What is more rewarding? Winning or glory? If you are Donald Trump or the modern GAA coach then nothing matters except winning. But can we as Trump said, get tired of winning? Is the story of the coalman’s son, Tommy Loughran, the moment when people had enough? On Free State today, Joe and Dion talk about the decision to give a marking job on Tommy Loughran to two players in an U-14 match. Why has Gaelic football gone this way? Joe doesn’t believe the suggested rule changes will save it and makes some proposals of his own. Dion has a more radical solution and announces also that he has entered the c-suite.

This episode of Free State is sponsored by Manscaped. Visit https://www.manscaped.com/ and get 20% off and free shipping by using code freestate20

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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Enoch Burke is in jail again. He is unwavering in his beliefs but is he a pawn in other people’s games? On Free State, Dion and Joe look at foot soldiers like Enoch Burke and what they are doing for their beliefs. Brazil has banned X as they attempt to protect their country. Elon Musk insists free speech is the cornerstone of democracy but is free speech on social media, the instrument that will destroy democracy while promoting fascism? Joe is not an Oasis fan. He recalls the night he tried to get a Gallagher brother’s autograph and the unpleasantness that followed.

This episode of Free State is sponsored by Manscaped. Visit https://www.manscaped.com/ and get 20% off and free shipping by using code freestate20

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.

On August 31, 1994, the Provisional IRA announced that “there will be a complete cessation of military operations. All our units have been instructed accordingly”. It was a statement that brought joy, tears and relief to so many in Northern Ireland who had endured violence. So much that would follow came from the ceasefire and the delicate negotiations that brought it about. As the 30th anniversary of the ceasefire approaches, Joe and Dion consider the people who made that possible, the role of the US and the refusal of unionism to move forward. They also ask why the lessons of the north are being ignored in Gaza. And can Dion, a Protestant in his heart, pass the Orange Lodge test?

This episode of Free State is sponsored by Manscaped. Visit https://www.manscaped.com/ and get 20% off and free shipping by using code freestate20

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.

More than 30 years ago, Bill Clinton said he still believed in a town called Hope. At the Democratic National Convention, Michelle Obama said hope is making a comeback. Is this just a tagline for a bad movie or if Kamala Harris was elected would she make a difference in Gaza and in fixing structural inequality in the US? On Free State today, Dion and Joe look at the choice in the US presidential election and ask if it is a choice at all. They also ask if there is a chance of real change in Ireland or have the same forces taken hold here?

This episode of Free State is sponsored by Manscaped. Visit https://www.manscaped.com/ and get 20% off and free shipping by using code freestate20

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.

When Doug Beattie sank a bayonet into Taliban fighter during a hellish fight for survival in Afghanistan, he could never escape his actions. Yet the trauma of killing also brought an empathy that was missing in other unionists leaders. On Free State today Dion and Joe look at the fall of Doug Beattie. Joe recalls his day with Beattie when he talked emotionally about how it feels to take a man’s life. They consider how a life marked by conflict at an early age, shaped a leader until he was undone by the tyranny that is unionism in Northern Ireland.

This episode of Free State is sponsored by Manscaped. Visit https://www.manscaped.com/ and get 20% off and free shipping by using code freestate20

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.

Funerals matter in Ireland. They are an expression of community. On Free State today, Joe recalls the extraordinary life of Colm McCusker and why his funeral told so much about the man. Colm McCusker was 91 when he died and he didn’t waste a minute during a life packed with love and family, but also car chases, tommy guns and All-Irelands. Joe also prescribes a surprising cure for Dion’s boredom.

This episode of Free State is sponsored by Manscaped. Visit https://www.manscaped.com/ and get 20% off and free shipping by using code freestate20

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.

As people are sentenced to years in prison for their part in the riots, what is the real purpose of the pogroms? There are those who will say it is a cry for attention from the dispossessed but what do those in control want? On Free State, Dion and Joe look at how countries are being destabilised by astroturf movements designed to seem like community-driven groups. They explore the funding of those like Tommy Robinson who encouraged riots while in a five star hotel in Ayia Napa. They ask why there is a light touch being applied in Ireland to the far right and ask what Elon Musk’s mission is. They also wonder where Dion and Joe should go if they wanted a mini break?

This episode of Free State is sponsored by Manscaped. Visit https://www.manscaped.com/ and get 20% off and free shipping by using code freestate20

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.

At their best, the Olympics represent all that is good about humanity. For Ireland the Olympics brought an outpouring of spontaneous joy and happiness, at least until the homecoming parade. But the hate and fear that is being weaponised across Ireland and Britain won’t be combated by two weeks in Paris.

On Free State, Dion and Joe discuss the far right pogroms and what needs to be done to stop them. While communities have stood up for the marginalised, the Coolock Says No leaders are drinking with loyalist paramilitaries on Sandy Row. And the powerful have used the trouble for their own end and as a dress rehearsal for what is to come.

This episode of Free State is sponsored by Manscaped. Visit https://www.manscaped.com/ and get 20% off and free shipping by using code freestate20

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.

For Pat Spillane, the golden years with Kerry were about a lot more than winning. The game for him was, in Danny Blanchflower’s words, about glory. It was also, sometimes, about holidays. On part two of his conversation with Joe, Pat recalls the brilliance of Mick O’Dwyer, how he motivated a team of geniuses and the lock-ins across the north that were a central part of Kerry’s challenge matches.

This episode of Free State is sponsored by Manscaped. Visit https://www.manscaped.com/ and get 20% off and free shipping by using code freestate20

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.

This episode of Free State is sponsored by Manscaped. Visit https://www.manscaped.com/ and get 20% off and free shipping by using code freestate20

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.