whether it is Gaza, Lebanon, housing or asylum seekers, the ruling elite recoils from action that would have meaning.On Free State, Joe and Dion look at how Ireland is entering a dark place, unable to resist the impulse of right wing movements across Europe of blaming the country’s problems on immigrants and the most in need.In a political culture driven by opinion polls and giddiness about election dates, will anyone provide the leadership Ireland needs?Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG Productions.For more on Free State: https://freestatepodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
How do you reason with a 13-day-old baby? On Free State, Joe deals with the after effects of a night trying to soothe an unsoothable newborn while Dion feels like he’s taken a role in Falling Down. They look at Israel’s attack on Lebanon. Israel is preparing for a ground invasion of the country. Will the west do anything to stop them after the sickening failure to stop the slaughter in Gaza? They reflect too on the death of Kris Kristofferson, a singer of integrity with a relentless commitment to justice, which he knew had to be justice for all.Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG Productions.For more on Free State: https://freestatepodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In one of the most personal episodes of Free State, Joe talks to Dion about his childhood growing up surrounded by violence and trauma. He talks about how it shaped who he was as a TV personality and a barrister who wanted acclaim and recognition. But too much was never enough so he reached a point where he knew it would have to change. He speaks honestly about the decision to seek help and how even then he wanted to manipulate the situation. Instead he found a new way of looking at life and viewing what he had endured.Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG Productions.For more on Free State: https://freestatepodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today’s Free State is the podcast you didn’t know you needed. Joe provides tips on nappy changing, getting babies to sleep and dealing with the unreasonable demands of a newborn baby. Joe was in Belfast last week. He saw the families protesting over the Legacy Act lay out the shoes of their loved ones. It was an act of memory and honour. It was a reminder of the trauma endured by so many. Dion and Joe also reflect on last week’s episode and an extraordinary message from the son of William Strathearn, who was murdered by members of the Glenanne Gang in 1977.Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG Productions.For more on Free State: https://freestatepodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Brilliant Dion excellent and insightful
Jesus dion i feel your frustrations... Is this a brolly interview or a sexton interview ffs take a break brolly and let your guests talk 🙈
a brilliant insightful podcast ,especially of a unionist leader who has been to hell and back , involved in wars that temporarily dehumanised him ,forced up close to kill or be killed ,yet doing his best to be a decent person despite the demons that constantly haunt him This podcast introduces us to such people in an understanding, non judgemental manner. Really brilliant stuff lads
If Your talking about Captains look no further than Billy "Cesar" Mc Neill 🍀, led 11 Lads from within 30miles of Celtic Park to Rule the World, Won leagues as a Player and a Manager.
I'd love brollys rose coloured glasses for a while, the high profile assaults by hurlers footballers, not to mention the cocaine usage nor the thuggish behaviour on the pitch coupled with attacks week on week of referees, hilarious brolly...
Jesus brolly will you allow dion finish a sentence ffs...
Very little content now sadly...
Just as well the Christmas break is upon us sadly this podcast which started of famously is now a parody of itself, still to the bitter end Joe must overpower everyone and every conversation, when you reduce Roddy Collins to a mute observer you are some waffler joe... Dreaful stereotypical tripe
Very enjoyable as always! What's the music at the end, please?
These podcasts should of course be on the school syllabus but then the public would see this society for what it is and the golden circle don't want that under any circumstances...
Absolutely brilliant lads best podcast by a mile... Gotta get you into vicar St...
Brilliant again lads... Hard to find fault with anything within this podcast,
This will be shared with many of my friends and will make it's way across the 🌍.... Brilliant... Bravo.... Can't wait for part 2