Free State is a podcast for the curious that stimulates, provokes, challenges and entertains, while never taking itself too seriously. Free State covers topics ...
The art of the deal. Donald Trump and his Charlie’s Angels.
It was a week when decades happened. By the end of it, Steve Bannon was doing a Nazi salute, as Trump continued his policy of siding with the strongmen and rewarding their acts of war and aggression. On Free State, Dion and Joe look at what comes next. As Germany prepares for elections this weekend, will there be a further sense that whenever things have hit rock bottom there is further still to fall. But what explains Donald Trump? Joe looks at the story of Trump’s election, the sycophants he has surrounded himself with and the narcissism that drives him. This explains why he will stop at nothing and why America itself will soon be unable rto escape his grip.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.
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The lonely death and burial of Joe Lynskey. From Cistercian monk to lover and hitman.
At the age of 16 Joe Lynskey joined a monastery with the intention of becoming a Cisterian monk. He spent six years in Mount Melleray monastery in Waterford but he decided to leave the order. He joined the IRA instead. He became a founding member of the Provisional IRA and the intelligence officer for the Belfast Brigade. They called him ‘the Mad Monk’ but he also reclaimed the youth he had abandoned to the monastery and pursued women. On Free State today, Joe and Dion tell the story of how Joe Lynskey went from monk to becoming the first of The Disappeared. They look at how Joe Lynskey’s love affairs led to an extraordinary sequence of events that sealed his fate. They examine the role of Dolours Price in the story and the trauma and bonds that tied her to Joe Lynskey. Lynskey’s family suffered from the cruelty of his disappearance and murder, as well as the stories spun to keep the truth from them. But more than 50 years since Joe Lynskey's killing, how many knew the truth?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.
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The Disappeared. From 1920 to 1998. How the memory of the murdered has become a game of whataboutery.
The last episode of Free State ended with Joe and Dion arguing while guest Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc kept the peace. Today, they continue the conversation about how Ireland deals with the trauma of the wars fought on this island over the past 100 years. What would have become of Michael Collins if he hadn’t been killed? Would he have continued to simply be a fine finance minister as some Fine Gael politicians said or would he have taken a turn in another direction? Joe and Dion continue to disagree about how the past is dealt with. They look at the Bandon Valley Massacre and why the truth about these events must be confronted.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.
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The Restless Dead: How the Irish establishment turned the good old IRA into a propaganda opportunity with historian Padraig Óg O’Ruairc
The story of the disappeared in Irish history is long and murky. Why are some of the tales wrapped up in myth and others part of the barbaric recent past? On Free State today Padraig Óg Ó Ruairc joins Dion and Joe to talk about his book The Disappeared. Dion and Joe turn on each other as they interrogate the past and examine these tragic stories. Why do the restless dead haunt Irish history and what is needed for a proper reckoning with the darkest acts of the past?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.
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The Shamrock My Father Wore - For God, Ulster & Elon. How the Irish far right embraced loyal Ulster.
As Elon Musk and Donald Trump take control in America, what is the consequence of resistance? Musk campaigns against the unelected bureaucrats even though he is unelected too. Meanwhile he delivers dog whistles and simple fascist salutes for the far right. But what does it matter in Ireland? On Free State today we look at the international network supporting the far right movement in Ireland north and south. What is its purpose and who is behind it? There’s also an attempt to see if Deep Seek can transform Joe’s view of Mickey HarteFree 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.
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.
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