Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning

Anne Cadwallader covered the Drumcree events in the late 1990s. She remembers the tension of those days and the work Rosemary Nelson did at that time. On Free State today she talks to Joe and Dion about Rosemary Nelson's murder. She talks too about Lethal Allies her book about collusion and the Glennane Gang. She explains how she first arrived in Northern Ireland and how as a 'well brought...

“This man's issue and the reason why he did what he did changes the world,” Ben MacIntyre says. “He changed the world that we now live in. Without this person we would probably be living in a different world.” On today’s Free State we learn the story of Vladimir Kuzichkin, a Soviet spy working in Iran whose codename was ‘Redwood’. Redwood had a problem, a sexual problem and the author Ben Maci...

Drumcree is now a peace dividend. Where once the attempt to march led to violence, destruction and death, now it leads to court wranglings, endless negotiations and the support for the Garvaghy Road residents from Noel Gallagher. On Free State, Dion and Joe look at this death rattle for anachronistic unionism and what it means for a new Ireland. Joe and Dion argue about whether calling a border po...

Thousands gathered on Garvaghy Road determined that there would be no going back. A new generation, confident and assured, are determined that the north chooses a different road. But what is it about a parade of elderly orange men that causes these emotions? On Free State today Joe explains why Garvaghy Road represents a new and confident community. Joe and Dion discuss what it means for a United...

Louise Kennedy's first novel Trespasses was a beautiful and heartbreaking story of the Troubles. In her new novel Stations she deals with the loss and sacrifice of emigration. Louise talks to Dion about moving from the north to Naas when she was 12 and the truth about emigration and why Ireland has yet to acknowledge it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In November 2023, Peter O’Mahony sat down for a meeting with his coach at Munster Graham Rowntree where the reality of a professional sportsman’s life became brutally clear. On that same day, Peter and Dion met for the first time to begin work on his autobiography. Peter is the guest on today’s Free State where he talks about why having an obsession with winning was essential to his career and his...

In Drumcree and in Debrecen, we were forced to consider different Irelands last weekend. The determination of the Orange Order to parade down Garvaghy Road brought back memories for so many of the dark days in the north. But does it really show how much has changed? On Free State today, Dion and Joe discuss what happened at Drumcree and in Hungary where Gavin Bazunu told his team mates he didn’t w...

Jon Ronson joins Dion on today's Free State to talk about the manosphere, his time with Ian Paisley and his new book, The Castle. Learn more about Jon's new book here - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/455289/the-castle-by-ronson-jon/9780241754771 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘We’re not playing with genocide, we’re playing against genocide. We’re playing against Israel, we’re not playing with Israel.’ With these words, Irelqnd’s manager Heimir Hallgrimsson tried to rally support for his players before they play their first game against Israel. The Israeli Fa responded by saying, ‘We’re not playing with ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity, We’re playing against the coach...

‘Three things come with taking a man’s life. The first one is the easy bit – going into a room and shooting somebody… The second is preparing yourself if you get caught coming or going and getting life in prison – could you do it? And the third and final and most important is can you live with it for the rest of your life? And that’s where a lot of people fail.’  Aaron Edwards is the great ch...

Robert Harris's book have always been about power. His latest Agrippa tells the story of the close friend of the Emperor Augustus as they take power folloing the assassination of Julius Caesar. Harris talks to Dion about how power erodes and all empire die as he looks to the modern world and how democracy is failign. You can learn more about Robert's new book here - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books...

‘I am not complicit’ Ed Sheeran said in his statement after Macklemore was dropped as a support act on his US tour. Macklemore had been dropped because he said the words ‘Free Palestine’ on stage.  Sheeran blamed the promoters and the billionaire Robert Kraft said he put pressure on Sheeran to drop Macklemore. On Free State today we ask what lies beneath the pressure to silence Macklemore . W...

