The Last Word with Matt Cooper

Donald Trump bans paper straws in Federal Buildings, Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald accuses Taoiseach Micheál Martin of calling her a liar and tourists heading to the Algarve this summer could be fined for walking around in swimwear.Journalist Lise Hand and Lorcan Nyhan, head of training at the Communications Clinic, join The Last Word to discuss the week's trending stories.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Paul Colgan, financial journalist, and Kate English, chief economist with Deloitte Ireland, discuss Trump’s latest announcement on ‘reciprocal’ tariffs for the EU and what that means for industries in Ireland.Shane O’Donoghue, editor, CompleteCar.ie, considers how tariffs might impact the car market and American imports.

‘Warm and funny’, Roe McDermott, movies editor with Hot Press, recommended the latest in the Bridget Jones series – Mad About The Boy. To catch the full conversation, press the play button on this page.

European powers have said that there can be no negotiation about the war in Ukraine without Ukraine and Europe at the table. It comes as US President Donald Trump said he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about bringing an end to the war.Shona Murray, Europe correspondent with Euronews, Larry Donnelly, law lecturer at University of Galway, and Edward Burke, lecturer in War Studies at UCD, join The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full conversation by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

The government is set to make the a liquefied natural gas facility a priority, with an estimated cost of €500m over ten years. It has received criticism from climate campaigners who have fought against the plan.Environmental commentator John Gibbons joined Matt for Thursday’s environment slot.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

On The Last Word, Andy O'Donoghue has the latest in home fitness equipment from stationary bikes to bouncing boots.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Former member of Spandau Ballet Gary Kemp was the latest inductee into The Last Word’s Culture Club this week.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear all his choices!

Daniel McConnell, Editor with the Business Post, had the details of the 40 Government representatives who are travelling abroad for St Patrick’s Day celebrations. Neale Richmond, Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Ruth Coppinger, TD, People Before Profit-Solidarity debated the merits of nine senior Government members travelling to the US to represent Ireland. They also considered whether the Taoiseach should accept an invitation to the White House in light of President Trump’s recent proposals to take Gaza and displace Palestinians.Press 'play' on this page to listen to the full conversation.

The cost of flowers, chocolates and dining out have all increased since Valentine’s Day last year, according to recent analysis.Meanwhile, the average person is now spending €3,600 on engagement rings, with over half of customers thinking that it’s not something they’d consider insuring.Charlie Weston, Personal Finance Editor at the Irish Independent, joined Matt for Wednesday’s personal finance slot.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

On Sunday night, Donald Trump was the first sitting US President to attend a Super Bowl but reportedly left his seat at half time during Kendrick Lamar’s performance.Samuel L Jackson made fleeting appearances as Uncle Sam, hinting at political unrest and attempted to “silence” Lamar throughout the show.Lamar also grabbed the headlines when he referenced his feud with fellow rapper Drake.Dee Reddy and John Caddell joined Matt for The Last Word on Music.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear their chat.

A new survey has found that 82% of young children are allowed to use smart devices unsupervised in their bedrooms and almost half believe they spend too much time online.Alex Cooney, chief executive of CyberSafeKids, joins The Last Word to discuss these findings and how children's uncontrolled access to devices can put them at risk. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

The Gaza ceasefire is under threat after US President Donald Trump said that “all hell is going to break out” if Israeli hostages are not released by noon on Saturday.Meanwhile, President Trump has signed an order to bring back plastic straws, claiming that paper ones “explode”.Cal Thomas and Marion McKeone joined Matt for The Last Word’s weekly US slot.Hit the 'Play' button on this page to hear the conversation.

US President Donald Trump has vowed to impose 25% tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium products coming to the US.On Monday afternoon, the European Commission said it sees “no justification” for the decision and that it will react “to protect the interests of European businesses, workers and consumers”.Shona Murray, Europe Correspondent with Euronews joined Matt to explain what this means for Ireland and wider Europe.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

Ireland recorded their second bonus point win of this year’s Guinness Six Nations when they defeated Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday.France also suffered a shock defeat to England on Saturday, meaning Ireland are the only side that can still win the Grand Slam.Matt spoke to Alan Quinlan & Will O’Callaghan about the weekend’s results.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

Is a visit to Nashville, Memphis or the Grand Canyon on your bucket list?With 27 routes from Ireland to the US available, Sarah Slattery, thetravelexpert.ie, had a rundown of the best road trips to take advantage of the connectivity.To listen to the full conversation, press the 'play' button on this page.

