Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning

As Donald Trump spoke about pursuing America’s ‘manifest destiny into the stars’ at his inauguration, Elon Musk gurned happily in the background. Trump wants to make Mars great again but what will happen to America? On Free State, Joe and Dion look at the ending of the American dream disguised as making the country great again again. They explain why this isn’t a transfer of power but a heist. The...

The success of Say Nothing has sparked a worldwide interest in the disappearance and murder of Jean McConville, the role of the Price sisters and the relationship Gerry Adams had with the IRA. It has also led people to ask questions about the Troubles, trauma and what they would have done if they had been part of a community under siege? But what if the history isn’t history at all? On Free S...

Chris Mullin has lived a life less ordinary. He was a fearless investigative journalist who became a Labour MP determined to speak, not just truth to power, but to go in search of the truth, however uncomfortable it was. In the second part of his chat with Joe and Dion, Chris explains how the establishment were forced to confront a reality they had tried to suppress once the Guildford Four were re...

On November 21 1974, five men were taken off a train in Heysham, Lancashire questioned as they went to catch a ferry to Belfast. Earlier that evening two IRA bombs had exploded in Birmingham killing 21 people and injuring 182. It was the largest loss of life in England since World War II. The five men who were questioned were subsequently arrested and charged, along with a sixth, Hugh Callagh...

The phrase Calm The Jets has a special meaning for Joe Brolly. So when he saw a horse with that name was racing on Friday evening, he decided to follow a hunch. On a Free State Special, Joe and Dion look at those with an independent mind and how they are needed more than ever in the media and public life. They recall the day they spent with Peter Taylor and how it led to a friendship between...

In two weeks, Donald Trump will be inaugurated as president in Washington. There is a new order in America but where does it leave those close to the old establishment? Many are scurrying to be onside. Meta are abandoning fact-checking, Jeff Bezos is censoring cartoonists at the Washington Post and Elon Musk might be outstaying his welcome at Mar-a-Lago. “In America, the land of the free, we saw i...

Last weekend at the White House, Joe Biden bestowed America’s highest civilian honour on a group of what he called “truly extraordinary people”. "Let me just say to each of you, thank you, thank you, thank you for all you've done to help this country,” he added. Shortly afterwards, he placed the Medal of Freedom around the neck of one of those “truly extraordinary people” - Bono. But is there a pa...

We’ve reached that special time of year when Dion tries to get Joe interested in cricket. He opens with a hard sell this time but will Joe, who recently revealed his in-depth knowledge of the great Australian side of the 1990s, bite? Dion recalls a night watching Peter O’Toole in the West End with Jeffrey Bernard. The boys also look at Luke Littler’s pursuit of a world title and ask where are...

It is a time of resolution and new beginnings but what do you do when your resolve shatters immediately? Joe wonders about a spectacular resolution fail and what led to the person giving up what clearly gave her and others pleasure. The boys also look at the qualities needed to succeed in sport as they remember two of the most compelling guests they’ve hosted, Philly McMahon and Ger Brennan....

On New Year’s Eve, Dion and Joe call a temporary ceasefire. Joe talks about Lola’s christening and they look back on the extraordinary life of Jimmy Carter.  During a time of year when many people wrestle with drink and addiction, Dion also reflects on his own struggles. They also go back to an episode from their early podcasts which will resonate with many at this time of year. Free State wi...

Colm Tóibín is one of Ireland’s greatest living writers. He joins Dion on this Free State Special for a wide-ranging chat on Ireland today, what he believes is keeping Sinn Fein out of government and the time he spent with Alan Black, the only survivor of the Kingsmill Massacre. He considers happiness and introspection, the rise of Ozempic and the reason why you can’t talk about it with users...

Lola is enjoying her first Christmas but Joe breaks away to look back on another Free State highlight. In another crucial history lesson, Dion educates Joe on the origins of Spiced Beef and the boys wonder when is it ok to call it Boxing Day. 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/ Hoste...

