The Last Word with Matt Cooper

Today FM Courts Correspondent, Frank Greaney joined The Last Word to recount the events of day 3 of the Ashling Murphy Murder trial.Press the 'Play' button on this page to listen.

John Gibbons joined The Last Word to discuss the latest in environmental stories, including the horrendous flooding in Cork this week.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

From the 1st of January, VAT on ebooks and audio books will be reduced to 0%. How can you take advantage of this?Andy O’Donoghue joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Tánaiste Micheál Martin have met in an attempt to de-escalate tensions within the Coalition over the deficit in 2024's health budget.Ciara Phelan, Political Correspondent for The Irish Examiner, and David Cullinane, TD and Sinn Fein Spokesperson on Health joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

A new survey carried out by Taxback. com has shown that almost 7 in 10 people are put off becoming self-employed because they are worried about dealing with the Revenue Commissioners. Marian Ryan, Director with Taxback.com joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Dublin Airport is in danger of breaching it's 32 million yearly passenger cap for the second time since 2019.Lorcan Allen, Business Editor with The Business Post joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page. 

What are Joe Biden's reasons for visiting Israel tomorrow? Cal Thomas, Nationally Syndicated Columnist, and Marion McKeone, US correspondent with The Business Post joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen has caused controversy over her comments on Israel and Hamas, as well as over her decision to go to Israel. Billy Kelleher, Fianna Fáil MEP for Ireland South, and Suzanne Lynch, Chief Brussels Correspondent for POLITICO joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Are you in need of a health check?Dr. Brian Higgins, GP from Galway Primary Care joined The Last Word to discuss essential health checks for women.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Is the new reboot of classic sitcom Fraiser any good?Joe O’Shea and Elaine Burke joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Dublin Port has refused to hand over a 10 acre site to the Government, despite plans for it to be used to house about 1,200 people.Janet Horner, Green Party Councillor for Dublin North Inner City, and Ger Hyland, President of The Irish Road Haulage Association joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Will our health services have enough money for the rest of this year and 2024? Tony O’Brien, Former Director General of the HSE, and Dr. Brian Turner, Health Economist for UCC joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page. 

Looking to get away? Sarah Slattery joined The Last Word with her list of the best travel deals available right now!Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Peter Power, Executive Director of UNICEF Ireland joined The Last Word to discuss the latest on tensions in the Middle East.Listen by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Ireland's roundabouts, addictive foods, and funerals without priests?Sarah McGuinness, Deputy News Editor with the Business Post, and Ben Finnegan, Today FM News Anchor joined the Last Word to discuss the week's biggest trending stories.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

What will the return of concert films do for the future of the cinema industry?Brian Lloyd joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Israel continues it's siege and air strikes on Gaza. What are the details of a possible ground offensive?Bel Trew, Chief International Correspondent for The Independent joined The Last Word to discuss.Listen by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Plans for the 2030 Fifa World Cup seem to contradict the corporation's pledge to become carbon neutral. John Gibbons joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Do you or a loved one find it tough to keep up with new technology?Andy O’Donoghue joined The Last Word to shed some light on staying on top of things when it comes to tech!Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Joe Biden has condemned the Hamas raid on Israel, echoing the overwhelming US support for Israel in light of the events.Marion McKeone, US Correspondent with The Business Post joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

An Irish celebrity who is on trial for the alleged defilement of an underage girl has pleaded not guilty.Frank Greaney, Courts Correspondent for Today FM joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Minister For Education, Norma Foley joined The Last Word to discuss the details of Budget 2024's education investments, as well as her thoughts on the infamous voluntary contribution. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Have the Government done enough with regards to climate action in Budget 2024?Minister for Environment, Climate Action, Communications and Transport, Eamon Ryan joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Minister for Public Expenditure, Paschal Donohoe joined The Last Word to discuss the plans for money allocated to public spending in Budget 2024. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Minister for Finance, Michael McGrath joined The Last Word to discuss his views on Budget 2024. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

What is in the Government's €13bn Budget?Daniel McConnell, Editor with The Business Post, Ian Guider, Business Columnist with The Business Post, and Nancy Fallon, Tax Partner with KPMG joined The Last Word to discuss the details in this year's Budget special.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

