Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning

Tommy guns, car chases & All Irelands. The life and times of a great Irish man.

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Funerals matter in Ireland. They are an expression of community. On Free State today, Joe recalls the extraordinary life of Colm McCusker and why his ...

Drinking with Loyalists, Part 2. Conor McGregor is not at war. While he sails his yacht in the Med, it’s your kids who go to prison.

15 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As people are sentenced to years in prison for their part in the riots, what is the real purpose of the pogroms? There are those who will say it is a ...

Drinking with Loyalists, Part 1. Ulster (and Coolock) says No

13 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At their best, the Olympics represent all that is good about humanity. For Ireland the Olympics brought an outpouring of spontaneous joy and happiness...

The surprising truth about Pat Spillane, part 2

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For Pat Spillane, the golden years with Kerry were about a lot more than winning. The game for him was, in Danny Blanchflower’s words, about glory. ...

The surprising truth about Pat Spillane, part 1

06 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode of Free State is sponsored by Manscaped. Visit https://www.manscaped.com/ and get 20% off and free shipping by using code freestate20Free...

Celebrating Sam with the Orangemen: Part 2

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From Croke Park to the Olympics, the boys of Armagh have been making their mark. Like Daniel Wiffen, Joe is a former pupil of St Pat’s in Armagh and...

Cups, cops and complainers. Celebrating Sam with the Orangemen

30 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Unforgettable things have happened here. These words were used to describe the history of West Cork but they also could be a fitting description of th...

The Boys from the County Armagh. Some Orangemen have culture.

25 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Is there hope for America and the world if Kamala Harris becomes president? Or is the deterioration in the US terminal? On this episode of Free State,...

The GAA is more important than money. For everything else there’s Mastercard.

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

America has Donald Trump’s Republican convention; Ireland has the All-Ireland hurling final. America has Hulk Hogan; Ireland has Tony Kelly. On Free...

Big hair, bowler hats & bonfires. Can Orangemen survive the modern world?

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As tricolours burned on the bonfires in the north before the Twelfth of July, the Irish far right stayed silent. What does that tell us about their al...

Crosshairs and Crossbars: Trump’s Close Call & Southgate’s England Misfire

16 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Across Ireland, people celebrated when Spain beat England in the Euros final. Even Dion was happy, but a few were appalled at the carry on. On Free St...

Never say never again part 2. What we talk about when we don’t talk about Joe Biden

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When Keir Starmer visited Northern Ireland, it was a moment when it was possible to believe that things will start moving again. Casement Park wi...

Never say never again, part 1. The fall of the House of Paisley (and Harte)

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In France, the far right have been rejected. In Britain, the Conservatives are gone. Keir Starmer visited the north this week and there is a new hope ...

And then there were four, part 2. The football factory - how science is replacing humans with robots.

04 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sport is too important to fall into the hands of cultural vandals. The death of Mícheal Ó Muircheartaigh was a reminder of the role sport plays in I...

And then there were four, Part 1: The last days of the Dublin empire.

02 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What is wrong with Gaelic football? Joe insisted that Dion watch the All Ireland quarter finals last weekend and will he ever forgive him? On Fre...

Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose. Derry, from Death Row to Croke Park. Part 2

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What is your greatest fear? How much do we all dread humiliation? Derry were humiliated three times in the championship but are still alive. They’ve...

From death row to Croke Park. Derry, Mayo and milking the cows in Killala Part 1.

25 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How much credit does Mickey Harte deserve for Derry’s win over Mayo? On Free State, Joe tells Dion how Derry pulled off what many felt was the ...

The Irish Elections: How the elites persuade sheep to vote for wolves.

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At the American Ambassador’s residence in Dublin last week, there was an extraordinary event. Many of the main architects of the peace process gathe...