Samantha Mumba has questioned the credentials of members of RTE’s judging panel following The Late Late Show’s Eurosong special on Friday night.Mumba finished second with her song “My Way”, with Norwegian singer EMMY winning the contest after performing “Laika Party”.Joe O’Shea and Elaine Burke were back with Matt for Monday’s TV & Streaming slot on The Last Word.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

Peter O'Mahony and Robbie Henshaw have been added to the Irish side that will take on Scotland in round two of the Guinness Six Nations. Liam Toland and Matt Williams join The Last Word to discuss what to expect as Ireland head to Murrayfield this Sunday.Catch all the analysis by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Scientists crack the perfect boiled egg, thousands still without power two weeks after Storm Éowyn and Donald Trump wants to turn Gaza into the 'Riviera of the Middle East'.Eoghan Tomas McDermott, managing director at the Communications Clinic, and Laura Byrne, voices editor and podcast producer with The Journal, join The Last Word to discuss the week's trending stories. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

New lower speed limits come into effect this week and motorists will see major reductions on many rural and urban roads.Conor Faughnan, transport commentator and chief executive of the RIAC, joins The Last Word to discuss the new speed limits and Ireland's road safety issues.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Andy O’Donoghue has a run down of all the latest fitness technology from free Apps, to smart watches.To listen to the full conversation, press the ‘play’ button on this page.

The family of Joe Drennan have expressed their anger at the prison sentence of the man who killed him in a hit and run in 2023.Kieran Fogarty from Co. Limerick received a six-and-a-half-year sentence for dangerous driving causing death & an eight-year sentence for a drive-by shooting earlier that year. Both sentences will run concurrently & have been backdated to October 2023.On Thursday’s The Last Word, Matt spoke to Conor Sheehan, Labour TD for Limerick City and Conor Hanly, Law Lecturer at the University of Galway about why sentences run concurrently in Ireland.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service has said that last month was the warmest January on record. This continues a series of temperature records since the middle of 2023, with temperatures approximately 0.2C above what had been anticipated.Commentator John Gibbons joined Matt for this week’s Environment slot.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

On this week's Culture Club, Doireann Ní Ghlacáin, presenter, musician and co-host of How to Gael podcast, joins The Last Word to discuss her favourite music, movies and more.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

US President Donald Trump's plan to 'take over' war torn Gaza and turn it into the 'Riviera of the Middle East' has been met with shock and global condemnation.Professor Aoife O’Donoghue from Queen's University Belfast and journalist Hannah McCarthy join The Last Word to discuss the proposal which flies in the face of international law and risks further destabilising the Middle East.Later, Marion McKeone and Larry Donnelly join to assess whether the US President is really serious about this plan which would amount to an ethnic cleansing. Catch the full conversation by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Daragh O'Brien, Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy, and Minister for Transport, outlined the plans for ESB to upgrade the electricity network and insure its resilience.As former minister for housing, he also spoke about the CSO figures released two weeks ago that suggested there was a shortfall in housing completions for 2024.To listen to the full conversation, press the play button on this page.

On Tuesday, Matt was joined by author Joseph O’Connor as he discussed the release of his latest book “The Ghosts of Rome”.The book is set in spring 1944 and follows a group of people who help others escape the Germans in Rome, which has been occupied by the Nazis for six months.They also discussed the current political landscape in both Ireland and around the world, and how it is reflected in the themes throughout the novel.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear their conversation.

Ian Guider, columnist with the Business Post, joins The Last Word to discuss the impact of US President Donald Trump slapping tariffs on China and threatening Canada, Mexico and the European Union.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

China has slapped tariffs on a raft of goods coming from the United States in response to US tariffs on Chinese goods introduced by President Donald Trump.Marion McKeone and Cal Thomas join The Last Word to discuss the latest news from the US as Trump fires the first shots in what could become a global trade war.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

The delivery of houses in Ireland could fall short of the government’s targets in 2025, according to a report by Mitchell McDermott.This prediction comes off the back of CSO figures which showed that only 30,330 houses were completed in 2024, almost 10,000 lower than the 40,000 target.Paul Mitchell, Director & Co-Founder of Mitchell McDermott and Kate English, Chief Economist at Deloitte, discussed this with Matt on Thursday’s The Last Word.Hit the ‘Play button on this page to hear the conversation.

Ireland kick off their 2025 Guinness Six Nations campaign against England this Saturday as they bid to win a historic 3-in-a-row.Under interim head coach Simon Easterby, how are Ireland’s chances looking, and which players will be putting their hands up ahead of the Lions tour in the summer?Matt was joined by Fiona Hayes to discuss the weekend’s fixtures.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

On Thursday, Matt was joined by Armando Iannucci, the creator of iconic TV shows like Alan Partride, Veep and The Thick of It.He discussed his stage adaptation of the Stanley Kubrick classic, 'Dr. Strangelove', which is coming to the Bórd Gáis Energy Theatre on the 5th of February, along with his storied career that spans decades.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear their chat.