What a weekend for Ireland. Donald Trump flew in and across the land, people whooped and hollered as if these were the greatest days of their lives. Before he left, Trump had presented the Irish Open trophy to Shane Lowry, removed tariffs on Irish whiskey and united Ireland. On Free State, Dion and Joe consider the significance of Trump’s comments and whether it brings the prospect of a border pol...

The great historian Jill Lepore joins Dion on today's Free State to talk about the history of the artificial state and what we can learn from past movements which attempted to advance the cause of machines. Jill takes us on a journey from the Technocracy movement through to today's AI evangelists. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Ed Miliband announced that the UK would take action and sanction illegal Israeli settlements, the response was swift.  Britain had lost its moral compass, these moves would only aid Benjamin Netanyahu, the real victims were the Palestinian people were among the lines of attack.  Miliband, who is Jewish, was called a ‘Jew hater’ by Mike Huckabee, the US’s ambassador to Israel. On Fre...

What will it take to unite Ireland? In a live Free State we took that question (and Dion) to West Belfast.  We were joined by Paul Howard, author of the brilliant new novel ‘A Nation Once Again’ about the government department secretly planning for a United Ireland. In front of a packed crowd, Paul took us through the absurdities of the situation and why bureaucracy says no even if the people...

Joe and Dion look at the 'cruel and unknowable' Donald Trump, and how Qatar are regretting getting friendly with the 'hyena' in the White House. Meanwhile, the Man With Zero Political Convicton, Keir Starmer, is stepping down as a MP mere weeks after relinquishing his role as Prime Minister - in sharp contrast to Jeremey Corbyn who has remained on to serve his constituents long after leaving his r...

Should Andy Burnham have a say in the future of Northern Ireland? Could "Kitchen Appliances : The Musical" be the next big thing at the Fringe? And will Dion be shunned by the Dungiven whatsapp group when he heads to Belfast this Thursday with Joe to interview Paul Howard? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Referees are abused and derided. They are mocked and pursued but what does their demonisation tell us about the world we live in today? William Ralston talks to Dion about his deep dive into the world of refereeing. He talks about his own attempts to referee at the lowest level and the lack of humanity shown to officials - people - at all levels of sport. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...

Few things make Irish people feel more inadequate than being told how well everything functions in Scandinavia.  We are constantly told about their education systems, its welfare system and its work-life balance. But have we got it wrong? On Free State, Philip O’Connor, who has been based in Sweden since 1999, talks to us about the upcoming election in Sweden. He explains the rise of the Swed...

‘We recognise sometimes its signature is written in pencil’ With these words Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney declared a trade war with its unreliable neighbour, the United States. On Free State today, we look at why so few want to assert what Carney stated so baldly, that America under Donald Trump cannot be trusted. This is a reality the world knows but the leaders instead of acknowledging it...

Annie Jacobsen deals in scenarios. As she says on today's Free State, there are other scenarios around biological war. They are worse. Jacobsen talks to Dion about the world's failure to learn from the pandemic, the Wuhan lab theory and what we can do to prepare for an even more devastating lab leak. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James McClean’s return to Derry hasn’t worked out as anticipated. But beyond the headlines, what was at stake when he was on the receiving end of abuse on social media, in the English media and from the football grounds of England? On Free State today, Dion and Joe look at how McClean was reduced to caricature and how the outrage machine shaped it.  We also have some Free State news. On Sept...

On August 14, Jason Arday was found unresponsive at his home in Battersea in London. In a statement, his family said they were "in shock to have lost this amazing father, partner, brother, uncle and son". They added that the “campaign of misinformation was too much for Jason, who was a gentle man and who always wanted to see the best in everyone." On Free State today, we look at the life and death...

"Can you tell us how he died, where and why?" On August 9, 2025, Mo Salah tweeted this above a Uefa post which said "Farewell to Suleiman al-Obeid, the Palestinian Pele". Salah's tweet has been viewed 140 million times. On Free State today, Melissa Reddy talks to Dion about the cultural importance of Mo Salah, how he has been held to a different standard and why his last year at Liverpool wasn't w...