Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning

Dara Molloy was ordained a priest but it was a trip to the Aran Islands that changed his life. He talks to Dion about leaving the priesthood, becoming a Celtic monk and why the world needs the spirituality of the Celtic way rather than the guilt imposed by the church that colonised Ireland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why does Andy Burnham talk differently about a border poll in Northern Ireland than when he talks about Scotland? Is he adopting a different tone and if so, why? On Free State Joe and Dion wonder what reconciliation means and if it should stand in the way of a border poll? If we were to avoid division would we have any election at all? Is there a difference between a routine democratic election and a referendum on subjects that might be divisive? Is the opportunity of bringing real democracy to the north of Ireland the most important consideration in bringing a border poll? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the Tory grandee David Davis stood up in the House of Commons and said there were ‘IRA lawyers’ who were ‘more interested in drama than justice’, there was an understandable response. In 1988 a Tory minister had said that some solicitors in the north were sympathetic to the cause of the IRA. Three weeks later Pat Finucane was murdered in front of his family. On Free State we ask why there is a certain type of politician who persists with these dangerous and inaccurate terms. We look at what Davis said and why it matters in a world still fraught with danger. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2006, Elif Shafak was charged with 'insulting Turkishness' because of words uttered by a fictional character in one of her novels. She had been born to Turkish parents in France and grew up in Ankara but now she lives in London. On Free State today, Turkey's most widely read woman writer talks to Dion about exile, the age of anxiety and reaching out for home. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Arsenal announced they were cutting 60 jobs at the home of the Premier League champions, the manager Mikel Arteta said he had been told it was to "achieve the success we want to create". With the help of management consultants, Arsenal identified savings while simultaneously awarding Arteta a new contract worth £20 million a season. On Free State today we look at what this story of a sporting club tells us about capitalism and inequality. Dion and Joe look at how sport was sold as everything else was sold and they wonder what happens next. Sport has been sold not just to the highest bidder but to those who believe in a version of society which is the opposite of community. What will be next? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There was an extraordinary response to Jamie Bryson’s appearance on the podcast. What does that tell us about what people want in the north and what people are talking about in the south? On Free State today we ask if these are significant days for the future of unionism. What does it mean when the Belfast Newsletter, the paper of the unionism, says that Bryson is leading unionism down a dead end. Dion and Joe talk about how communities have emerged that challenge how people felt things would be and they ask the important question: would you surrender to a sea border? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Damien Pearse is a psychologist and he is also a football fan. Why does it affect him so much when his side loses and what does it tell us about the modern world? On Free State today he talks to Dion about why we want to belong and why we identify with the tribes we do. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who is Jamie Bryson and what does he want? On Free State today Jamie Bryson talks to Joe and Dion about Garvaghy Road, the Orange Order and a United ireland. His conversation with Joe is heated and contentious as they talk about these and other issues. What aspects of his cultural identity does he share with people in England and what would his view be if there was a violent response to a border poll being called? Let us know what you think - info@freestatepodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anne Cadwallader covered the Drumcree events in the late 1990s. She remembers the tension of those days and the work Rosemary Nelson did at that time. On Free State today she talks to Joe and Dion about Rosemary Nelson's murder. She talks too about Lethal Allies her book about collusion and the Glennane Gang. She explains how she first arrived in Northern Ireland and how as a 'well brought up girl' from London, she had one view of what was happening which changed with time and experience. She also tells us how Tina Turner's intervention led to her receiving death threats from loyalists. Anne's novel Crossing Over is available here - https://www.mercierpress.ie/books/crossing-over/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“This man's issue and the reason why he did what he did changes the world,” Ben MacIntyre says. “He changed the world that we now live in. Without this person we would probably be living in a different world.” On today’s Free State we learn the story of Vladimir Kuzichkin, a Soviet spy working in Iran whose codename was ‘Redwood’. Redwood had a problem, a sexual problem and the author Ben Macintyre tells us of this problem and why this spy and what he did might have changed the course of history. He explains what drew him to the story and the key ingredient in delivering a book as compelling as this. More details on Redwood can be found here https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/739964/redwood-by-ben-macintyre/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Drumcree is now a peace