DeepSeek, a Chinese owned startup, is disrupting the AI sector amid claims it performs better than other popular technology at a fraction of the price.Andy O'Donoghue joins The Last Word to explain what DeepSeek does and why it is scaring the world's tech giants.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Trevor Birney, journalist, documentary maker and producer of the Kneecap movie, joins The Last Word for the the Culture Club. He discusses his favourite cultural choices as well as the success of Kneecap and working on the upcoming Saipan movie.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Robert F Kennedy Jnr, Donald Trump's pick for health secretary, has said he is "not anti-vaccine" and has defended the President's anti-abortion policy during his confirmation hearing at the US Senate.Marion McKeone, US based journalist joins The Last Word to discuss RFK Jnr's appearance at the tense hearing.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

On Monday, Lady Gaga announced that her new album “Mayhem” will be released on March 7th.Meanwhile, Forbidden Fruit and Longitude have both revealed the first wave of artists that will play the festivals this summer.John Caddell & Dee Reddy joined Matt to run through the week's music news.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

The Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration has hit major cities across the US and led to mass arrests.Cal Thomas, nationally syndicated US columnist, and Marion McKeone, US correspondent with the Business Post, join The Last Word to discuss what US President Donald Trump has been doing in his first week back in office. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Diageo has said it has “no intention” of selling the Guinness brand, following reports last week that it was considering doing so.Bloomberg News first reported that Diageo was exploring options for Guinness and that its value could be more than $10m.Ian Guider, Columnist with the Business Post, joined Matt for Monday’s business slot.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

The Allianz National Football League returned this weekend, and it was the first time fans got to see the new rules created by the FRC in an attempt to improve the state of the game.Which rules were a success, and will teams become more attack-focused because of them?Matt spoke to former Mayo footballer David Brady and Will O’Callaghan from Off The Ball about what we learned from the weekend’s fixtures.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear their chat.

Conor Gallagher, Crime and Security Correspondent with the Irish Times, explained that an extensive file regarding alleged garda corruption has been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.Organised crime and corruption charges are being considered against a former garda superintendent, Mr Hutch and two serving gardaí.To listen to the full conversation, press the ‘play’ button on this page.

Sarah Slattery from travelexpert.ie joins The Last Word for her weekly travel slot and this time she's got all the best things to do and see when visiting Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

It's been a big week for politics on both sides of the Atlantic, Roe McDermot, advice columnist with The Irish Times, and Larry Donnelly, law lecturer at the University of Galway and political columnist with TheJournal.ie, join The Last Word to discuss the week's trending stories. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

In the Last Word on Business, Ian Guider, columnist with the Business Post, outlined the latest figures on house completion from the Central Statistics Office, which showed a decrease of 6.7% on 2023.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

Micheál Martin Receives Seal Of OfficeFollowing yesterday’s historic Dáil row and suspension, Micheál Martin has been elected Taoiseach.Louise Burne, Political Correspondent of the Irish Mirror and Danny McConnell of the Business Post outlined the political landscape of the new Dail and the emerging picture of the Cabinet appointees.Matt Carthy, Sinn Féin TD for Cavan-Monaghan and Séamus McGrath, Fianna Fáil TD for Cork South-Central debated the issues over speaking rights that had help up yesterday’s proceedings.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

The 34th Dáil met today for the first sitting since the general election but a massive row over opposition speaking time meant there was no vote to appoint a Taoiseach and form a new government.Tabitha Monahan, Irish Independent political reporter, Daniel McConnell, Business Post editor, and Sarah Carey, columnist with the Irish Independent join The Last Word to recap on a day of chaos in Dáil Éireann.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

2025 is shaping up to be a great year for gigs in Ireland. John Caddell and Dee Reddy join The Last Word to take a look at the best concerts and festival lineups including Lana Del Rey, Charli XCX and many more.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Sinead Kennedy, host of wellness activity breaks & travel expert joined Matt for The Last Word on Travel to talk about her recent once in a lifetime trip to Antarctica.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear her recommendations.

US President Donald Trump wasted no time after his inauguration on Monday, as he issued a full pardon for January 6th rioters and withdrew the US from the World Health Organisation and the Paris climate agreement in a slew of executive orders.Cal Thomas, nationally syndicated US columnist, and Marion McKeone, US correspondent with the Business Post, join The Last Word to discuss what Trump has done in his first 24 hours back in office.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Darwin Nunez scored two injury time goals against Brentford as Liverpool stretched their lead at the top of the Premier League table.Meanwhile, Man United suffered a 3-1 home defeat to Brighton on Sunday, leaving Ruben Amorim’s side in 13th place and leading him to say that this side is possibly the worst in the club’s history.Miguel Delaney, Chief Football Writer with the Independent and Will O’Callaghan from Off The Ball joined Matt to discuss the weekend’s results.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

On Monday, Donald Trump became the 47th US President.In his speech, President Trump criticised Joe Biden’s presidency, declared a national emergency at the US-Mexico border and said that as of Monday, it will be official policy of the US government that there are only two genders – male and female.Cal Thomas & Marion McKeone joined Matt on The Last Word to give their reaction to his speech.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

What's going to happen with the US TikTok ban, why did cherry tomatoes on a Dublin bridge send social media into a frenzy, and who's going (or more importantly, who isn't going) to Donald Trump's inauguration?Aoife Barry, journalist, and Russell Alford, 98FM producer and food critic for Sunday Times as one half of GastroGays, join The Last Word to discuss the week's trending stories. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.