What do we know so far about the details of tomorrow's Budget?Ian Guider, Business Columnist with The Business Post joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Israeli Ambassador to Ireland, Dana Erlich joined The Last Word to discuss Israel's declaration of a 'full siege' of Gaza.Listen to the full piece by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

If you are planning to ahead abroad to the Christmas markets, now is the time to organize your trip. Sarah Slattery joined The Last Word to discuss the best value Christmas markets you can visit this year!Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

A briefing document given to Eamon Ryan by Transport Infrastructure Ireland has predicted that a failure to properly invest in road improvements over the next 5 years could result in 77 deaths. Conor Faughnan, Transport Commentator & Chief Executive of the RIAC, and Geraldine Herbert, Motoring Editor with The Sunday Independent joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Brianna Parkins, Irish Times Columnist, and Ian Power, CEO of Spunout.ie joined The Last Word to discuss the biggest trending stories of the week past, including the end of Aertel, aka teletext!Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

What are shower pebbles and how can they help you save water?Andy O’Donoghue joined The Last Word to discuss the latest in sustainable tech for your home and pocket. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Pope Francis has said we are 'nearing breaking point' when it comes to global warming.John Gibbons joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page. 

A new report has found a surge in the number of people with gambling addictions. Why is this?Pete Lunn, Head of the ESRI’s Behavioural Research Unit, and Professor Colin O’Gara, Consultant Psychiatrist & Head of Addiction Services at St. John of God Hospital joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

The Irish Cancer Society are aiming to have parking charges for cancer patients in hospitals scrapped, as requested in their pre-Budget submission to the Government, along with a number of other requests.Averil Power from the Irish Cancer Society joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Bookmaker Paddy Power is to close 21 shops around the country. Why is this?Ian Guider, Columnist for The Business Post joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button this page.

According to a new survey, up to half of taxpayers want to see tax relief on health spending restored to 40%. Charlie Weston, Personal Finance Editor with The Irish Independent joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

New rules are to be introduced for e-scooters which will see an age and speed limit for those riding them. Liz O’Donnell, Chairperson for the Road Safety Authority, and Dr. John Legge, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at St Vincents University Hospital joined The Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Former US President Donald Trump is returning to court as he faces a civil fraud trial in New York.Cal Thomas, Nationally Syndicated Columnist, and Marion McKeone, US Correspondent with The Business Post, joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Would you pay to use Instagram and Facebook?Elaine Burke, Journalist and Host of the Fortechsake Podcast joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

New laws will soon allow pharmacists to dispense certain forms of contraception medicines without prescription.Gabija Gataveckaite, Political Reporter with The Independent, and Kate O’Connell, Pharmacist, joined The Last Word to discuss,Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Joe O'Shea and Elaine Burke joined Matt Cooper for the weekly TV and Streaming slot.Zara King, Virgin Media News Correspondent also joined to discuss her programme 'To Die For: Cosmetic Surgery in Turkey' which airs on Virgin Media tonight.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

The Shona Project will host 2,000 TY students in at the Shine Festival in the SETU Arena in Waterford.To talk about the Shona Project, Senior Ambassador Fatima Ismail and Bernie Keogh, Managing Director of A Lust for Life joined The Last Word.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Long-haul holidays don't come cheap, but deals are surfacing for Summer 2024.Sarah Slattery from travelexpert.ie joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

It was expected that the trial of a man who is accused of murdering schoolteacher Ashling Murphy in 2022 was due to begin today, but it didn't.Frank Greaney, Today FM's Courts Correspondent joined The Last Word to explain why.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

A 16 year old has been arrested after allegedly killing a family member in Co. Offaly. Conor Gallagher, Security & Crime Correspondent with The Irish Times joined The Last Word to discuss.Listen to the full piece by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

One of the greatest hurlers of all time, DJ Carey, is now facing 21 criminal charges over an alleged cancer treatment scam.Court Reporter, Tom Tuite joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Kate Demolder, Arts & Culture Journalist, and Eoghan Tomas McDermott, MD at The Communications Clinic joined The Last Word to discuss the week's biggest stories, including plans for a National Women's Museum in Ireland.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Irish born actor Michael Gambon died yesterday aged 82. Roe McDermott, Movie Editor with Hot Press joined The Last Word to look back on his career.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Next Tuesday, hundreds of Criminal Barristers will strike for one day due to fee cuts imposed during the recession.Sara Phelan, Chair of the Bar Council joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.