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
Nov 9, 2024 • 51min
Rick Perlstein on Donald Trump and the Dukes of MAGA. A Free State Saturday Special
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.
Nov 7, 2024 • 49min
Trump’ll fix it for you, and you and you…
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.
Nov 5, 2024 • 45min
The Last US Election? Donald Trump & Project 2025
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 sourceFree 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.
Oct 31, 2024 • 43min
The Perilous Life of the Penis (and associated scandals)
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.
Oct 29, 2024 • 25min
Sinn Féin set to lose seats as their part in the assassination of JFK revealed. And Mary Lou denies involvement in the crucifixion of Jesus.
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.
Oct 26, 2024 • 1h 6min
Free State Interviews: Dion talks to author Roddy Doyle
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.
Oct 24, 2024 • 29min
Sinn Féin ate my hamster
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.
Oct 22, 2024 • 41min
The Day of the Dead
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.
Oct 17, 2024 • 36min
Johnny Sexton. Part 2. House of Pain
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.
Oct 15, 2024 • 41min
Johnny Sexton. Running into brick walls. Part 1
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.