Jungle Book. The essential survival guide for Gaelic footballers. Featuring Brian Mullins and an All Star cast

18 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Will Joe be wearing a half and half scarf when Mayo play Derry? On Free State, Joe explains to Dion why he will be desperate for a Derry win when the ...

Mickey Harte, football manager. Oh Lord it’s so Harte to be humble, Part 2

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As Derry fall apart under Mickey Harte, what are those closest to the squad saying? Who else - if anyone- is responsible for the fall in recent months...

‘Oh Lord, it’s so Harte to be humble.’ Part 1

11 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Who will Mickey Harte blame next? Was it inevitable that it would fall apart at Derry? On Free State today, Joe and Dion talk about the fall and fall ...

The unbearable agony of Palestine. Part 2. With Gideon Levy

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Gideon Levy says he is an Israeli patriot. But he is a patriot in a land where truth is seen as treason. In Part 2 of his Free State interview, Gideon...

The unbearable agony of Palestine. Part 1. With Gideon Levy

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When Gideon Levy was a teenager growing up in Israel he was devoted to the ‘nationalistic religious orgy’ in the country. Today, as a journalist w...

Big Bad Bill. The greatest captain of them all. Captain Class Part 4.

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As a young man, he fled the racism of Louisiana. His father could take no more: violence or exile was the next step. He began what at first was an unp...

Are Leinster cursed or just losers? What causes great teams to become serial failures? Captain Class Part 3

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When Leinster missed a drop goal in the final seconds of the European final were they just unlucky? Or were they, like Mayo, missing chances or l...

The Roy Keane Conundrum - The Captain Class Part 2

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Roy Keane drove Manchester United and Ireland on through the force of his personality. He was the most important player in Alex Ferguson’s side but ...

The Captain Class Part 1

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What is it that unites the greatest teams in sport?What is the factor that ensures a team remains successful over a prolonged period?When the American...

Winners & Losers

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Ulster final was a study in winning and losing. A perfect example of the question everyone in sport has wrestled with for generations: what makes ...

Superman. An American football story. Joe Klecko, quarter back killer

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Klecko always had mayhem on his mind. Klecko, the legendary defensive linemen for the New York Jets, is regarded as the strongest man in the histo...

Roger Casement Part 2. The Mission.

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Roger Casement’s executioner described him as ‘the bravest man it fell to my unhappy lot to execute’. In part 2 of a special Free State on Casem...

Roger Casement And The Temple Of Doom Part 1

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When Roger Casement was hanged in Pentonville Prison in 1916, he died an Irish hero and a traitor to the British Empire.On Banna Strand in 2016, Presi...

Jimmy’s Winning Matches (Again)

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What drives Jim McGuinness? Why does he inspire such devotion and how does he command such loyalty?On Free State, Joe explains his own complicated rel...

Anyone For the Last Few Choc Ices? The Life and Turbulent Times of Christy Moore. Part 3

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Christy Moore has been a giant in Irish life. In the final part of the Free State special he talks to Joe and Dion about the songs and the people who ...

They Never Came Home. The Life and Turbulent Times of Christy Moore. Part 2

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When the Stardust Families were on their own, Christy Moore stood with them. On Part 2 of the Free State Special, Christy Moore remembers the dar...

Don’t Forget your shovel if you want to go to Tulsk. The life and turbulent times of Christy Moore. Part 1

23 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Christy Moore has been the voice of the nation for more than fifty years.Christy has been on the side of the underdog, called out the establishment an...

United Ireland or Bust? Part 2

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to a united Ireland, economists might know the price of everything and the value of nothing. Except they’re not even sure of the price...

United Ireland or Bust? Till debt do us part.

16 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ireland’s new Taoiseach Simon Harris says he belongs to a generation more familiar with Berlin and Paris than Belfast or Derry. To the Irish citizen...

Jurgen Klopp, Mickey Harte and the real glory in the GAA

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The power of the GAA is best seen when the people who are its lifeblood support a cause. The sense of a community united for the greater good is what ...