On Christmas Eve, Joe and Dion reflect on the meaning of Christmas and if that meaning can include calling someone a c***? Joe remembers a memorable Christmas Eve in Dungiven. They also look back on how they began the podcast and why Dion brings out the worst in Joe. Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG. For more on Free State: https://fr...

When Eoghan Murphy became minister for housing, he wanted to change everything. He wanted to declare housing an emergency. He wanted a constitutional right to housing. He got neither as the conservative elements won out. Instead he became the face of the housing crisis, the minister for homelessness. On a Free State Weekend Special, Eoghan Murphy talks to Dion about failure and dealing with pressu...

In 2018, the Israeli foreign ministry summoned Ireland’s ambassador in the country to their offices. Ireland was debating the Occupied Territories Bill so the ambassador was ‘reprimanded’ and told the legislation was ‘hypocritical and antisemitic’. This week Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar described Simon Harris as ‘antisemitic’ as Israel closed their embassy in Dublin. On Free State, Dion...

How important is the GAA in Irish life? How important is it to our politicians? Is it something they cherish or does it provide merely a photo opportunity and a chance to act as if they care? On Free State, Joe and Dion look at the Revenue Commissioners’ probes into county boards. Everyone should be tax compliant but what does the treatment of small sums of money tell us about how the GAA is reall...

Luigi Mangione was eating a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania when an employee recognised him and called the police. Mangione was arrested and subsequently charged with the murder of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare Brian Thompson. Google had to take down bad reviews of the McDonald’s where he was turned which flooded the internet. Mangione has become a folk hero to many, a social bandit taking up th...

Micheál Martin will be Ireland’s next Taoiseach. He returns to the most important position in Ireland at a critical time in Irish life. But during the election campaign he spoke about how the IRA waged a war ‘on its own people’. What does this tell us about his worldview and how he views the north?  On Free State, Joe and Dion disagree about Micheal Martin’s comments and what they reveal abou...

In the court where he faced Nikita Hand, Conor McGregor had money but he didn’t have power. On the streets where some continue to idolise him, McGregor still has power. On a Free State Weekend Special, Joe and Dion look at the fight for those who are influenced by McGregor and the work being done by many to offer another way. The decision to award costs to Nikita Hand following the verdict in...

Over the past 18 months Free State has wrestled with the big issues in Ireland and across the world. But today they confront the most intractable of them all: how to get a crying baby to sleep. Reluctantly Joe shares some of the old Brolly secrets about how to soothe an infant in distress. What does Joe Biden’s pardon of Hunter Biden tell us about the morality of world leaders? They also...

The General Election was a glorious example of democracy at work. Ireland showed that it is a place where ideas are debated, policies fiercely contested and, at the end of the counting of votes, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael remain in power (and the far right crash). On Free State today Joe and Dion look at what the election results tell us about Ireland. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are on the verge of...

More than a million people tuned into RTE’s final election debate and if he could Simon Harris would have thanked every one of them. Instead he thanked Sarah McInerney and Miriam O’Callaghan for every question as he tried to recover the ground he has lost. Harris’s encounter with the woman in Kanturk Charlotte Fallon has defined the election campaign. But what has really led to Fine Gael’s sl...

Conor McGregor believes he lives in a world without rules, a world where he hears only the laughter of his entourage and answers to nobody.  Like Andrew Tate, he is mainstreaming misogyny and violence to an audience of young men who idolise him. On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at the world McGregor lives in and how he came to believe the law doesn’t apply to him. McGregor has boasted a...

How does RTÉ influence politics in Ireland? During an election campaign dominated by photoshoot which are just government press releases on camera, is power being questioned as it should? On Free State today, Dion and Joe ask what does press freedom mean in Ireland? They argue about Sinn Féin’s independent review into RTE’s coverage of Gaza. Joe also looks at the history of censorship by the estab...

When Paul Mescal said meeting King Charles was ‘not on his list of priorities’, some were appalled. We should be thanking the British not booing them, one commentator said. On Free State today, Dion and Joe argue about what the British have ever done for us. Why is the history of Empire still concealed from so many? And do we all have a reckoning with history? History remains w...