The Last Word with Matt Cooper

Ian Guider, columnist with The Business Post spoke to Will O’Callaghan for Monday’s business news.Up for discussion was exit packages for Intel’s Ireland staff and the Hardware Association of Ireland’s plan to tackle Ireland’s housing crisis.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

Kieran Cunningham, Chief Sportswriter with the Irish Daily Star and Gavin Cooney, Sportswriter with The42.ie, joined Will O’Callaghan to discuss the government’s pledge to provide an additional €400m of funding for sport following Team Ireland’s success at the Paris Olympic Games.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

Dr Patrick Bury, Senior Lecturer in Security at University of Bath and former NATO analyst explained why this incursion by Ukraine has taken Russia and the rest of the world by surprise.To catch the full conversation, press the ‘play’ button below.

Will O’Callaghan was joined by Joe O’Shea and Elaine Burke for this week’s TV & Streaming slot and they talked about the return of Emily In Paris, the Olympics closing ceremony and the new season of Strictly Come Dancing.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

Orla Ryan of the Journal.ie and Today FM's Cathal O'Sullivan joins Nathan Murphy to discuss the week's top trending topics from olympics to riots across the UK and Ireland.To catch the full conversation, hit the 'play' button below...

Nicky Ryan and Christine Bohan, co-authors - with Sean Murray - of The Last Disco, discuss how the families of the 48 victims of the Stardust fire pursued justice for more than 40 years.To catch the full conversation, press the 'play' button below.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has reportedly turned down a contract extension and will leave his position next year.Conor Lally, Crime and Security Editor at The Irish Times, joined Nathan Murphy to discuss.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

Dr. Conor Hanly, Law Lecturer at the University of Galway and criminologist Trina O’Connor joined Frank Greaney to discuss how quickly the UK legal system has brought people to justice following riots that took place in recent days.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

With August slipping away it's time to talk back to school tech.Tech journalist, Andy O’Donoghue joins Frank Greaney to discuss the best back to school technology finds as well as how to bag yourself a good deal on second hand laptopsTo catch the full conversation, hit the 'play' button below...

Frank Greaney was joined by John Gibbons for this week’s environment slot.Up for discussion was how a Kamala Harris/Tim Walz victory may impact climate change, campaigners warning that cruise ships have doubled in size since 2000 and how 2024 is likely to be the hottest on record.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Pascal Donohoe, joins Frank Greaney following the publication of Ireland's mid-year expenditure performance review.To catch the full conversation, hit the 'play' button below...

Clodagh Lawlor, one of Ireland's youngest award-winning Country Music stars joins Matt for this week's Culture Club.For the full conversation, hit the 'play' button below...

Sarah McGuinness, Assistant News Editor with the Business Post joined Matt for Wednesday’s business news. They discussed how Coca- Cola HBC has has seen a drop in sales in the first half of 2024 due to the introduction of the deposit return scheme.Meanwhile, Eirgrid has warned of a mass exodus of data centres from Ireland if new connection agreements aren’t signed off on.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

Irish author Donal Ryan discusses his latest book, Heart, Be At Peace, where he returns to the terrain and characters of his debut novel, The Spinning Heart.To catch the full conversation, press the 'play' button below

Joanne Geary, Managing Director, MyHome.ie, discusses the latest analysis on the second hand housing market.Dara Keogh, CEO of GeoDirectory, outlines the number of new addresses that have been recorded up to June, where Dublin saw the highest proportion of new homes.To catch the full conversation, press the 'play' button below.

Following the news that Kamala Harris has selected her VP pick, Cal Thomas and Marion McKeone join Matt to discuss the latest updates in US politics.For the full conversation, hit the 'play' button below...

On this week’s music slot, Matt was joined by John Caddell and Dave Hanratty, host of the No Encore Podcast. They talked about iconic TV moments that were made even more memorable from their soundtracks.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

The National Cyber Security Centre has published a plan on how to deal with future cyber emergencies that may occur in Ireland.Richard Browne, Director with the NCSC joined Matt to discuss it.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

Following the controversial defeat of Ireland's Daina Moorehouse at the Paris Olympics, Gavan Casey, Sportswriter at The42.ie joins the Last Word to discuss the future of boxing at the olympics. To catch the full conversation hit the 'play' button below...

After a busy week in the world of new, current affairs and pop culture, Kieran Cunningham, Chief Sports Writer, Irish Daily Star and Edel Coffey, writer and journalist join Matt to discuss the big headlines of the week.To catch the full conversation, hit the 'play' button below...

The National Youth Council of Ireland has released its pre-budget submission suggesting that more money should be invested in young people.Kathryn Walsh, NYCI Director of Policy joined Matt to discuss.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

Fred Trump, author of All In The Family: The Trumps And How We Got This Way and nephew of former President and Republican nominee Donald Trump, joins The Last Word to talk about his new book, the makings of the Trump family and the future of America with the possibility of his Uncle returning to the oval office.To get the full interview hit the 'play' button below...

Following remarks made by former president Trump last night, where he said Kamala Harris only recently "turned black", Law Professor with the University of Galway and columnist with the Journal.ie, Larry Donnelly joins Matt to discuss the damage this may do to Trump's campaign.To catch the full conversation, press the 'play' button below...

Eoin O Broin, Sinn Féin TD and spokesperson on housing outlined the details of Affordable Homes Plan and how the party believes it can deliver started homes at €300,000.Conor O’Connell, Director of Housing and Planning at the Construction Federation of Ireland explained the challenges faced by the industry in delivering homes, such as infrastructure constraints and a the slow pace of planning permissions granted.To catch the full conversation, press the ‘play’ button below.