dividend. Where once the attempt to march led to violence, destruction and death, now it leads to court wranglings, endless negotiations and the support for the Garvaghy Road residents from Noel Gallagher. On Free State, Dion and Joe look at this death rattle for anachronistic unionism and what it means for a new Ireland. Joe and Dion argue about whether calling a border poll would help. Let us know what you think, email info@freestatepodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thousands gathered on Garvaghy Road determined that there would be no going back. A new generation, confident and assured, are determined that the north chooses a different road. But what is it about a parade of elderly orange men that causes these emotions? On Free State today Joe explains why Garvaghy Road represents a new and confident community. Joe and Dion discuss what it means for a United Ireland. What that Ireland would look like might be even more important than a border poll. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Louise Kennedy's first novel Trespasses was a beautiful and heartbreaking story of the Troubles. In her new novel Stations she deals with the loss and sacrifice of emigration. Louise talks to Dion about moving from the north to Naas when she was 12 and the truth about emigration and why Ireland has yet to acknowledge it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In November 2023, Peter O’Mahony sat down for a meeting with his coach at Munster Graham Rowntree where the reality of a professional sportsman’s life became brutally clear. On that same day, Peter and Dion met for the first time to begin work on his autobiography. Peter is the guest on today’s Free State where he talks about why having an obsession with winning was essential to his career and his brief time as a Gaelic footballer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Drumcree and in Debrecen, we were forced to consider different Irelands last weekend. The determination of the Orange Order to parade down Garvaghy Road brought back memories for so many of the dark days in the north. But does it really show how much has changed? On Free State today, Dion and Joe discuss what happened at Drumcree and in Hungary where Gavin Bazunu told his team mates he didn’t want to play against Israel. Should his team mates have stood with him? What does beating Israel mean for Ireland? Is there any merit in it or are Ireland just participating in the sports washing of war crimes? Email us at info@freestatepodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jon Ronson joins Dion on today's Free State to talk about the manosphere, his time with Ian Paisley and his new book, The Castle. Learn more about Jon's new book here - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/455289/the-castle-by-ronson-jon/9780241754771 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘We’re not playing with genocide, we’re playing against genocide. We’re playing against Israel, we’re not playing with Israel.’ With these words, Irelqnd’s manager Heimir Hallgrimsson tried to rally support for his players before they play their first game against Israel. The Israeli Fa responded by saying, ‘We’re not playing with ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity, We’re playing against the coach who embodies them." With these words, the Israeli FA would seem to be in step with their government and those who attack anyone who criticises the genocide in Gaza. On Free State today, Dion and Joe discuss what should happen next. They disagree about what it says about the players if they play this game against Israel but not about what should happen next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘Three things come with taking a man’s life. The first one is the easy bit – going into a room and shooting somebody… The second is preparing yourself if you get caught coming or going and getting life in prison – could you do it? And the third and final and most important is can you live with it for the rest of your life? And that’s where a lot of people fail.’ Aaron Edwards is the great chronicler of loyalism in this time. His new book details the life of Johnny ‘Mad Dog’ Adair who spoke those words to Edwards and gave a glimpse into the world that made him feared across the north. On Free State Edwards talks to Joe and Dion about Adair. He explains how he got to know him and he discusses the broader loyalist mindset and how it would approach a border poll. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robert Harris's book have always been about power. His latest Agrippa tells the story of the close friend of the Emperor Augustus as they take power folloing the assassination of Julius Caesar. Harris talks to Dion about how power erodes and all empire die as he looks to the modern world and how democracy is failign. You can learn more about Robert's new book here - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/463350/agrippa-by-harris-robert/9781529154412 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘I am not complicit’ Ed Sheeran said in his statement after Macklemore was dropped as a support act on his US tour. Macklemore had been dropped because he said the words ‘Free Palestine’ on stage. Sheeran blamed the promoters and the billionaire Robert Kraft said he put pressure on Sheeran to drop Macklemore. On Free State today we ask what lies beneath the pressure to silence Macklemore . What does it tell us about the world that is being shaped by billionaires? Does the response by those including Sheeran’s other support acts tell us something too about a resistance to this world order? Is there a determination to do something about the helplessness so many people feel about a genocide and much more? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.