Best Tri State Sports Beat Podcasts (2025)

1
Replacing the shit with something better. Tim McGabhann on his journey from addiction to salvation. 41:10

1d ago41:10

41:10

‘I probably need to start with the s***,’ Tim MacGabhann writes in his memoir. On Free State today, Tim MacGabhann talks about the shit and the salvation. His book is a story of addiction and recovery, a life trying to find something and then finding it in the place he didn’t think it would be. It’s a story of replacing the s*** with something bett…

1
When Ali met Ireland 44:47

4d ago44:47

44:47

When Muhammad Ali visited Ireland in 1972, the country was a different place. Nobody believed the greatest sportsman the world has ever seen would fight in Dublin except the men who made it possible. On Free State today Dave Hannigan tells talks about his book The Big Fight - When Ali Conquered Ireland. It is a tale of men with dreams from Kerry an…

1
Through a Glass Darkly. The sobering of Dion Fanning 30:23

6d ago30:23

30:23

As Dion celebrates a personal milestone, on Free State today Joe and Dion look at how to live without drink. They consider how dark it can get for those on the other side and what helps people become free. Joe reflects on those he has seen struggle with alcohol and those he has seen create a new and rewarding life for themselves. Hosted on Acast. S…

1
A summer on the brink 39:39

9d ago39:39

39:39

In the summer of 1976, the world was a different place. In Ireland and Britain, it was a summer of a heatwave. But were there cultural and political changes brought about by the long hot summer of 1976? On Free State today John Williams, author of a new book Heatwave - the Summer of 1976, Britain at Boiling Point, is our guest. John tells us how th…

1
They’re behind you! How the mass murder industry is trying to spook Ireland into wasting billions on weapons of war. 45:51

11d ago45:51

45:51

Have you locked yourself in a panic room? Have you got your tinned foods and toilet rolls in for when the Russians invade? If not, why are you so complacent? Why don’t you understand the threats Ireland faces in the modern world? On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at how Ireland is being told to be afraid. Is there anything to fear or are the w…

1
Superman unleashed. Can anyone stop David Clifford & another Golden Years? 59:02

13d ago59:02

59:02

After Sunday's All Ireland final proved yet again why David Clifford is Superman in shorts, Joe wonders can any team stop a new Golden Years style reign for the Kerry footballers? On Free State today he also looks back on Knockmore Juniors' win over the weekend and explains why the All Ireland final can never quite measure up to the winning feeling…

1
A War Correspondent in Gaza 40:50

16d ago40:50

40:50

As a young reporter Phoebe Greenwood worked as a war correspondent in Gaza. She inhabited the world of fixers where journalists stayed at the Al Deira hotel and Israeli government spokespeople provided statements that contradicted what reporters had witnessed. Greenwood was there during the 2012 conflict and now she has written a novel, Vulture, wh…

1
Can Donegal beat David Clifford? Or are 15 mortal men enough against the God of football? 44:22

18d ago44:22

44:22

How do you stop a genius? How does a genius thrive? David Clifford is the greatest Gaelic football who has ever lived but will that be enough on its own to bring Kerry an All-Ireland? On Free State today, Joe explains the different type of genius that is Jimmy McGuinness. McGuinness has taken advantage of the new rules, the way he took hold of the …

1
Cork, a study in failure. Donal Og’s destructive legacy 45:07

20d ago45:07

45:07

Did Cork lose the All-Ireland hurling final at half time or was defeat guaranteed long before? On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at what a sporting humiliation does to a team and if they can ever recover. Joe identifies failings in the Cork management that led to the defeat on Sunday but it doesn’t end there. He looks at the strike action when…

1
The Trump Dictatorship with writer Joseph O’Neill 1:04:49

23d ago1:04:49

1:04:49

One of Ireland’s great writers Joseph O’Neill is today’s guest on Free State. O’Neill’s novels Netherland and Godwin have reflected the centrality of sport in people’s lives. He talks about why sport matters so much and why in Ireland it matters even more than that. He reflects on his own upbringing and how he was raised in Holland before becoming …

