Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning
Gold Hat Productions
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 26, 2023 • 31min
Hate. The Shit Magnificent Seven - Part 1
Once upon a time, Matthew Collins would have been standing with the mob outside Dáil Éireann erecting gallows and spitting hate. This unexceptional teenager fell under the spell of older Neo Nazis and became, in his own words, a vile violent hater, who wanted nothing more than to smash someone, anyone, in the face with a hammer.Matthew joins Joe and Dion on Free State this week for a two-part interview. He explains why he once had those feelings, the hold the far right have over their supporters and the moment he had to change.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/To get in touch with the podcast: info@freestatepodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 21, 2023 • 37min
Unquiet Graves - Part 2: Smiling Like You’ve Never Been Gone
For the families of those murdered by security forces collusion, the truth was all they had left.In Part II of Unquiet Graves, Joe and Dion look at the fight for truth from the families affected by the Legacy Bill. The truth would not set them free but it would provide some peace. It would honour the memory of the dead. They hope to see them some day, walking in, smiling like they’ve never been gone.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/To get in touch with the podcast: info@freestatepodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 19, 2023 • 36min
Unquiet Graves - Part 1
The past lives in everyone traumatised by the Troubles. The Legacy Bill has layered misery and anxiety on top of suffering and injustice. For the families who are haunted by the graves of their loved ones, the Act will bring only silence. The families want the truth about the past, the truth about state collusion and murder.On Free State, Joe and Dion look at the stories of those families whose lifelong search for justice is in peril. They explain why the Legacy Bill was a death rattle of British colonialism. And why there are so many unquiet graves.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/To get in touch with the podcast: info@freestatepodcast.comTwitter: @dionfanning @JoeBrolly1993 @freestateirl Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 14, 2023 • 29min
Wrap The Green Flag Round Me Boys - Part 2
With around 35% of people north and south supporting the Sinn Fein movement, Dion & Joe wonder why there isn’t a single person from a Republican background in the mainstream Irish mediaOn Part 2 of ‘Wrap The Green Flag Round Me Boys’, we discuss how change is coming in Ireland and why politicians will be followers not leaders. Also can Joe Brolly be persuaded to agree with himself?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/To get in touch with the podcast: info@freestatepodcast.comTwitter: @dionfanning @JoeBrolly1993 @freestateirl Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 12, 2023 • 31min
Wrap The Green Flag Round Me Boys - Part 1
Is ‘Ooh Ah, Up the Ra’ the best the Irish establishment can do in the face of the existential threat posed by Sinn Fein? In the week that Michéal Martin said Sinn Fein were “infecting” the people of Ireland, Dion and Joe discuss the FG/FF Culture wars against Sinn Fein. They reflect on the family dynasties that replaced the British in Ireland: WT Cosgrave in his top hat, Charlie Haughey on his stallion. And there is a special bonus for our Fine Gael listeners…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/To get in touch with the podcast: info@freestatepodcast.comTwitter: @dionfanning @JoeBrolly1993 @freestateirl Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 5, 2023 • 52min
Who says there’s no talent in Longford?
Is the Rose of Tralee a national embarrassment or does it represent something precious? On this week’s Free State, Joe and Dion look at Irish culture and what makes it different. There’s also Pele’s (and Joe’s) lack of concern about erectile dysfunction as well as a cost busting alternative to Viagra.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/To get in touch with the podcast: info@freestatepodcast.comTwitter: @dionfanning @JoeBrolly1993 @freestateirl Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 31, 2023 • 35min
Roddy Collins Is A Wanker - Part 2
In Part Two of Roddy Collins is a W****r, Roddy Collins talks to Joe and Dion about his failed attempt at an IRA hold up as a teenager, his days going AWOL with Vinnie Jones and the love story that has shaped his 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/To get in touch with the podcast: info@freestatepodcast.comTwitter: @dionfanning @JoeBrolly1993 @freestateirl Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 29, 2023 • 36min
Roddy Collins Is A Wanker - Part 1
Don’t mess with the Cabra boys. In the first of a two-part interview, Roddy Collins joins Dion and Joe on Free State. He talks about the confidence trick they played on Chris Eubank, the deeply superstitious middleweight champion of the world. He remembers growing up in Cabra, his uncle Terry, Reggie Kray, banjoeing ‘The General’ Martin Cahill and much more.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/To get in touch with the podcast: info@freestatepodcast.comTwitter: @dionfanning @JoeBrolly1993 @freestateirl Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 22, 2023 • 1h 1min
Death On The Mediterranean
Stalin said one death is a tragedy, a million deaths are a statistic. On Free State this week, Dion and Joe discuss the tragedy of tens of thousands drowning in the Mediterranean. They wonder how we lost touch with our own humanity and why people fall for the same tricks of hate peddled for centuries. They also ask why did four of our own MEPs vote against a resolution that would have ramped up search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean?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/To get in touch with the podcast: info@freestatepodcast.comTwitter: @dionfanning @JoeBrolly1993 @freestateirl Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 15, 2023 • 44min
Hate, Housing & Happiness - Pat Gilroy’s Roadmap to Utopia
Fresh from Dublin’s triumph in the All Ireland final, Joe and Dion welcome an old friend back to Free State. Pat Gilroy returns to talk about why the most vulnerable have always been a target throughout history and why inequality is at the root of society’s problems. Pat also explains what a GAA World Series would look like and outlines his radical solution to the Dublin housing crisis…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/To get in touch with the podcast: info@freestatepodcast.comTwitter: @dionfanning @JoeBrolly1993 @freestateirl Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
