The Last Word with Matt Cooper

Comedian Aoife Dunne is the latest inductee into The Last Word’s Culture Club. Aoife’s show, Good Grief, will be at the Ambassador on Saturday, September 20th. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear all of her choices!

The Open Championship, one of golf's four major tournaments, kicks off in Portrush tomorrow with five Irish golfers in the field. Gavin Cooney, sportswriter with The42.ie, joins The Last Word to preview the weekend's action. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

On Wednesday, the Irish Daily Mail reported that An Post faces a “dire financial situation” and that cash reserves in had dropped below €1m. However, speaking on The Last Word, Chief Executive David McRedmond refuted those claims, stating that the company made over €1billion in revenue for the first time in its history. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear his chat with Matt.

Ian Guider, Business Columnist with the Business Post, spoke to Matt about the sale of Dalata Hotel Group and the potential for aircraft and whiskey to be added to the EU's retaliatory tariff list. To catch the full conversation, press the 'play' button on this page.

Is Dáil Eireann serving the Irish public or is it too often a forum for performative antics? Are elected representatives serious about tackling the key issues facing young people? Three first-time TDs - Albert Dolan, Fianna Fáil TD for Galway East, Kiera Keogh, Fine Gael TD for Mayo, and Paul Lawless, Aontú TD for Mayo, - join The Last Word to reflect on their first Dáil term and discuss what more needs to be done to create a better future for those in their 20s and 30s in Ireland. Catch the full discussion by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

US President Donald Trump has told Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days or face severe tariffs. Cal Thomas and Marion McKeone join The Last Word to discuss this and more of the latest news from the United States. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Writer Lisa Tierney-Keogh spoke to Matt about her experience living with endometriosis and why it took 28 years to get a diagnosis. To catch the full conversation, press the 'play' button on this page.

New figures have shown that RTE’s The Late Late Show lost approximately 47,000 viewers during Patrick Kielty’s second season as host. The programme had an average consolidated audience of 390,000 across 30 episodes. Joe O’Shea & Elaine Burke joined Matt for Monday’s TV & Streaming slot. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

Looking to head away for a few days and see somewhere new without breaking the bank? Kaitlin Murphy from thetravelexpert.ie joins The Last Word to chat about some of the best value city breaks in Europe. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Ireland may ban sunbeds amid reports that they are being used by children as young as 10; Australian woman is convicted for murdering family with poisonous mushrooms; & Taoiseach Micheál Martin denies his flight was changed for Cork hurling semi-final. Ben Finnegan, Today FM news anchor, and Sarah McGuiness, political correspondent with the Irish Daily Mail, join The Last Word to discuss the week's trending stories. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

A major new report suggests that Artificial intelligence (AI) is already starting to replace graduate jobs in Irish firms. Adrian Weckler, tech editor with the Irish and Sunday Independent, joins The Last Word to discuss the five Irish jobs that are most exposed to AI. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Supermarkets have denied accusations of price gouging, despite the price of meat increasing by 22% in the last year. The cost of a pound of butter has seen a 30% surge in the same time period. Charlie Weston, Personal Finance Editor at the Irish Independent and Jennifer Whitmore, Social Democrats TD for Wicklow, spoke to Matt on Friday’s The Last Word. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

A €1.3bn sewage and drainage scheme, which will service north Dublin and parts of Meath and Kildare, has been given the go ahead by An Comisiún Pleanála. The project has been deemed essential as it will ease pressure on the wastewater treatment plant in Ringsend. Ian Guider, columnist with the Business Post, spoke to Matt on Thursday. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly is the latest to rule himself out of running in the forthcoming presidential election. Daniel McConnell, editor of the Business Post, joins The Last Word to discuss who the runners and riders may be. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Climate change has been cited as the reason for recent European heatwaves being more extreme than seen previously. Western Europe had its warmest June on record, with many experiencing conditions of over 40 degrees Celsius. Environment commentator John Gibbons spoke to Matt on Thursday. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

This Tech Thursday Andy O'Donoghue joins The Last Word to discuss the Nothing phone, a new phone competitor looking to tap into a demand for minimalist tech. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Stuart Braithwaite, guitarist with Mogwai, joins The Last Word for the Culture Club. Listen to all of his cultural picks by pressing the 'play' button on this page!

There was a 42 per cent rise in divorce applications involving assets of more than €3 million last year, despite a fall in the overall number of couples splitting. Keith Walsh, family law solicitor, and Michelle Browne, family mediator and author of Scars of Divorce, join The Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Averil Power, CEO Irish Cancer Society and Muireann McColgan, co-founder of Too Young To Be Heard group, discuss the latest Irish Cancer Society data highlighting the delays in cancer care and what regions have longest delays. To listen to the full conversation, press the ‘play’ button on this page.

A recent report from Unio Wealth Management found that Ireland is among the richest countries in Europe, ranking higher than Germany and France. The average net wealth per adult in Ireland is €323,000, behind only Luxembourg. So why, despite these figures, are so many of us feeling the pinch? Charlie Weston, Personal Finance Editor with the Irish Independent, spoke to Matt on The Last Word. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.