Episodes
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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 establishment in Ireland, while Dion learns that the Dungiven WhatsApp group have been keeping an eye on him.
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.
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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 with us too. The British colonisation of Palestine isn’t in the past as the Israeli government have clearly learned from them in more ways than one. The Conservative leadership candidate Robert Jenrick said Britain’s former colonies owe a ‘debt of gratitude’ to the Empire. Joe explores the true cost for those who were colonised and all they have to be grateful for.
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.
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Missing episodes?
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What does the selection of John McGahon as a general election candidate tell us about Fine Gael and their attitude to power? On Free State today, Dion and Joe look at the controversy, what it tells us about Irish politics and how power has been acquired in Ireland through the generations. Will people continue to vote as their forebears vote or has that vanished in Ireland today? Joe also considers the new Derry manager and why the professional managerial cartel could spell doom for the GAA.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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How 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.
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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 source
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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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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"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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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