Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning

When Kneecap arrived at Westminster Magistrates Court, the scene was like Beatlemania if the Beatles’ fans were supporting a Free Palestine.Kneecap were in court for the first hearing in the case against Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, whose stage name is Mo Chara.On Free State today Joe explains why he isn’t part of the legal team and what will happen next.They look at the politically motivated charges and why taking a stand against genocide and Israel’s warmongering matters more than ever.Emotions are tested in the podcast when Joe accuses Dion of both-sidesing what is happening in Iran. The argument gets heated and ends in an unexpected fashion... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The podcast dives into the cyclical nature of war, particularly the current tensions between Israel and Iran, critiquing warmongering narratives. Joe humorously points out the Mayo footballers' struggles, juxtaposing sports culture with deeper themes of mortality. Discussions touch on missed diplomatic chances regarding Iran's nuclear ambitions and the indifferent global reactions to ongoing crises in the Middle East. Engaging personal anecdotes add flavor to the complex geopolitical issues and highlight the disconnect between politics and civilian experiences.

Historian Padraic X Scanlan, author of 'Rot,' delves into the political and economic causes of the Irish famine, revealing how colonialism transformed a potato failure into a devastating crisis. He discusses figures like Charles Treveleyan and critiques the flawed ideology that prioritized market principles over humanitarian aid. Scanlan also explores the potato's symbolism in the famine narrative and reflects on its lasting impact on Irish identity and memory. His insights shed light on the profound complexities surrounding this tragic chapter in history.

In Ballymena this week, those who have come from abroad to make their lives in the town were putting union jacks in the window in the hope it would prevent them being attacked.In the random and brutal rioting that saw the homes and businesses of foreigners attacked and terrorised this was they did to protect themselves and their families. On Free State today, Joe and Dion ask what is the root cause of this savagery which the police described as feral. Is it hatred or fear, supremacy or inferiority? Joe looks at how hate has been transferred from nationalists to other minorities - with plenty held back for nationalists too and projects like Casement Park. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“The kids were coming down for breakfast when these five men wearing cargo pants, big jackets arrived. They came into the third floor, stood in front of the bedroom door, took the three kids back in and told them to pack up. We heard them say: ‘You are going to be deported.’ As soon as the other children heard then they were all crying. It was such a horrific scene.”This was how a resident in an IPAS centre in West Dublin described the scenes when families were deported last week and sent back to Nigeria.“This is not a pleasant part of my job,” Jim O’Callaghan said on RTE. On X he said, “Another deportation flight left Dublin last night and landed safely this morning in Lagos, Nigeria. There were 35 people on board who had received but had not complied with Deportation Orders.”On Free State today, Dion and Joe asked who these messages are aimed at? What is Ireland doing to combat the fantasies being spun by people like Conor McGregor about a lost Ireland that never existed?Is appealing to those with concerns about immigration necessary to head off the far right or is this world without compassion and empathy Ireland’s dystopian future? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TP O’Connor was elected as MP for the Liverpool constituency of Liverpool Scotland in 1885. He represented that constituency from then until his death in 1929. TP O’Connor was an Irish Nationalist MP and he is the only Irish Nationalist ever elected to a constituency outside the island of Ireland.On Free State today, we look at the story of Liverpool and Ireland and the tensions that travelled from Ireland to the city. While it returned a nationalist MP, it also had 50 Orange Order lodge by the start of the 20th century and a 12th of July parade still takes place in the city today. Writer David Swift discusses his book Scouse Republic. We ask if the city’s Irish heritage contributed to its sense of separateness and its determination to fight the establishment when attacked by Thatcher and the media that demonised the city after Hillsborough.They also ask if Jurgen Klopp’s Christianity contributed to his status in the city and tell the extraordinary story of the time capsule Jim Larkin buried in Liverpool. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When a jury found in Gerry Adams’s favour in his case against the BBC, executives from the British Broadcasting Corporation sounded like they had won.On Free State today, Joe and Dion disagree about the importance of the verdict in the libel trial. Joe explains why the jury reached that verdict and why the BBC’s evidence was flawed.They look at how the BBC was a propaganda tool in the north for too long and why this verdict might be a long awaited turning point. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Our revenge will be the laughter of our children,” Bobby Sands famously said. But what happens in a land where children are being killed in their thousands?On Free State today, trauma surgeon Morgan McMonagle provides a harrowing insight into his time working in the Nasser Hospital in Gaza.Morgan went to Gaza for the first time in 2024 and returned in 2025. He talks about how Israel’s onslaught over the past 20 months has destroyed a land and a people.He talks about the playgrounds that are no longer playgrounds but graveyards for the children who used to play there. They have no other use in a land where genocide is taking place and more than 50,000 children have been killed by the IDF.Morgan speaks about the four pillars of humanitarian work and why he has been compelled to speak out since he returned. It is not about taking sides, he says, it is about advocating for the truth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do we make sense of a world when it no longer contains the people we love?How do we make peace with the past when it’s still a mystery?On Free State today, writer Oona Frawley talked about her new memoir This Interim Time. A book about the loss of her parents and the gratitude that comes from her children.She talks about her own father’s struggle with alcoholism and Dion reflects on how drink and its consequences can be handed down through generations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a recent survey, supporters of Nigel Farage ranked ‘being English’ ahead of ‘being a parent’ as a signifier of who they are.How has it come to this? Even as the dissatisfaction with Brexit grows, Farage who drove so much of the vote by playing on the most irrational fears, is England's most popular politician. On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at the rise of English nationalism and what it means for the rest of Britain, as well as Ireland.They look at the frenzy within minutes of the Liverpool Parade crash to find the identity of the suspect, but only if it fitted with their existing prejudices.They identify how nationalism always ends in an assertion of supremacy.While Joe has some good things to say about Fintan O’Toole and Dion offers a solution to the Celtic Soul Brothers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.