1
Blocking a cross-community cricket camp. Unionists are draining the pool so no one can swim 38:35

25d ago38:35

38:35

The Fairground Park pool in St Louis Missouri was the largest pool in America when it was built in 1919. It had enough room for 10,000 swimmers. All of them white. But when integration came to Missouri, rather than allow all races to swim, the Fairground Park pool closed. This phenomenon was explored by writer Heather McGhee and on Free State today…

1
The Sherlock Holmes of Donegal. Jimmy McGuinness and the winning formula. 38:34

27d ago38:34

38:34

Jim McGuinness isn’t a pragmatist. He is, Joe says, a pragmatic extremist. On Free State, Joe and Dion look at the clash between genius and control. Through the history of sport, geniuses have always made their own way and systems have been devised to stop them. Will this be the case when David Clifford’s Kerry play McGuinness’s Donegal? We look at…

1
Writer Timothy O’Grady on the trauma of war, imagining the life of a sniper and writing Stephen Rea’s memoir 1:10:23

30d ago1:10:23

1:10:23

In January, Timothy O’Grady joined Dion and Joe on the podcast to talk about Say Nothing and what it got wrong. What stayed in people’s minds was his reading from his novel Monaghan. With the publication of that novel this summer, Tim returns to Free State to talk about what he has learned about war and killing through years talking to people invol…

1
Postmodernism and the Twelfth. In Moygashel, they’re eating the dogs, they’re eating the cats 41:35

1M ago41:35

41:35

When the pictures emerged of the loyalist bonfire in Moygashel in Co Tyrone, most people were horrified at the migrant boat effigy at the top. Politicians condemned it and called for action but others insisted it was in fact an act or ‘artistic protest’. On Free State, Joe and Dion look at the celebrations around the Twelfth of July, not as the des…

1
Diogo Jota and the surprising truth about people 53:09

1M ago53:09

53:09

What kind of world do you think you’re living in? Most people when asked will have one view but on Free State today, Joe explains a surprising truth. Joe was in Portugal last week when Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva died so tragically. As Joe watched the funeral he noticed things about the community of Gondomar where Jota and his brother we…

1
Life and Death in Iran: With Children of the Jacaranda Tree author Sahar Delijani 40:30

1M ago40:30

40:30

Sahar Delijani was born in Evin Prison in Tehran. Her mother, who had been part of the movement that toppled the Shah in Iran, had been jailed as the new regime silenced some of the coalition that brought it to power. Her uncle was subsequently one of many political prisoners executed by the regime in 1988. Sahar Delijani wrote about those experien…

1
Death Death to the IVF 47:42

1M ago47:42

47:42

In the aftermath of having their US visas revoked following their comments at Glastonbury, Bob Vylan issued a statement saying they were “a distraction from the story”. “We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people,” their statement said. “We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine … a machine that has …

1
David Clifford defeats Armagh to reach All-Ireland semi-final. Can he go all the way? 41:36

1M ago41:36

41:36

On Sunday at Croke Park the glory belonged to Kerry but who was responsible for this victory and will Joe have to apologise? On Free State today Joe and Dion look at how Kerry beat Armagh and David Clifford‘s role in the All-Ireland champions’ downfall. Joe accuses Dion of failing to read beyond the headline of his column which was referenced in th…

1
How AI colonised the planet. With Karen Hao 58:47

1M ago58:47

58:47

There are those who believe Artificial Intelligence will lead to the extinction of mankind. There are those who believe AI will save the world. On Free State today, journalist and author of the Empire of AI Karen Hao explains why AI is an imperialist project and how the colonising is already taking place. She says why she believes the doomer vs boo…

1
Kerry’s animals, Armagh’s bonus year & how Kilkenny abandoned cricket for hurling 53:35

2M ago53:35

53:35

The world seems to be intent on tapping into humanity’s worst instincts. Tech companies ensure the algorithms keep us enraged and fearful, but is there a resistance movement? On Free State today Dion tries to persuade Joe that Test match cricket is part of a broader cultural phenomenon but will Joe buy it? Joe looks at how Kilkenny was transformed …

