The Last Word with Matt Cooper

Following the news of former US President Donald Trump being found guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying business records in a New York court room last night, Matt is joined by Cal Thomas, nationally syndicated columnist and Marion McKeone, US correspondent for the Business Post.Larry Donnelly, Law Lecturer at University of Galway & Political Columnist with TheJournal.ie joins the show to explain what may happen now that the former President and soon to be Republican presidential nominee is now a convicted felon.Catch up on the full conversation by pressing the 'play' button below...

The 2024 Junior and Leaving Certificate exams get underway on Wednesday, June 5th.Psychotherapist Helen Vaughan joined Matt to give students and families some tips and tricks on how best to combat the stress that comes with exam time.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Respiratory Nurse Specialist Ruth Morrow and Biola Wyrwas, mother of six-year-old Leon who suffers from hay fever and allergies, outline the advice from the Asthma Society on managing hay fever and asthma during high pollen days.Press the 'play' button below to catch up on the full conversation.

Andy O'Donoghue joins Matt to share his best tips to help you have a digital detox, monitor how long you spend online and put in limits for you and your family.Press the ‘play’ button below to catch up on the full conversation...

Charlie Weston, Personal Finance Editor of The Irish Independent joined The Last Word to talk through Bank of Ireland’s reaction to Revoult’s new savings account  Press the ‘play’ button below to catch up on the full conversation... 

Businesses in Dublin are considering a legal challenge to plans that would restrict car access in the city centre because they worry it will damage their footfall.Richard Guiney, chief executive of Dublin Town, and Prof Brian Caulfield, Professor in Transportation in Trinity College Dublin, joined The Last Word to debate the traffic management plans for Dublin city.For the full podcast click the 'Play' button on this page.

Travel journalist Eoghan Corry and Graham Keely, a journalist in Spain, joined Matt to discuss protests across Spanish Islands against overtourism and why many countries across the world are looking at ways to limit tourism in their famous cities.Press the ‘play’ button below to catch up on the full conversation...  

Sheila O'Flanagan and has written more than 30 novels and sold more than 9 million copiesHer new novel is The Honeymoon Affair and she joins Matt to share her very favourite film, tv and music picks.For the full podcast click the 'Play' button on this page.

Closing arguments in Trump's trial, the Israel-Gaza conflict and Americans are choosing cannabis over alcohol.Cal Thomas, nationally syndicated US columnist, and Marion McKeone, US correspondent with The Business Post, joined The Last Word to discuss all the biggest news stories from the United States.For the full podcast click the 'Play' button on this page.

Ireland is on track to miss its legally-binding emissions reduction targets by a long way according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).The latest projections from the EPA show Ireland is set to reduce its total greenhouse gas emissions by only 29 per cent by 2030, compared to a target of 51 per cent.Hannah Daly, professor of sustainable energy at University College Cork, joined The Last Word to discuss why Ireland is so far behind and what can be done to get emissions reductions back on track.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

A study by the Economic and Social Research Institute has looked at how teenagers’ relationships with their families and peers have changed over the last 10 years. It found that Ireland’s 13-year-olds now have fewer friends than they did a decade ago.Author of the report, Dr. Emer Smyth and Jen Hogan, Parenting Columnist with The Irish Times, joined Matt to discuss the findings.Catch the full chat by pressing the ‘Play’ button on this page.

Nick Ferrari joins Matt to discuss Rishi Sunak's new national service policy for 18 year olds.Why has the UK got a 6 week election campaign? And what happened in that Welsh pub?Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

50 Migrants without Visas were refused 'leave to land' in the last week.Jim O’Callaghan, and Liam Herrick discuss the issues around these immigration and document checks.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Beaches, theme parks, movie stars and more!Sarah Slattery from thetravelexpert.ie joined The Last Word to give all the advice you need for a trip to Los Angeles, California.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Medical experts have expressed concern after the HSE published figures that show almost 5,000 people have been hospitalised with mental and behavioural disorders after taking cannabis products.Dr Garret McGovern, Medical Director of the Priority Medical Clinic and Ray Walley, GP and Associate Clinical Professor at UCD debated the issue.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Extreme turbulence, 2FM's presenter exodus and a surprise UK election...Orla Ryan, news correspondent with The Journal, and Dave Hanratty, host of No Encore podcast, joined The Last Word to discuss the week's biggest trending stories!Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Darragh Cassidy, Head of Communications for Bonkers.ie joined The Last Word to discuss Revolut's latest competitive offers for customers.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

The US Department of Justice have announced they will take a legal case against Ticketmaster's parent company Live Nation. Why is this?Ian Guider, Business Editor for The Business Post joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Andy O'Donoghue joined The Last Word to talk the latest in foldable pones and tablets, as well as the return of Nokia's 'Dumb Phone'.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has applied for a number of arrest warrants, including Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' leader in Gaza. Aoife O'Donoghue, Professor of Law at Queen's University, Belfast joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Could we really be saying goodbye to disposable vapes by the end of the year?Ossian Smyth, Minister of State with Responsibility for Public Procurement, eGovernment and Circular Economy joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

How effective are election posters in 2024?Gary Murphy, Professor of Politics at the School of Law and Government in DCU, and Liz Carolan from thebriefing.ie joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Travel expert Sinead Kennedy joined The Last Word to discuss Iceland's wonders and an itinerary to help plan your trip!Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Why are the Kinahans suddenly selling so many of their properties in Dubai?Conor Gallagher, Crime & Security Correspondent with The Irish Times joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

John Gibbons joined The Last Word to discuss the way in which ancient fir trees are allowing scientists to measure climate change.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Andy O'Donoghue joined The Last Word to discuss the best tech available to make sure you get the most out of your 8 hours!Catch the full chat by pressing the ' Play' button on this page.

