The Last Word with Matt Cooper

Miguel Delaney and Mark Lawrenson spoke to Matt on The Last Word about the potential sale of Liverpool and the weekend’s Premier League. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Matt was joined by Joe O’Shea and Elaine Burke on The Last Word to discuss the latest TV and streaming news, including the return of reality TV staple I’m A Celebrity and Netflix’s The Crown. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

The Northern and Western Regional Assembly has called for at least two electric charge facilities in every town and village in the country in order to meet electric vehicle targets. John Daly, chief economist at the Northern & Western Regional Assembly, joined Matt on The Last Word to discuss why more people aren’t switching to electric vehicles. Catch the full chat by pressing 'Play' button on this page.

Visiting New York with kids may seem daunting to some, but it can be the trip of a lifetime. Sarah Slattery from the travelexpert.ie spoke to Matt on The Last Word about her top attractions when travelling to New York as a family. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Twitter has begun laying off Irish staff as it plans to cut up to half of its global workforce. Ian Guider, columnist with the Business Post and General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Owen Reidy spoke to The Last Word about what this means for the social media giant. Ian also has the day’s other business stories including Revolut’s plan to offer ‘100% digital’ mortgages. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Fifa have written to the teams competing in the World Cup asking them to focus on the football in Qatar and not allow the game “to be dragged into every ideological or political battle that exists.” Miguel Delaney spoke to The Last Word about the wave of controversies facing the tournament and how world football is dealing with them. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Roe McDermott, Irish Times advice columnist and movies editor with Hot Press and special correspondent with the Irish Examiner, Mick Clifford, discuss some of the other stories making headlines this week, including Twitter's layoffs and Gwyneth Paltrow’s Christmas gift guide. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

On The Last Word on Movies Roe McDermott and Brian Lloyd discuss this week’s biggest movie releases. These include Watcher, The Wonder and the latest project from Cartoon Saloon, My Father’s Dragon. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Ahead of the Autumn International series at the Aviva, the IRFU has plans to contact ticket holders to remind them to be respectful to fellow patrons. Gerry Thornley, Irish Times Rugby Correspondent doesn’t think the measures will go far enough as many patrons have highlighted the interruptions caused by the flow of traffic through seat rows and aisles. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Recent incidents on the side-lines of children’s sports have led to calls for a ‘zero tolerance’ policy on abuse of officials and players. In the UK, parents have been banned from shouting during children's football matches as part of a pilot project to curb violent incidents. Irish Times parenting columnist Jen Hogan and Senator Shane Cassells joined The Last Word to discuss whether a similar approach should be taken for underage games in Ireland. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Glaucoma is a slowly progressive illness and the leading cause of blindness in the developed world. Dr Brian Higgins outlines the causes of glaucoma and how to treat it. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Fr. Tim Hazelwood from the Association of Catholic Priests and theologian Gina Menzies joined The Last Word to discuss the survey from the Association of Catholic Priests on the ageing population of priests in Ireland. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Fergal Hickey, president of the Irish Association of Emergency Medicine joined The Last Word to discuss hospital waiting lists, staff shortages and delays in discharging patients. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Looking for a Christmas or New Year's break? Sarah Slattery from travelexpert.ie joined The Last Word to discuss the best Irish hotel deals for Christmas and New Year's Eve 2022/23. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Hugh Bonneville, actor and author speaks on the ups and downs of career which has seen him star in Downton Abbey, Nothing Hill and Paddington. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Dee Reddy and Dave Hanratty discuss all the latest music news and releases, including Adele commanding £40,000 for tickets to her Las Vegas gigs. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Cal Thomas, nationally syndicated columnist, and Marion McKeone of the Business Post discuss the assault on US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul. They also look ahead to next week’s midterm elections. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Boxer and Olympic Gold medalist Kellie Harrington and author Roddy Doyle discuss collaborating on “Kellie”, which tells the story of the boxer’s journey from inner city kid to winning gold in Tokyo. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Geoff Shreeves is a giant of football and in his memoir 'Cheers Geoff', he shares hilarious, bizarre and moving stories from across his career. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Elon Musk has completed his $44m takeover of Twitter after months of speculation over the deal. Jenny Darmody, Deputy Editor at Silicon Republic, considers how Twitter might change after Elon Musk’s take over. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Today FM presenter Pamela Joyce and Mark Paul, Business columnist with the Irish Times discussed some of the other stories making headlines this week, including the release of Matthew Perry’s book, and criticism of UK foreign secretary James Cleverly for saying LGBT football fans should respect Qatar. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Ford have announced that the Fiesta has reached the end of the road. First introduced in 1997, the Fiesta has had many different models and was a go-to for those looking for a small and affordable car. But what other popular cars have been given the chop over the years? Presenter and motoring enthusiast Anton Savage joined Matt on The Last Word to discuss the most-beloved decommissioned cars. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Emma Donoghue is the writer of the new movie 'The Wonder' coming to Netflix in November and starring Florence Pugh. The film is based on Emma's book by the same name and is not her first film adaptation. She also wrote the script for the 2015 film Room which was shortlisted for an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Bafta for Best Adapted Screenplay. On The Last Word, Matt spoke to Emma about the movie. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Recent anti-Semitic remarks made by rapper Kanye West have caused deep upset and have received widespread condemnation from celebrities, global corporations and fans around the world. On The Last Word, Matt spoke to John Caddell and Dave Hanratty about the comments and whether fans should continue to listen to West’s music in light of the controversy. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