1
Bombing Iran: It’s what God would have wanted. Another Donald Trump U-turn. 48:22

2M ago48:22

48:22

When Donald Trump gave the order to bomb Iran, the language of war was mobilised. It is a language where death and misery means peace and love. On Free State, Joe and Dion look at how war is sold and why the language of war is hard to distinguish from erotica. The Old Testament was cited by many in America as why they stood with Israel. But did the…

1
Why Israel bombed Iran (and how they will get the west to back them again) with Fintan Drury 1:07:41

2M ago1:07:41

1:07:41

Fintan Drury trained as a journalist before becoming a hugely significant figure in Irish corporate life, something he has talked about previously with honesty and some regret. He returned to his journalistic roots and the tragedy in Gaza compelled him to speak out. His new book Catastrophe is the story of Nakba II. On Free State today, he explains…

1
Kneecap and the bilingual London Magistrates 57:00

2M ago57:00

57:00

When Kneecap arrived at Westminster Magistrates Court, the scene was like Beatlemania if the Beatles’ fans were supporting a Free Palestine. Kneecap were in court for the first hearing in the case against Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, whose stage name is Mo Chara. On Free State today Joe explains why he isn’t part of the legal team and what will happen next.…

1
The True History of Iran (and Mayo footballers) 52:10

2M ago52:10

52:10

The world is moving closer to annihilation and still people beat the drumbeats for war. On Free State today, Joe and Dion look at how Israel’s attack on Iran is a case of history repeating itself. Iran is the bogey man that allows warmongering to prosper and no matter how many times this has happened before, the noises are still the same and as blo…

1
Famine, plague and slaughters: Ireland and The Great Hunger with historian Padraic X Scanlan 1:13:58

2M ago1:13:58

1:13:58

“Political history, not natural history, turned a potato failure into a famine.” Between 1845 and 1851, one million people on the island of Ireland died of famine-related causes. Another 1.5 million people emigrated. On Free State today, historian Padraic X Scanlan, author of the outstanding history of the Famine, Rot, joins us to discuss what caus…

1
Ballymena Blues. Why Ulster loyalists hate everyone (except Israel) 52:21

2M ago52:21

52:21

In Ballymena this week, those who have come from abroad to make their lives in the town were putting union jacks in the window in the hope it would prevent them being attacked. In the random and brutal rioting that saw the homes and businesses of foreigners attacked and terrorised this was they did to protect themselves and their families. On Free …

1
"God save Oireland ! " said the heroes feat. Conor McGregor and Tommy Robinson, be the hokey 47:18

2M ago47:18

47:18

“The kids were coming down for breakfast when these five men wearing cargo pants, big jackets arrived. They came into the third floor, stood in front of the bedroom door, took the three kids back in and told them to pack up. We heard them say: ‘You are going to be deported.’ As soon as the other children heard then they were all crying. It was such…

1
Irish not Scouse? How Liverpool became a global city and remained an Irish one 52:13

2M ago52:13

52:13

TP O’Connor was elected as MP for the Liverpool constituency of Liverpool Scotland in 1885. He represented that constituency from then until his death in 1929. TP O’Connor was an Irish Nationalist MP and he is the only Irish Nationalist ever elected to a constituency outside the island of Ireland. On Free State today, we look at the story of Liverp…

1
Why Gerry Adams beat the BBC 48:51

2M ago48:51

48:51

When a jury found in Gerry Adams’s favour in his case against the BBC, executives from the British Broadcasting Corporation sounded like they had won. On Free State today, Joe and Dion disagree about the importance of the verdict in the libel trial. Joe explains why the jury reached that verdict and why the BBC’s evidence was flawed. They look at h…

1
Highway to Hell. An Irish surgeon’s journey into Gaza’s heart of darkness. With Morgan McMonagle. 49:29

2M ago49:29

49:29

“Our revenge will be the laughter of our children,” Bobby Sands famously said. But what happens in a land where children are being killed in their thousands? On Free State today, trauma surgeon Morgan McMonagle provides a harrowing insight into his time working in the Nasser Hospital in Gaza. Morgan went to Gaza for the first time in 2024 and retur…