The GAA & The Wall Of Love. Birth, life, death, funeral expenses & why an English statistics professor was “blown away”

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Late Late Show special on the GAA demonstrated what makes the association special. The people and the communities are where the real glory is foun...

Trading My Soul: Part 2

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

They were “young, dumb and full of c**”. The ambitious young men who became traders in the city of London would have been drug dealers if they gre...

Trading My Soul: The Man Who Blew Up the Financial System

02 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Gary Stevenson was once the most profitable trader in the world for one of the planet’s biggest banks. He was a working class boy from east London w...

MIGA: Simon Harris, Making Ireland Great Again

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Harris has risen without trace. Who is he and what he stands for are questions that have rarely been asked.Harris has been described as ‘the w...

Politicians, pundits & parakeets. Leo Varadkar and his anticlimactic rise & fall

26 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Leo Varadkar’s resignation was described as a ‘political earthquake’. Some said the political world had been turned upside down. But beyond the ...

‘Davy Tweed, bloody mother fucking asshole.’ Part 2

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Davy Tweed knew exactly how to control those he abused. He did it in a million different ways, big and small.In Part 2 of her interview on Free State,...

‘Davy Tweed, bloody mother fucking asshole.’ As told by his step daughter Amanda Brown.

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Davy Tweed was an Irish international rugby player. He was a unionist politician. He was a monster. On Free State today, his step daughter Amanda Brow...

Dreaming of Emma Little-Pengelly

14 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

History is a nightmare from which Ireland is always trying to awake.On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at how the future is being grasped in the n...

Ceili dancing, cúpla focal & the clash of the sash. The conversion of the DUP

12 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Northern Ireland was once a land divided by symbols. Since Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little Pengelly became First Minister and deputy First Minister...

“The Bloody Protestants” Part 2: Northern Ireland’s Match of the Day…

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As he locked up Bellaghy Wolfe Tone GAA Club in May 1997, Sean Brown was murdered by loyalist gunmen. The sense of injustice has deepened si...

“The Bloody Protestants” Part 1

05 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Maze Prison is a central part of Northern Ireland’s history. But there was once a plan to make it a shared monument to a brighter future.On Free...

Ulster says No to Casement Park: Part 2

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

People were denied the truth in the north during the troubles and that denial of truth extended to sport.The coverage of the GAA reflected the nature ...

Ulster says No to Casement Park: Part 1

27 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why is Casement Park so divisive? When Ravenhill and Windsor Park were redeveloped in the north they had cross community support. What is it about a G...

RTÉ The Musical: Part 5

22 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The RTE scandal is not about pay-offs, flip-flops or Ryan Tubridy’s salary, it’s a story of how the media was manipulated in Ireland. From the Tro...

RTÉ The Musical: Part 4

20 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

RTE can’t escape scandal. The controversies of the last six months have demonstrated how the organisation operated in the dark.But there is a bigger...

And God gave his only son Bono to the world. Part 2

15 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Having dealt with the question ‘What is Bono?’ on today’s Free State, Dion and Joe ask the more important question: why? Why God why? They ...

And God gave his only son Bono to the world. Part 1

13 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What is Bono and who is he for?On today’s Free State, Dion and Joe look at Bono’s activism, what he has said and, as importantly, what he hasn’t...

Ulster Says YES - Part 2

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How close are we to a United Ireland?The unionist voices that said ‘no terrorists in government’ and no Sinn Fein First Minister have been margina...

Ulster Says YES - Part 1

06 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Michelle O’Neill’s election as First Minister of Northern Ireland made worldwide headlines.On today’s Free State, Joe reflects on the importance...

KNEECAP Part 2

01 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Northern Ireland prepares for a Sinn Fein First Minister, but why has it taken so long?On today’s Free State, Joe and Dion look at how culture was u...

KNEECAP Part 1. Get your Brits out for the lads. Kneecappings, Klopp & Gerry Adams on ketamine.