The World Meteorological Organisation has found there is now more planet-warming carbon dioxide, methane and nitrogen in the atmosphere than at any time since records began. Environmental commentator John Gibbons joined Matt on The Last Word to discuss this and more. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

In his new book, Ian McKinley explores how a catastrophic eye injury derailed his career and his path back to international rugby stardom. He joined Matt in studio to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

There is a workforce and workload crisis in general practice in Ireland and as a result qualified doctors are moving abroad or finding other work. The HSE predicts a GP shortage of up to almost 1,400 by 2025. Dr Maura McLoughlin, GP in Galway City, spoke to Matt about the pressure on GPs in Ireland. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

A study from the Teachers' Union of Ireland has revealed that nine in ten secondary schools have struggled to fill vacant teaching posts in the last six months. What is causing the shortage of teachers and how can the issue be solved? Irish Examiner Columnist and teacher Jennifer Horgan, and TUI President Liz Farrell joined us to discuss.

A Russian court has rejected an appeal by the US basketball player Brittney Griner against her nine-year prison sentence for possession of drugs. Cal Thomas and Marion McKeone discuss this and more in our weekly US slot. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

When Richard's beloved wife Joan died in 2021 after almost four decades of marriage, she set him a challenge: to find a pocketful of happiness in every day. The result of that challenge is a memoir, reflecting on the personal and professional life of the Oscar-nominated actor. Richard joined Matt in studio to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

This weekend saw Taylor Swift and Arctic Monkeys battle it out on the charts following the release of their new records. What do John Caddell and Dee Reddy have the say about these high-profile albums? Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

New treatment guidelines that redefine obesity care have been launched with the support of doctors, patient groups and the HSE. The guidelines move away from obesity being a ‘lifestyle illness’ to recognising that obesity is a disease driven by complex factors. Professor Dónal O'Shea is HSE National Clinical Lead for Obesity. He joined Matt to discuss what these new guidelines mean for patients and doctors. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

‘Life Begins In Leitrim : From Kurdistan to Croke Park’ is Zak Moradi’s autobiography. The former intercounty hurler tells his story of being born in a refugee camp and how he and his family ended up travelling from Iraq to Carrick-on-Shannon, and then settled in Tallaght. The book has been nominated in the Best Irish Sports Book category at the 2022 An Post Irish Book Awards, and Zak joined Matt in studio to discuss it. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Due to the nature of it's storytelling, Netflix's hit show The Crown will now carry a 'fictionalised' disclaimer. Joe O'Shea and Elaine Burke joined the Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

