When Eoghan Murphy became minister for housing, he wanted to change everything. He wanted to declare housing an emergency. He wanted a constitutional right to housing. He got neither as the conservative elements won out. Instead he became the face of the housing crisis, the minister for homelessness. On a Free State Weekend Special, Eoghan Murphy talks to Dion about failure and dealing with pressure. He breaks down as he remembers the darkest moment when politics turned him into someone he didn’t want to be. Dion asks him about his recent book event at the Irish embassy in London with Ryan Tubridy. Murphy also remembers an encounter with Joe Brolly in O’Donoghue’s pub but his version has one key difference to Joe’s.

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG.

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In 2018, the Israeli foreign ministry summoned Ireland’s ambassador in the country to their offices. Ireland was debating the Occupied Territories Bill so the ambassador was ‘reprimanded’ and told the legislation was ‘hypocritical and antisemitic’. This week Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar described Simon Harris as ‘antisemitic’ as Israel closed their embassy in Dublin. On Free State, Dion and Joe look at what this slur is designed to do and why it has been so effective in silencing the criticism of the genocide in Gaza. They examine how a society can become so blinded to the horrors being committed by their government. They also look at how Israel’s government has used anti-Irish tropes in the past and tell the truth about De Valera, Hitler and the book of condolences.

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG.

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How important is the GAA in Irish life? How important is it to our politicians? Is it something they cherish or does it provide merely a photo opportunity and a chance to act as if they care? On Free State, Joe and Dion look at the Revenue Commissioners’ probes into county boards. Everyone should be tax compliant but what does the treatment of small sums of money tell us about how the GAA is really valued.

Joe looks at the tax breaks given to other sportspeople and the money that has come the way of horseracing and greyhounds over the last 20 years. The GAA is a cultural colossus whose importance is immeasurable. Those who provide the glory enrich the nation in a way those who fumble in the greasy till never could. It is time for Gombeen Ireland to recognise what goes on in the real Ireland.

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG.

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Luigi Mangione was eating a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania when an employee recognised him and called the police. Mangione was arrested and subsequently charged with the murder of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare Brian Thompson. Google had to take down bad reviews of the McDonald’s where he was turned which flooded the internet. Mangione has become a folk hero to many, a social bandit taking up the cause of the oppressed and exploited in a world where they are forgotten. In the US, half a million people a year go bankrupt because of medical bills, often after insurance companies like UnitedHealthcare have denied their claims. 

What does the response to the killing tell us about a society fractured like America’s? In a world where Benjamin Netanyahu is on the shortlist for Time’s Person of the Year, is it any wonder if people’s moral compass directs them to cheer a murder? Dion and Joe look at the staging posts on the way to the murder of a CEO. Have the last twenty years created the conditions where people feel that justice does not serve them, only the elites? There is also another update from the Dungiven GAA Whatsapp and their love-hate relationship with Dion.

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG.

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Micheál Martin will be Ireland’s next Taoiseach. He returns to the most important position in Ireland at a critical time in Irish life.

But during the election campaign he spoke about how the IRA waged a war ‘on its own people’. What does this tell us about his worldview and how he views the north? 

On Free State, Joe and Dion disagree about Micheal Martin’s comments and what they reveal about the man. Joe looks at why the origins of the Troubles dispute Martin’s statement. Dion reveals a family connection to Liam Mellows which only leaves Joe more disappointed in him but still extends an invitation to the Kevin Lynch’s GAA club. Joe also reveals why he never considered joining the IRA

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG.

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In the court where he faced Nikita Hand, Conor McGregor had money but he didn’t have power. On the streets where some continue to idolise him, McGregor still has power. On a Free State Weekend Special, Joe and Dion look at the fight for those who are influenced by McGregor and the work being done by many to offer another way. The decision to award costs to Nikita Hand following the verdict in the high court case was another blow to McGregor. Joe considers the judge’s ruling and why there is little hope for McGregor in the courts. He is now being ostracised in Irish society. But does that matter when around the world he can be lauded by the same people who hail Donald Trump or Andrew Tate? Does it matter when he has supporters in Ireland among those invisible to the political classes? McGregor offers easy answers. Dion and Joe look at some of those offering other solutions. The race is on and the outcome has huge implications for Ireland.

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/

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Over the past 18 months Free State has wrestled with the big issues in Ireland and across the world. But today they confront the most intractable of them all: how to get a crying baby to sleep. Reluctantly Joe shares some of the old Brolly secrets about how to soothe an infant in distress. What does Joe Biden’s pardon of Hunter Biden tell us about the morality of world leaders? They also consider what’s next for Jim Gavin. A man who can persuade a GAA Congress to do exactly what he wants is capable of achieving anything. Joe wonders exactly what that might be and makes a fascinating proposal.

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG.

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The General Election was a glorious example of democracy at work. Ireland showed that it is a place where ideas are debated, policies fiercely contested and, at the end of the counting of votes, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael remain in power (and the far right crash). On Free State today Joe and Dion look at what the election results tell us about Ireland. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are on the verge of returning to power but are they now just the Irish Political Party? While other parties want them to merge as their differences are negligible, Dion and Joe look at why that is not in their best interests. They also ask why Sinn Fein need to form an alliance of the left for the common good as outlined by Richard Boyd Barrett. Joe also considers the pardon of Hunter Biden and how he was fooled by the president.

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG.

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More than a million people tuned into RTE’s final election debate and if he could Simon Harris would have thanked every one of them. Instead he thanked Sarah McInerney and Miriam O’Callaghan for every question as he tried to recover the ground he has lost. Harris’s encounter with the woman in Kanturk Charlotte Fallon has defined the election campaign. But what has really led to Fine Gael’s slump? On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at what the establishment parties took for granted during the campaign and how it might still cost them. What has the media’s role been and is it time for RTÉ to explain the contact they had with Fine Gael about the Kanturk encounter? They also have a politician’s tip for how to make a mark at a funeral.

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG.

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Conor McGregor believes he lives in a world without rules, a world where he hears only the laughter of his entourage and answers to nobody.  Like Andrew Tate, he is mainstreaming misogyny and violence to an audience of young men who idolise him. On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at the world McGregor lives in and how he came to believe the law doesn’t apply to him. McGregor has boasted about running for president. Will the verdict in the court case make any difference to his appeal? Or like Tate, will he continue to deny reality and depend on the support of those who idolise him. Joe talks about the statement he made to the guards about McGregor’s tweets on the day of the Dublin riots. Why he asks was nothing done? Last week, Conor McGregor had to answer to Nikita Hand. Hand had accused McGregor of raping her and a jury in Dublin’s High Court agreed. She got the verdict her bravery deserved. As a criminal barrister, Joe analyses the case and asks the question Nikita Hand’s family had asked too. Why did Nikita Hand have to crusade for justice? Why did the state fail her in the case of Conor McGregor?

Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG.

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How does RTÉ influence politics in Ireland? During an election campaign dominated by photoshoot which are just government press releases on camera, is power being questioned as it should? On Free State today, Dion and Joe ask what does press freedom mean in Ireland? They argue about Sinn Féin’s independent review into RTE’s coverage of Gaza. Joe also looks at the history of censorship by the establishment in Ireland, while Dion learns that the Dungiven WhatsApp group have been keeping an eye on him.

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.