Mise Éire with Ian Óg Paisley (just don’t mention bilingual signs)
Ian Paisley Jr says he might be open to persuasive arguments over a United Ireland. The DUP says it is not interested in engaging or being persuaded on ‘the so called merits’ of a United Ireland.On Free State today, we ask what does this tell us about the worthy concept of reconciliation and is it now effectively a unionist veto on a United Ireland? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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30:35
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30:35
Let’s call the presidential election off. feat Maria Steen, Lara Trump... but not Jim Gavin
Is there any point to the presidential election anymore? Maria Steen who failed to get on the ballot has called for the presidential election to be cancelled and run again following Jim Gavin’s withdrawal.On Free State today, we ask why Maria thinks democracy has failed? Joe and Dion disagree on her chances of getting elected if she’d been a candidate. But she isn’t, so does it matter?Dion explains using a football analogy he’s pretty sure neither Joe nor Maria Steen will understand Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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41:33
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41:33
How Jim Gavin came undone in the Nasty Rose of Tralee
What was Jim Gavin thinking? What was going through his head when he decided he would like to be Fianna Fail’s candidate for president.On Free State today Joe talks about the conversations he has had with Jim Gavin and why he was a good man, going for the wrong role with the wrong people. Joe and Dion look at what brought Gavin down and why the campaign was doomed even before the weekend revelations. And Dion reveals the secret of Catherine Connolly’s success at keepy uppies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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46:25
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46:25
Run Zohran Run - How Zohran Mamdani will become mayor of New York and why he terrifies the establishment
In January 2025, Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialist, running for mayor of New York had an eight per cent chance of winning the race. Today, he has an 83 per cent chance and Donald Trump calls him a “100 per cent communist lunatic.The story of how Mamdani has defied not only the odds but the establishment is a story of how many are rejecting the media narratives.Mamdani spoke out against the genocide in Gaza, people said he could not win in a city like New York. He was demonised by the Murdoch media and the people of the city were told to be afraid.Instead they have embraced his message, including saying he would order the NYPD to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if he arrived in the city.On Free State today, Ted Hamm, author of a new book on Mamdani, explains how it has been done and the lengths the establishment went to stop him. In the weeks before the election he looks at what could derail his candidacy and what it means for politics around the world.Ted’s book can be ordered here - https://orbooks.com/catalog/run-zohran-run/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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43:56
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43:56
Catherine Connolly: ‘Tony Blair has committed war crimes’
Where did Catherine Connolly’s belief in social justice come from? If she is elected president, how will she use the presidency to advance those beliefs?On a Free State special, Catherine Connolly talks to Dion and Joe about the truth about her presidential bid.She explains why her comments about Hamas only reflected the reality of life for people in Gaza and why the media search for sensationalism is undermining the democratic process.She talks about her belief in a different more substantial role for Ireland in the world and what she really felt as she applauded Volodymyr Zelensky in the Dáil. 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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