1
Love, loss and destruction. Writer Oona Frawley on making sense of the past 42:19

2M ago42:19

42:19

How do we make sense of a world when it no longer contains the people we love? How do we make peace with the past when it’s still a mystery? On Free State today, writer Oona Frawley talked about her new memoir This Interim Time. A book about the loss of her parents and the gratitude that comes from her children.She talks about her own father’s stru…

1
The Liverpool Parade and why white nationalism is on the prowl 41:36

2M ago41:36

41:36

In a recent survey, supporters of Nigel Farage ranked ‘being English’ ahead of ‘being a parent’ as a signifier of who they are. How has it come to this? Even as the dissatisfaction with Brexit grows, Farage who drove so much of the vote by playing on the most irrational fears, is England's most popular politician. On Free State today, Joe and Dion …

1
The Persecution of Kneecap: A legal perspective with Joe Brolly, barrister-at-law 36:16

3M ago36:16

36:16

When Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with terror offences, it made global headlines. The world reported the charge that the man had allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah in November 2024. Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh is better known as Mo Chara of Kneecap and he is alleged to have committed the act at a gig in Kentish Tow…

1
How the Northern Bank robbery changed Ireland with Glenn Patterson 56:00

3M ago56:00

56:00

On the 20th December, 2004, £26.5 million was stolen in plain sight from the Northern Bank in Belfast. This wasn't a victimless crime, but some saw it as a caper. Most believed only one organisation was capable of pulling off an operation of this scale. On Free State today, the great writer Glenn Patterson joins us to discuss his new book on the No…

1
The Assassination of Gary Lineker by the coward BBC 41:58

3M ago41:58

41:58

Gary Lineker will leave the BBC this weekend but why has it come to this? On Free State, Joe and Dion look at how Lineker had a target on his back for years but when he spoke out about Gaza, the clock was ticking. As Israel’s actions in Gaza become more atrocious and babies starve, more and more people are becoming tarred. How has the western world…

1
Gary Lineker, the Mayo footballers and the mechanics of change 47:49

3M ago47:49

47:49

When Keir Starmer said Britain risked becoming an ‘island of strangers’, in whose interests was he speaking? When Gary Lineker left the BBC, was it because he unwittingly shared an antisemitic post - which he subsequently apologised for - or because he had been outspoken on the genocide in Gaza? On Free State today Dion and Joe look at how the worl…

1
Go on home British soldier, go on home - The IRA & me, with Captain Jonathan Trigg of the Royal Anglian Regiment 53:16

3M ago53:16

53:16

When Jon Trigg was sent to Northern Ireland as a young officer, he was going to war. It wasn’t the Troubles or a conflict but a war. Trigg served his tour of duty in 1993 and moved on, but, unusually he returned, not as a soldier but as a writer. In an extraordinary conversation today, Jon Trigg talks to Joe and Dion about his new book on the IRA i…

1
Cocaine Nights on the Kyiv Express (feat Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer and the German guy) 38:19

3M ago38:19

38:19

When is a cocaine spoon not a cocaine spoon? When is a tissue a wrap of an illegal substance? On Free State today look at how a story spreads online as it did over the weekend when Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer and Friedrich Merz were filmed on a train going to Kyiv. Soon the idea that drug paraphernalia was in the carriage took hold online. The st…

1
Where The Wildelings Are. Writer Lisa Harding on surviving Trinity College, anxiety and the Male Gaze 45:25

3M ago45:25

45:25

Lisa Harding’s stunning new book The Wildelings is set in a fictional university in Dublin. On Free State today, Lisa talks to us about her own time at Trinity in the 90s, when students would be rated on their looks. She talks to Dion about the male gaze and their shared experiences of drink and how when she became an actress she turned to tequila …

1
Skorts, Skirts and Shorts. What will the new pope say? 35:27

3M ago35:27

35:27

Since we launched the podcast, we have never been afraid to ask the big questions. This has sometimes come at a cost but that is the way it has to be. Today we ask one of the questions that will define this generation: what is a skort? On Free State, Joe and Dion wonder why this issue which should be so simply resolved in favour of women in sport b…

1
“I want nothing to do with this.” Gaza & the myth of western civilisation. With the brilliant Omar El Akkad. 1:04:27