Keiran Cunningham, Chief Sports Writer with The Irish Daily star joined The Last Word to discuss comments made by Irish boxing star, Katie Taylor about her fighting on the same card as Mike Tyson. Listen by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

How much would it cost to bring Ireland's existing office buildings up to today's environmental standards?Ian Guider joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Charlie Weston, Personal Finance Editor of The Irish Independent joined The Last Word to talk about why you should always keep a close eye on your insurance documents!Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Regulations are finally coming in for e-scooter use on roads in Ireland. What do these new regulations involve?Aisling Dunne, Head of Policy at Bolt, and Ciaran Cuffe, MEP with the Green Party joined The Last Word to discuss.

Political candidates have been warned over a threat of violence while campaigning following a number of incidents in recent days.Cormac O'Keefe, Security Correspondent for The Irish Examiner, and Elaine Dunne, Fianna Fáil Local Election Candidate for Glencullen-Sandyford joined The Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

A new survey suggests some mortgage holders are paying twice as much as others on interest rates.Martina Hennessy, Managing Director of Doddl.ie joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

New potential benefits have emerged for users of a certain range of diabetes drugs, which include the well known drug 'Ozempic'. Professor Donal O'Shea, HSE Clinical Lead On Obesity joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Why has the Dublin-New York Portal been temporarily closed?Brianna Parkins, Columnist with The Irish Times, and Hazel Chu, Green Party Dublin City Councillor joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

While Bike Week is being celebrated, Dr. Damien O'Tuama, National Cycling Coordinator with the Irish Cycling Campaign and An Taisce, and Geraldine Herbert, Motoring Editor of The Sunday Independent joined The Last Word to discuss a new campaign from Cycling Ireland which hopes to raise awareness on Irish roads.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly plans to go to cabinet tomorrow to seek approval to raise the minimum legal age of the purchase of tobacco products from 18 to 21.Chris Macey, Director of Advocacy for the Irish Heart Foundation, and Ian O'Doherty, Columnist for The Irish Independent joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Why has the Church of Ireland's General Synod voted against a motion to allow all children of unmarried parents be baptised?Canon Gillian Wharton, Rector of Booterstown, Dublin, Church of Ireland, and Professor Patricia Barker, Lay Member of the Church of Ireland Synod joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

With the rain making a triumphant return after a blissful weekend, Sarah Slattery is back with some great get-away deals for May!Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Ian Guider joined The Last Word to discuss motoring giant Ford's decision to reverse prior plans to produce only electric vehicles after 2030.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Dublin portal, Netflix lawsuit and Kim Kardashian's waist...Ben Finnegan, TodayFM News Anchor, and Sarah McGuinness, Assistant News Editor for The Business Post joined The Last Word to discuss the week's biggest trending stories!Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Insurance firms are calling for mandatory telematics in the cars of young and inexperienced drivers.Gary McClarty, Director of MCL Insurance Services (Ireland) Limited, and Geraldine Herbert, Motoring Editor of The Sunday Independent joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Why are we so addicted to our dodgy boxes and smuggled cigarettes? Charlie Weston, Personal Finance Editor with the Irish Independent joins Matt to discussFor the full chat click the 'Play' button on this page.

Ireland has qualified in the Eurovision thanks to Bambi ThugRussell Alford, Today FM's Eurovision expert and Dave Hanratty, Host of 'No Encore Podcast' join Matt to discussFor the full podcast click the 'Play' button on this page.

Israel has taken control of the Rafah crossing, Bel Trew, Chief International Correspondent with the Independent joins Matt to discussFor the full chat click the 'Play' button on this page.

As Bambie Thug is set to take the stage in the first Eurovision heat, John Caddell and Dee Reddy join Matt to discuss the full Eurovision breakdown. For the full chat click the 'Play' button on this page.

Following the release of 3 RTE reports, Ian Guider from The Business Post joins Matt to discuss these in detail. For the full chat click the 'Play' button on this page.

Stormy Daniels is set to be called as a witness in the latest Trump caseCal Thomas, Nationally syndicated US columnist and Marion McKeone, Us correspondent with The Business Post join Matt to discuss. For the full podcast click the 'Play' button on this page.

A man has been jailed for life following the murder of 3 siblings. Frank Greaney, courts correspondent for Today FM joins Matt to discuss. For the full podcast press the 'Play' button on this page.

How is the government handling those who are seeking international protection when entering the country? Daniel McConnell - editor of The Business Post, Sinead Gibney Social Democratic candidate and Senator Barry Ward of Fine Gail join Matt to discuss. For the full chat click the 'Play' button on this page.

Just over 960m euro was spent last year on digital advertising bringing it up by another 11%Ian Guider from The Business Post joins Matt to discuss. For the full chat click the 'Play' button on this page.