30 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Anarchy is always a threat to the establishment. Joyous anarchy unsettles them even more.Kneecap are annoying many of the right people as they aim for...

SuperValu GAA: Part 2

25 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you can’t spot the sucker at the poker table it’s you.Today’s 'Free State' tells the story of how the GAA surrendered to corporations and how...

SuperValu GAA: Brands are burrowing into the GAA’s culture. If they are not checked, soon they will become the culture.

23 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The GAA occupies a special place in Irish life. But that special place is what makes it so attractive to sponsors.Today Joe and Dion look at the plan ...

Who wants to be a (Swiss) billionaire? Part 2

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sportswashing works. From the English Premier League to the World Cup to golf, sport is being transformed by countries whose main interest is transfor...

Who wants to be a (Swiss) billionaire? From Ireland..

16 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When JP McManus donated €32 million to the GAA last month, people were falling over themselves to hail his generosity.JP didn’t need to do this, t...

The Lonely Crusade Of Sally Hayden, The African Queen, For Those Seeking Refuge on the World's Deadliest Migration Route

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s Free State, Dion and Joe are joined by Sally Hayden, a remarkable journalist covering the story of our time.Sally’s book My Fourth Time...

Bullseye: Luke Littler, the 5 year old grandmaster, the baby Jesus & other child prodigies

09 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Luke Littler was magnificent as he reached the world darts championship final. On today’s Free State, Dion and Joe look at a special kind of sportin...

Review of 2023. Gaza, doubting priests, disloyal managers, Irish funerals & a fairytale ending

04 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s brand new episode, Joe and Dion intended to look back on 2023 and anticipate 2024. They celebrated the return of Ryan Tubridy and wondere...

Blazing Saddles: A country music odyssey through Trump land

02 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s Free State, Joe is looking for America as he takes a belated honeymoon across the US. From Music Row in Nashville, Joe and Dion talk abou...

Best Of ‘Free State’ Volume 2

28 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s Free State, Dion and Joe select more of their favourite moments from 2023. They choose from their most enjoyable guests to those occasion...

Best Of ‘Free State’

26 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week on Free State, Dion and Joe have selected their favourite moments from the first eight months of the podcast. From hallucinating ten Joe Bro...

POSH Part 2: with Paul Howard, Ross O’Carroll-Kelly & Roddy Collins

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Howard and Roddy Collins are back for the second part of the Free State Christmas Special.Roddy remembers how he tried to take a bit of the Dubli...

POSH: The tongue twisting world of Dublin 4 with Paul Howard, Ross O’Carroll-Kelly & Roddy Collins

19 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Roddy Collins and Paul Howard join Dion and Joe for the 'Free State' Christmas special.They explain how Medjugorje is a good place to go on the lash, ...

Deep Fake, The Many Masks Of Al Foran: Part 2

14 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode, Al Foran recalls the good and bad in the celebrities he has encountered. He takes us inside the mechanics of creating an impress...

Deep Fake, The Many Masks Of Al Foran: Part 1

12 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week's Free State welcomes figures from politics, sport and entertainment. From Donald Trump to Katie Taylor to Tyson Fury, Al Foran has an unpar...

Fantasy: Ireland is in flames. Reality: Ireland is not in flames

07 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why has Ireland caught the attention of Steve Bannon, Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk? In today’s Free State, Joe and Dion look at how the stability of...

The Twilight Zone (An Imaginary World Where Ireland is At War)

05 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What attracts people to conspiracy theories? In an uncertain world is it certainty or do they offer excitement missing in their lives? In today’...

In Dublin's Fair City

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How do we combat hate? What happened in the Dublin Riots was driven by far right agitators but how do we fight their message? Dion and Joe a...

God save Ireland, said the heroes - Dublin Riots

28 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Last Thursday, Joe Brolly was returning to the Stardust Inquest when he witnessed the events unfolding on Parnell Square.On Free State today he talks ...

