Free State with Dion Fanning and Joe Brolly

It's a weird friendship alright. Almost like an abusive marriage with one person bullying the other and the other person too scared to leave.

Repeatedly talking over someone and not allowing the other person time to make their point is a classic narcissist trait.

Fannings AI generated tribute to Mickey Harte in the style of Joe Brolly was amusing. Joe was not impressed which is really what made it

I’m a bit torn about the podcast, many times I’ve wished that Brolly would let Fanning speak, but then when he does speak he rarely says anything interesting. It’s an acquired taste, getting information on what it was like to live up North from someone who lived through it is always a good idea. Brolly does dominate the conversations even when there’s an interesting guest on. I’ll stick with it for another while.

I switch channel on the radio or tv whenever I hear Brolly. He reminds me of the Claudy bombing atrocity, the murder of 9 innocent people in a small village.

What was the jist of it?

Joe showed his true colours about 10 years ago when he did a complete and utter hatchet job on some Mayo players

Hypocrisy on so many levels given these were amateur players getting attacked like professionals through full page spreads in the indo.

Much like Trump when a lad tells you who he is and what his character is, believe him.

And all his “I met (fill in blank of semi famous person here) and (fill in slightly humorous anecdote here) are generally just made up

I listened to the first 20mins on the way to work and it was painful. He seems to relish taking apart Dions at times. Unless Dion says something he completely agrees with the hatchet invariably comes out. I don't know how Dion puts up with it either. They are already unable to get a sponser for the pod due to Joe's rants on Gaza so it's hard to know what's in it for him.

Even though I'm a GAA follower I cringed when he compared the golf masters unfavourably to a local junior match.

He rubbished snooker as well, apart from Davis Taylor in 85 because Taylors mother knew someone he knew or something. Goes to show how parochial he is.

Fanning should get someone on to completely ambush Joe, someone who disagrees with everything he says and won't play ball with him, but obviously have Joe believe he's someone with similar opinions beforehand.

Brolly has an extremely fragile ego. When he's not being listened to, the toys come out of the park very quickly.

I remember the former minister Eoghan Murphy was on with Dion, and said he encountered Brolly, and things took a turn when Murphy genuinely had no idea who he was.

Lads... here's a thought ... don't listen to the podcast. I mean it's clear you don't like the man.. switch off. Don't listen. No one is forcing it on you.

Anyone would think there was an agenda at play here... oh !

Brolly's always been a buffoon.

I remember people praising his GAA punditry and thinking he was interesting to listen to when essentially all he did was sneer and interrupt everyone else on it, he's just pig ignorant.

He's a Dunphy like character (expect without any of Eamons humour ,charm or self awareness) in that he veers from being incredibly nasty and spiteful to being very weepy and emotional quickly (but at least Dunphy had an excuse of being well oiled on occasions) and he could be very entertaining whereas Brolly never has been.

I genuinely think he comes across as one of the most truly obnoxious people in the country and how he's been in the media for so long is mystifying to me, why anyone would want to spend any time listening to or reading anything from him is bizarre.

You're right about the selfie thing. Still has the photo on his twitter head of the lad he gave kidney to. A generous act but still milking it 13 years later.