Heather Humphreys, Jim Gavin’s white trousers and the sash my husband didn’t wear
When Mary Lou McDonald announced a ‘game changing’ candidate many eyes looked to Joe Brolly. But was he ever in the running and would Dion have voted for him?On Free State today, Dion and Joe look at what Sinn Féin’s backing of Catherine Connolly means for the presidential campaign. They also wonder if Jim Gavin can redeem himself after farmgate and Joe reflects on Gavin’s words about Gaza.They also ask what does the Charlie Kirk memorial service tells us about America. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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44:50
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44:50
Never too old - Finding Ireland, and yourself, in hurling
What happens when a man tries to take up hurling at 41?What does he learn about himself and Ireland’s relationship with its fabled national game.On Free State today, Second Captains co-host Ciaran Murphy tells us what he learned about Ireland when he joined his father’s old club in West Waterford.Are the obstacles to more people playing hurling all to do with the skills demanded or are there other reasons we need to examine? Do we pay lip service to this game and is hurling another cultural jewel that Ireland treats poorly? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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54:53
Leo Varadkar, United Irishman.
At the age of 45, Leo Varadkar decided to resign as Taoiseach. Many people wondered why.In an extraordinarily frank interview on Free State today, Leo Varadkar talks about how finding peace in his personal life dulled his political ambition.He speaks about his failings as a politician and a man. He explains why he believes in a united Ireland but isn’t a nationalist.He criticises Keir Starmer’s embrace of nationalism in Britain and denies he was conned by Boris Johnson during their summit at the Wirral in 2019. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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59:35
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59:35
Charlie Kirk: The Death of an American Hero
Who was Charlie Kirk and what had he got to do with Ireland?On a heated episode of Free State, Dion and Joe argue about how to respond to the murder of Charlie Kirk. Is it right simply to commiserate or do the ideas he advanced need to be challenged? They look at the rise of Kirk and how the MAGA movement has reacted to his killing.Do people who disagree with everything he stood for need to observe a respectful silence or should they make their case now when it matters most? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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51:52
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51:52
The Ascent of Man: How Diarmuid Lyng made sense of the world
Diarmuid Lyng led the life many believe is the dream.But it wasn’t his dream.On Free State today he talks about how there has to be another way. How there has to be a version of ourselves outside the consumer western narrative that occupies so much of our lives.He explains what he is hoping to achieve with Wild Irish Retreats. And why the answers are all around us. 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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