The success of Say Nothing has sparked a worldwide interest in the disappearance and murder of Jean McConville, the role of the Price sisters and the relationship Gerry Adams had with the IRA. It has also led people to ask questions about the Troubles, trauma and what they would have done if they had been part of a community under siege? But what if the history isn’t history at all? On Free State today novelist Timothy O’Grady joins Dion and Joe to talk about the flaws in Patrick Radden Keefe’s book. They ask what impact it has if many elements of the story are told from the perspective of people opposed to the peace process? They consider too how the TV series managed to turned the darkest act of the Troubles into a cartoon.

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

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Chris Mullin has lived a life less ordinary. He was a fearless investigative journalist who became a Labour MP determined to speak, not just truth to power, but to go in search of the truth, however uncomfortable it was. In the second part of his chat with Joe and Dion, Chris explains how the establishment were forced to confront a reality they had tried to suppress once the Guildford Four were released in 1989. Two years later the Birmingham Six were free. If the death penalty had still been in operation they would have been hanged as many other innocents were. The man who was described by The Sun as a “mouthpiece for IRA sympathisers”, explains how his doggedness helped transform the British legal system. He talks about A Very British Coup, his novel which predicted the future, as well as his friendship with Tony Benn. Chris served as a minister under Tony Blair and he talks about how a messianic fever took hold in Blair leading to the disaster that was the invasion of Iraq.

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

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On November 21 1974, five men were taken off a train in Heysham, Lancashire questioned as they went to catch a ferry to Belfast. Earlier that evening two IRA bombs had exploded in Birmingham killing 21 people and injuring 182. It was the largest loss of life in England since World War II. The five men who were questioned were subsequently arrested and charged, along with a sixth, Hugh Callaghan. All were innocent. All were beaten and forced into signing confessions. All were sentenced to 21 life sentences for crimes they didn’t commit. They would have remained in prison without the persistence and courage of one man. On Free State today, Chris Mullin talks to Dion and Joe.  The journalist and MP whose crusading work would eventually lead to their release recalls the mood of the time and how he was demonised by the right wing media in Britain. He also talks about his extraordinary quest to find the IRA bombers who had planted the bombs. He explains why that dangerous mission was essential to proving the innocence of the Birmingham Six.

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

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The phrase Calm The Jets has a special meaning for Joe Brolly. So when he saw a horse with that name was racing on Friday evening, he decided to follow a hunch. On a Free State Special, Joe and Dion look at those with an independent mind and how they are needed more than ever in the media and public life. They recall the day they spent with Peter Taylor and how it led to a friendship between the great journalist and Joe.

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

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In two weeks, Donald Trump will be inaugurated as president in Washington. There is a new order in America but where does it leave those close to the old establishment? Many are scurrying to be onside. Meta are abandoning fact-checking, Jeff Bezos is censoring cartoonists at the Washington Post and Elon Musk might be outstaying his welcome at Mar-a-Lago. “In America, the land of the free, we saw in the past election that freedom is universally valued but not universally defined,” Bono said as he received the medal of freedom from Joe Biden.

What does this even mean? On Free State, Joe and Dion look at how the world is changing and how Bono will change with it. 

Few serious people would claim that freedom was universally valued by everyone at the last presidential election but does this tell us something about how Bono has operated in the US and around the world? In Ireland, in Derry, there are families of those who lost loved ones in Bloody Sunday who are angry with Bono for U2’s song and who were angry again when he received the medal of freedom. But does it just prove that when it came to ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’, Alan Partridge was right?

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

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Last weekend at the White House, Joe Biden bestowed America’s highest civilian honour on a group of what he called “truly extraordinary people”. "Let me just say to each of you, thank you, thank you, thank you for all you've done to help this country,” he added. Shortly afterwards, he placed the Medal of Freedom around the neck of one of those “truly extraordinary people” - Bono. But is there a parallel universe where Bono would have turned down the medal, appalled by the US’s support of the genocide in Gaza? Would that not have been the act of a truly extraordinary person? On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at why Bono would never have done that, why he has operated more often in tandem with the powerful rather than confronting them.

His career has been about making the billionaire class comfortable with their wealth rather than upending the system. Has this worked out well for the causes he has championed or has it worked out even better for Bono and those who follow his version of entrepreneurial capitalism?

The boys also consider the latest developments in the case of Enoch Burke and why even a snow day couldn’t stop him.

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

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We’ve reached that special time of year when Dion tries to get Joe interested in cricket. He opens with a hard sell this time but will Joe, who recently revealed his in-depth knowledge of the great Australian side of the 1990s, bite? Dion recalls a night watching Peter O’Toole in the West End with Jeffrey Bernard. The boys also look at Luke Littler’s pursuit of a world title and ask where are the great writers on darts? This leads them to reflect on the time the great Pulitzer Prize winning author Richard Ford joined them. They recall his lessons about life, boxing and loss.

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

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It is a time of resolution and new beginnings but what do you do when your resolve shatters immediately? Joe wonders about a spectacular resolution fail and what led to the person giving up what clearly gave her and others pleasure. The boys also look at the qualities needed to succeed in sport as they remember two of the most compelling guests they’ve hosted, Philly McMahon and Ger Brennan. While Joe’s mother also has some words of encouragement for Dion.

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

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On New Year’s Eve, Dion and Joe call a temporary ceasefire. Joe talks about Lola’s christening and they look back on the extraordinary life of Jimmy Carter.  During a time of year when many people wrestle with drink and addiction, Dion also reflects on his own struggles. They also go back to an episode from their early podcasts which will resonate with many at this time of year.

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

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Colm Tóibín is one of Ireland’s greatest living writers. He joins Dion on this Free State Special for a wide-ranging chat on Ireland today, what he believes is keeping Sinn Fein out of government and the time he spent with Alan Black, the only survivor of the Kingsmill Massacre. He considers happiness and introspection, the rise of Ozempic and the reason why you can’t talk about it with users in America. He also talks about becoming one of Oprah Winfrey’s favourite writers as well as a Tik Tok sensation and why he wouldn’t be on any social media site owned by a fascist.

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.