Earth Overshoot Day 2024, the temperatures at this year’s Olympics and how climate change is impacting tea and coffee supplies were just some of the topics discussed on this week’s environment slot with John Gibbons.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the full chat.

Lynne Parker, artistic director of Rough Magic Theatre Company, joins The Last Word for The Culture Club where she discusses her favourite cultural choices.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Bank of Ireland has reported a profit of €1.1bn profit before tax in the first half of 2024, an increase of 5 per cent, helped by higher interest rates.Ian Guider, columnist with the Business Post, joins The Last Word to discuss this and they day's other business news stories.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan today published the All-Island Rail Review which aims to “significantly” reduce train journey times and increase the number of direct services between several areas of the country.He joined Matt to explain the plans.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

Cal Thomas, nationally syndicated US columnist, and Larry Donnelly, law lecturer at University of Galway and political columnist with The Journal, join The Last Word to discuss the biggest news stories from the US including Donald Trump's suggestion that he would end elections if he returns to the White House. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Author Chris Whitaker discusses his latest novel, All The Colours Of The Dark.To catch the full conversation, press the 'play' button below

Irish singer CMAT has been nominated for this year’s Mercury Prize for her album Crazymad, For Me.Dee Reddy and John Caddell spoke to Matt about that and the rest of the music stories making the headlines this week.Press the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

Fine Gael TD for Mayo Michael Ring has announced that he will not contest the next general election after serving for 30 years in Dáil Eireann.He spoke to Matt to explain why he made the decision.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

The Dolomites mountain range in Italy can be a year round destination with hiking and cycling in the summer and skiing in the winter. Sinéad Kennedy, travel expert and author of Life is a Cycle, joins The Last Word to discuss the best things to do and places to stay in this beautiful area.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Joe O'Shea and Elaine Burke join The Last Word to discuss this weeks top picks in TV and streaming as well as a review of the Olympic Opening Ceremony and the news that Eanna Hardwicke is to play Roy Keane in an upcoming film

Tributes are continuing to pour out for Irish writer Edna O'Brien who passed away over the weekend.Journalist, Lara Marlowe and film maker and writer Sinead O'Shea join Matt to discuss her life, career and her impact on Ireland.

Sinead O’Carroll, Editor of TheJournal.ie, joined Matt to talk about the stories that have been making headlines ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games.Up for discussion was Sarah Lavin & Shane Lowry being selected as Ireland’s flag bearers, the inclusion of Steven van de Velde in the Dutch volleyball team, and Charlotte Dujardin stepping down from the British dressage side.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

Jim Waldron, Spokesperson for the National Private Hire and Taxi Association, discussed the reviews into passenger safety measures in taxis after the conviction and sentencing of rapist Raymond Shorten.To catch the full conversation, press the 'play' button below.

Have you considered retrofitting your home, but you're not sure of the steps involved in the process?Matt was joined by Dr. Ciaran Byrne, the SEAI’s Director of National Retrofit, to explain what’s involved.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

133 Irish athletes will take part in this year’s Paris Olympics, but which events do we have the best medal hopes in?Matt spoke to Gavin Cooney, Sportswriter with The42.ie and Neil O’Riordan, Chief Sportswriter with The Irish Sun, to preview the coming weeks.Press the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

Frank Greaney, Today FM courts correspondent, joins The Last Word to discuss the second sentencing of the taxi driver Raymond Shorten. In June, Shorten was found guilty of raping two female passengers in the back of his cab in 2022.To hear the full discussion press the 'Play' button on this page.

Andy O'Donoghue explained how technology in sport has evolved to revolutionised sporting events such as Wimbledon and The Olympic Games. To catch the full conversation, press the 'play' button below

Environmental commentator John Gibbons joined Matt for The Last Word’s weekly environment slot. up for discussion was climate protests at Frankfurt airport, and can the Paris Olympics meet their target of being the greenest games ever?Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

Willie White, director of the Dublin Theatre Festival, joins The Last Word for the Culture Club.He discusses his favourite music, movies, tv and of course theatre.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Maureen Callahan, journalist and author of Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed, talks about her expose of the generations of men from the Kennedy political dynasty and how they treated the women in their lives.

Cabinet have approved a deal on the future funding of RTÉ which will see the broadcaster receive €725 million in public money over three years.Ian Guider, columnist with the Business Post, joins The Last Word to discuss where this money will come from and what it will be used for.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Department of Finance officials have advised the government that congestion charges and car parking levies should not be implemented in Ireland until adequate public transport and other alternatives are made available to road users.Matt spoke to Fianna Fáil TD Paul McAuliffe & climate and environmental researcher Sadhbh O’Neill about this.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

Cal Thomas, nationally syndicated US columnist, and Marion McKeone, US correspondent with The Business Post, join The Last Word to discuss US President Joe Biden's legacy, Kamal Harris' presidential campaign and why the US secret service boss has resigned?To catch the full chat press the 'Play' button on this page!

On this week’s music slot, Matt wanted to know what ‘Brat Summer’ is, following the recent release of Charli XCX’s new album ‘Brat’. Dee Reddy and John Caddell were on hand to explain.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

Sunday 21 July was the hottest day ever recorded globally, according to preliminary data from the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service.Alan O’Reilly from Carlow Weather joined The Last Word to discuss this new record and explain where the Irish summer has gone.Catch the full chat by pressing the ‘Play’ button on this page!

Covid-19 infection rates are as high as they were during the 2021 winter surge.Matt spoke to Monaghan GP Dr. Illona Duffy about the impact that the virus is having on patients.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.