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
Jan 20, 2026 • 49min
From Dingle to Senegal. Can VAR remedy GAA injustice?
When the Senegal team walked off the pitch in the last seconds of the AFCON final, were we witnessing a moment of brave resistance or gamesmanship?Was this a stand against the technology which is destroying sport or a stroke?On Free State today we ask if injustice has to be part of sport? Joe makes his case for video evidence in Gaelic football.Joe and Dion also look at Trump’s determination to land the biggest real estate deal in American history as he pursues Greenland. Is this a negotiation or the actions of a narcissist? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 17, 2026 • 45min
'The two things DJ Carey looked for were attention and money’
What drove DJ Carey? What did he believe of the fraud and deception that ended up with him being sent to prison? And as he faces life as a social pariah, what does he think today of his crimes?On Free State today Eimear Ni Bhraonain, author of The Dodger, the bestselling book about DJ Carey looks at what drove one of Ireland’s greatest sportsmen.She considers the childhood of excellence and isolation and what removed DJ Carey from the world around him and sent him into the field of deception and fraud. She looks at how DJ might redeem himself and considers the question that even asking makes some people angry: Is it ok to feel sorry for DJ Carey? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 15, 2026 • 44min
Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann - the musical wing of the IRA
In August Belfast will host Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. More than half a million people will visit the city from around the world for the festival which is a global event. Last year nearly a million people attended the Fleadh in Wexford.But be warned. All this music and culture is not what it appears. A DUP councillor has warned that a spin off event in Bangor has potential to cause ‘ill feeling’ because it takes place on the same day as the Ulster Championships for Pipe Bands.On Free State today Joe and Dion look at how a strand of unionism sees everything as a zero sum game. But it’s a game they are losing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 13, 2026 • 49min
Nigel Farage’s Reform Prison Blues
The hosts dive into Nigel Farage's bold prison plans and the implications of populist politics. They debate the differences between punitive US and UK systems versus Norway's rehabilitative approach. With a look at humane practices in prisons, they discuss the success of education and arts programs. They also highlight Ireland's increasing incarceration rates, emphasizing the urgency of humane reforms. The conversation shifts to how media narratives shape public perception, often leading to tougher sentencing despite evidence against it.
Jan 10, 2026 • 1h 13min
A Few Good Men: The past pupils who took on Blackrock College
In this engaging discussion, guests John Coulter and Corry McMahon, former pupils of Blackrock College, recount their harrowing school experiences and the abuse they faced. John, a finance professional and advocate for victim-survivors, and Corry, an auctioneer turned psychotherapist, share their journeys toward restorative justice. They emphasize the importance of acknowledgment and support for victims, the impact of social media in revealing past traumas, and the empowering role of restorative meetings in healing and reclaiming agency.
Jan 8, 2026 • 37min
The Marinera Tanker and the Russian Invasion of Fivemiletown
As the US military pursued the Russian tanker Marinera in the North Atlantic, a village in South Tyrone might have been paying close attention.The world is not a safe place for many these days but in this time of danger, the residents of Fivemiletown are particularly at risk.On Free State today we look at why Fivemiletown appeared on a Russian strike list. What does it tell us about the drumbeats for war that the residents of the village are being told to prepare for nuclear annihilation?Meanwhile Dion prepares for a purity test as Joe decides to set a GAA quiz for him. Send your questions to info@freestatepodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 6, 2026 • 49min
Make Venezuela Great Again
When Nicolás Maduro, the deposed Venezuelan leader, appeared in a federal courtroom in lower Manhattan, he insisted ‘I am still president of my country.’Maduro was labouring under a misapprehension, not just about his own country but about how things now work.On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at the new age of empire as Donald Trump’s gangsterism spreads across the world.America now has Venezuela’s oil but it also has exercised muscle and for a bully like Trump that is its own reward.They explain why international law matters except when it doesn’t and they wonder what this means for the FIFA peace prize. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 1, 2026 • 1h 11min
Swimming song - Staying afloat against impossible odds
Omar El Akkad, a novelist and journalist renowned for his incisive writings on war and displacement, delves into the complexities of Western complicity regarding Gaza. He discusses the dissonance between witnessing atrocities and official narratives, highlighting the moral costs of acknowledging wrongdoing. The conversation tackles euphemistic language that obscures brutality and critiques performative liberalism. El Akkad also emphasizes the role of literature in confronting horrors and expresses hope in the courage of younger generations to demand meaningful change.
Dec 30, 2025 • 60min
Best of Free State - How AI colonised the planet. With Karen Hao
Karen Hao, a journalist and author of 'Empire of AI,' dives into the imperial nature of artificial intelligence. She argues that AI's development mimics historical empires, exploiting resources and communities, particularly in Ireland. Hao critiques the distraction of the doomer vs. boomer debate and highlights the environmental impact of data centers. She details how marketing defined AI's trajectory and calls for resistance against its unchecked expansion, urging for policies that prioritize community rights and agency over automated dominance.
Dec 27, 2025 • 1h
Colm Toibin - ‘The problem in life is always middle aged men’
Colm Toibin returns to the Free State studio for what is now the traditional Christmas interview.He reflects on the year when he turned 70, why there is too many men watching rugby on television and why it’s important to take the 99 out of Irish politics forever.He talks too about the death of his father when he was 12 and how the great Irish psychiatrist Ivor Browne tried to open him up to the trauma in the most extraordinary way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
