After spending four years in an Egyptian prison, Ibrahim Halawa was finally released last month.
In his first radio interview since returning to Ireland, Ibrahim spoke to Matt about how it feels to be a free man.
"It's overwhelming. I'm trying to adapt to freedom, but it's not easy. Your problem actually feels normal, and then when you go to the outside world it doesn't feel normal."
He has been moved by the show of support from many people he meets: "Walking down Grafton Street, a lot of people stop me for selfies. It's very heart-warming."
Of those who haven't been quite so supportive, he says, "People are entitled to have their opinion - not everyone is supposed to agree with me, politically or with my position. But I was falsely incarcerated for four years and proven innocent."
"There is a system that's falsely imprisoning people and we need to do something about that."
Ibrahim says that he has been politicised by his time in prison, but that what he was calling for was democracy. He was "definitely not" a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, and says that he never knew anything about them until going to Egypt.
He did come across people who were radicalised, and describes their ideology as "nonsense."
"If they're going to tell you to kill innocent people and you're going to believe that, you're an idiot."
"I could fight my revenge and turn it into forgiveness. A lot of people can't do that. It's not easy for them to leave their bitterness and hate behind."
Ibrahim credits his faith with helping him through his time in prison. He is now trying to get on with his life and is hoping to start college next year, to study business and computing. He also wants to fight for the rights of other people who have been unjustly detained, as well as helping the homeless.
"As much as it's hard coping, it's beautiful to be back."