Derry Girls

23 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Five Derry girls went to the Stardust nightclub. Only four came home.How do people keep going when their lives change tragically in a moment? What is ...

The Thick Of It

21 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What is more mind altering, a trip to Amsterdam or trying to track the lies and deception of the Tories in Britain?On this week’s Free State, Joe ha...

Wounded Child No Surviving Family - Part 2

16 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When did ‘ceasefire’ become a dirty word?In the second podcast this week on the destruction of Gaza, Dion and Joe look at how language has been we...

Wounded Child No Surviving Family (WCNSF)

14 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Around the world people are marching in their millions for peace and calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. On Free State, Joe and Dion have a difficult con...

The Secret Life Of David Gough Part 2: Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered

09 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

David Gough felt sure he would live a life where love was denied to him. But a poem changed his life.In part 2 of Free State, David Gough talks about ...

Blue Moon. The Secret Life Of David Gough

07 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

David Gough is the most famous and the best referee in Ireland.He grew up in a religious and staunch GAA family and like everyone he wanted to fit in....

The Unbearable Lightness Of Living. Michael Lewis talks life, love & the death of his beloved daughter Dixie Lee.

02 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

During the rise of Sam Bankman-Fried, Michael Lewis got closer to him than anybody else. But the fall of the crypto baby gave the Moneyball author a d...

Who wants to be a billionaire? The rise and fall of crypto king Sam Bankman Fried

31 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s Free State, Michael Lewis, the author behind Hollywood blockbusters Moneyball, The Big Short and The Blind Side, joins Dion and Joe.&...

Netenyahu And The Coffin Of Peace

29 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Where is the way out of the horror in Gaza? When the Shankill Road bomb killed ten people in Frizzell’s fish shop 30 years ago there seemed to be no...

The Nuclear Tiger And The Hungry Alleycat

26 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How much is enough? With the threat that things will worsen even more in Gaza, what will it take for those with influence to intervene. The US and Pre...

Oh What A Lovely Genocide

24 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The world is watching as terror and suffering come to the people of Gaza once more. In this terrible war, there is also a propaganda war. This war is ...

The Israeli Death Star: The Tragedy Of Palestine, Gaza and Israel

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As Israel commits war crimes in Gaza, can anyone persuade the country’s government to stop the slaughter?On part 2 of this week’s Free State, Joe ...

Dancing Among The Corpses

17 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Israeli government - emboldened by politicians in the west - is committing war crimes. Gaza is a human catastrophe where the horrors will echo thr...

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service - Part 2

12 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the second part of 'On Her Majesty’s Secret Service', Peter Taylor discusses the attempts of the British establishment to censor & intimidate...

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

10 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Late in the night following Bloody Sunday, a young reporter arrived in Derry. ‘If you want to know what’s going on here,’ John Hume told him, ‘...

Fellas! Are you having any fun?

06 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the end, Pat Gilroy will remember the fun more than the winning. What is sport for except those moments shared among a team that will never be forg...

Derry Boys: Mickey Harte & The Caravan Of Fools

03 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When the news broke that Mickey Harte was the new manager of Derry, some accepted it as part of how the modern GAA operates. But for others it struck ...

Hate. The Shit Magnificent Seven - Part 2

28 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Collins was dead inside. This is where hatred led - to a library with mothers cowering in fear, sheltering from an attack from his far right g...

Hate. The Shit Magnificent Seven - Part 1

26 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Once upon a time, Matthew Collins would have been standing with the mob outside Dáil Éireann erecting gallows and spitting hate. This unexcepti...

Unquiet Graves - Part 2: Smiling Like You’ve Never Been Gone

21 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 th...

Unquiet Graves - Part 1

19 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 fami...

Wrap The Green Flag Round Me Boys - Part 2

14 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Wrap The Green Flag Round Me Boys - Part 1

12 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 Mic...