The Last Word with Matt Cooper

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.

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.

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.

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.

Are drivers the most entitled of Irish road users?John Gibbons 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 continue our discussion about the use of technology to tackle Ireland's road safety issues.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Michael Wolff, Author of The Fall: The End of Fox News and the Murdoch Dynasty, joined The Last Word to discuss Rupert Murdoch's exit from Fox News, and his influence on Tucker Carlson's career over the years.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Figures for the 2020-2021 academic year show that 12% of first-year students at third level didn't go on to the second year of their chosen course. Why is this?Dr. Derek O’Byrne, Vice-President of Academic Affairs at South East Technological University joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

A huge number of Irish households are struggling to pay energy bills, with €600 owed in arrears on average.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.

Dr. Tony Holohan has a new book called "We Need To Talk". It explores his life at a time where his family were going through something unimaginable.He joined The Last Word to talk about it.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Irish company CRH (Cement Roadstone Holdings) recently abandoned the Irish Stock Exhange to list on the New York one.Sarah McGuinness from The Business Post joined The Last Word to update on their progress.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Joe Biden's ratings have taken another fall. It comes as a Republican party debate for the presidential nomination is to take place over the next few days.Marion McKeone, US Correspondent with The Business Post and Cal Thomas, nationally syndicated columnist joined The Last Word.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

'Tension' is the name of the new Kylie Minogue album and it's just one of the picks on the weekly music slot.Dee Reddy and John Caddell joined The Last Word.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Elon Musk's story is full of complexities, mental health issues and difficult relationships.The author of "Elon Musk" joined The Last Word to talk about this biography.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

It's safe to say many households struggled last winter to manage their costs going towards energy, this winter could be the same. What should we do to minimize the burden?Dr Paul Deane, Senior Lecturer in Clean Energy at UCC and Clare O’Connor, Energy Policy Officer with Friends of the Earth joined The Last Word.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

A lot of parents like to book holidays for the October mid-term break. Is it too late?Sarah Slattery, from Travelexpert.ie joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

It's a while now since the madness of the Celtic Tiger but yet, some houses are asking for massive prices.To discuss, Barry McDonald, Real Estate Agents Alliance spokesperson and Paul Mitchell, Director and co-founder of Mitchell McDermott joined The Last Word.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

The Week Trending is back - on the agenda is Dáil Protests, missing RTÉ documents and more.Claire Ronan from Ocean FM and Lorcan Nyhan, Head of Training with the Communications Clinic joined The Last Word.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

The scandal at CHI Temple Street rumbles on. It's claimed some colleagues in the hospital knew about the use of non-surgical grade implants.Health Editor with The Irish Times, Paul Cullen joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Europe is facing a public health crisis, with almost everyone across the continent breathing toxic air. John Gibbons joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

What is appropriate in the workplace when it comes to relationships? Julie Galbraith, Partner in Employment Law at Eversheds Sutherland, and Sinead Brady, Career Psychologist joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Could road safety technology be the answer to decreasing fatalities on our roads?Andy O’Donoghue, Tech Journalist, and Barry Lunn, CEO of Provizio joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

The Government has a plan to ban disposable vapes due to potential health risks and environmental concerns. John Mallon, Spokesperson for Forest Ireland, and Tad Kirakowski, Chief Executive at VOICE Ireland joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

A confidential internal report from 2019 has found the new Garda roster, which is to be reintroduced by Commissioner Harris, as "not fit for purpose". Brendan O’Connor, President of the Garda Representative Association joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

In a speech made at the National Ploughing Championships, President Michael D. Higgins outlined a number of 'big changes' to be made in the Irish diet as a result of the global climate crisis.Pat O’Toole, Political Correspondent with The Irish Farmers’ Journal, and Dr. Kian Mintz Woo, Lecturer at the Environmental Research Institute at UCC joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Journalist and frequent contributor to The Last Word, Lara Marlowe joined us this week for The Culture Club!She spoke to Matt about her favourite music, podcasts, TV and more!Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Following recent talk of progression towards a cashless society, Minister for Finance Michael McGrath has insisted that cash remain an option for payments to state run agencies.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.

State owned company ESB has been extraordinarily profitable in the first half of the year, with an operating profit of €676 million.Ian Guider, Business Editor with The Business Post joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

US Senators no longer have to follow the traditional 'business attire' dress code while on the Senate floor.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.

Medicine shortages are becoming more and more common in the world of healthcare. Which medicines are the most affected today, and how serious is this issue?Dr. Brian Higgins joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page,

Following Russell Brand's recent allegations, Irish Times Columnist Fintan O’Toole joined The Last Word to discuss his piece on the matter, featured in yesterday's paper.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Patrick Kielty hosted his first Late Late Show on Friday, Channel 4 aired a joint investigation between them, The Times and The Sunday Times newspapers into allegations against Russell Brand and the first trailer for Fraiser has been released.Joe O'Shea and Elaine Burke joined The Last Word to discuss.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.