University College Cork will take on the archive of the late actor Richard Harris. The Limerick born actor was one of the first great Irish movie superstars from his breakthrough role in ‘The Sporting Life’ to his much-loved performance in the first two Harry Potter films. The donation to UCC has been made by the Harris family. Richard’s son, ‘Mad Men’ actor Jared Harris, joins Matt to discuss this new collection and the legacy of his father. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Malaga airport is frequented by millions of international visitors each year, but most use it as a gateway to stay in beach resorts on the Costa del Sol. However, the city itself is vibrant with lots to do and see. Sarah Slattery joined Matt to give her guide for visiting the Malaga city. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Given the extent of the current climate and energy crisis, Engineers Ireland have called on the Government to reconsider the legislative ban on generating nuclear energy. John Gibbons discusses this and other issues. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

After just 45 days in Number 10, Liz Truss has stepped down - becoming the shortest-serving prime minister in UK history. What happened in the 24 hours leading to her resignation and where does this leave the British government? Rachel Cunliffe, Senior Associate Editor of New Statesman and Nick Ferrari, presenter of Nick Ferrari at Breakfast on LBC join us to discuss.

This week is Menopause Awareness Week - the first ever in Ireland. To mark the occasion, we discuss the signs and symptoms of perimenopause with Dr Brian Higgins.

With the An Post Irish Book Awards 2022 drawing closer, we are delighted to announce the shortlists for Eason Novel of the Year and Eason Sportsbook of the Year. Bert Wright from the An Post Irish Book Awards joins us live in studio for the announcement, alongside a few familiar faces - Edel Coffey, Paul Howard, Aoife Dooley, Louise Kennedy and Aingeala Flannery.

Journalist and author Tommie Gorman discusses his new book ‘Never Better: My Life In Our Times’. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

More than 50% of people believe that companies with a pet-friendly policy are a more attractive place to work and 27% say it would influence their choice of where to work, according to a new survey from the ISPCA. With a lot of new dog owners in the country since lockdown, should more workplaces have pet-friendly policies? CEO of the ISPCA, Dr Cyril Sullivan and vet Tim Kirby joined The Last Word to discuss.

Charlie Weston, personal finance editor with the Irish Independent, and Michael Dowling, managing director of Dowling Financial explain what the Central Bank’s easing of mortgage lending rules mean for first time buyers. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Cabinet has signed off on a winter eviction ban which is expected to run from November until the end of March. How is it going to work and what does it mean for renters and landlords? Daniel McConnell, Political Editor of the Irish Examiner and Pat Doyle, CEO Peter McVerry Trust join us to discuss.

Andy O’Donoghue, tech journalist, outlines how Meta’s latest technology will track eye movements of users and why this raises privacy issues. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Cal Thomas, nationally syndicated columnist and Marion McKeone, US Correspondent with the Business Post discuss the latest news from the US, including Kevin Spacey’s testimony at his civil trial in New York where he has denied the claim that he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old at a house party in 1986. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Arctic Monkeys and Taylor Swift will go head-to-head in the charts this week as they both release new albums. ‘The Car’ by Arctic Monkeys will be the band’s 7th studio album, while ‘Midnights’ will be Swift’s 10th, and the first since ‘Evermore’ was released in 2020. John and Dee joined Matt in studio to speculate about what we can expect to hear from both records. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Liverpool secured an impressive 1-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday which has left Guardiola's side four points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal. Matt was joined by Miguel Delaney to discuss whether the result can reenergise Jurgen Klopp's team after a slow start to the season. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Thirty-five projects aimed to increase the use of public transport, cycling and walking have been launched by the Government. Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said the Pathfinder Programme will transform communities and improve sustainable travel. He joined The Last Word to discuss further.

Actor Robbie Coltrane has sadly passed away at the age of 72, after an iconic and memorable career. Joe O'Shea and Elaine Burke join The Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.