3M ago1:04:27

1:04:27

"One day, when it's safe, when there's no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it's too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this." On October 25 2023, novelist Omar El Akkad posted this message on X. On Free State today Omar El Akkad joins Joe and Dionto talk about how the world looked away. His …

1
The Revolutionary Road. Women’s Liberation Movement Founder Rosita Sweetman on divorcing her family and why Kneecap were right 44:55

3M ago44:55

44:55

Rosita Sweetman wanted to change the world. Like many of her generation, she was inspired by the civil rights movement in the US. She became a founder of the women’s liberation movement in Ireland. She was fearless and it was fun. But her life wasn’t. On Free State today Rosita Sweetman talks about her new memoir Girl With A Fork In A World of Soup…

1
Whatever You Say, Say Nothing - Kneecap and Britain's Periodical Fits of Morality 35:42

3M ago35:42

35:42

"We know no spectacle so ridiculous as the British public in one of its periodical fits of morality,” a man once said, When it has come to the pursuit of Kneecap, the ridiculousness has extended far beyond the British public to its media and politicians too. It has reached the Irish political class and media as well. Kneecap have apologised to the …

1
Kneecap, Louis Theroux and how the truth became Anti-Semitic 42:38

3M ago42:38

42:38

Micheál Martin has called on Kneecap ‘to urgently clarify’ their views on Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as killing Tory MPs. Why? How is society served by the Taoiseach involving himself in this confected outrage? On Free State today Joe and Dion look at the hysteria surrounding Kneecap since their Coachella appearance and their statements in suppor…

1
The Killing Fields: How the GAA survived the British murder machine... and flourished 55:00

4M ago55:00

55:00

"Each of the entries included in the book has the same ending.” Peadar Thompson wrote those haunting words in his introduction to Lost Gaels, the story of GAA members killed in Ireland during the Troubles. On Free State today Peadar Thompson is the guest and talks about his extraordinary book. It details, not just the horrific nature of how these G…

1
No Pope of Rome, no bilingual signs, no border poll. Pope Francis’s death and Micheál Martin’s impossible demand. 48:00

4M ago48:00

48:00

When Pope Francis’s death was announced by the Vatican this week, the world found the words to pay tribute. From Kings to Prime Ministers to Presidents, everyone reached for the most appropriate tribute. Even Donald Trump was looking forward to the funeral. But what does the reaction from unionist parties in the north tell us about the loyalist min…

1
High Noon: How one man retreated from the world and found his way back again 1:05:24

4M ago1:05:24

1:05:24

Eamonn Sweeney’s life changed on a June day in the year 2000. He was a sportswriter enjoying the traditional rhythm of the GAA summer as he arrived at Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney. Suddenly he was hit by a bomb and couldn’t put one foot in front of the other. It was the beginning of a descent into isolation and fear. On Free State today, Eamonn …

1
This Machine Kills Fascists - Historian Padraig Óg Ó Ruairc on the return of the far right 1:21:28

4M ago1:21:28

1:21:28

The history of the far right in Ireland is long and dark. From the Blueshirts and Eoin O’Duffy to the Nazi collaborator Sean Russell and the return in modern times. On today’s Free State, historian Padraig Óg Ó Ruairc talks about his new book on the far right and how he entered into the world of conspiracy to learn more about the movement. He talks…

1
Arise Sir Rory and Joe Brolly says sorry 41:14

4M ago41:14

41:14

Are you still talking about Rory McIlroy? Joe has reflected on his comments on Tuesday’s episode and Dion believes his views have changed. Have they? Joe also looks at the uniformity of the celebration and what it tells us about society. Dion sees similarities with Italia 90 but Joe thinks there are echoes of Princess Diana’s death. They look at wh…

1
Rory McIlroy. Glory is forever, winning is closure. 45:10

4M ago45:10

45:10

Rory McIlrory ended his quest for the Masters on Sunday night. It was sporting drama which gripped the nation. Well, nearly all the nation. On Free State today Joe wonders if golf really can produce profound sporting drama given that it is ultimately a game of golf. Dion isn’t prepared to defend golf but argues that McIlroy transcends the game beca…

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