Magnified with Matt Cooper

Former Labour Party Leader Pat Rabbitte is this week’s guest on Magnified. Rabbitte previously served as Labour leader from 2002 to 2007, minister for communications, energy and natural resources from 2011 to 2014, and minister of state for commerce, science and technology from 1994 to 1997. In this episode, Pat delves into the ups and downs of his political career, the demands of the job and refl...

Matt’s first guest for 2026 is Pat Byrne, founder and former Chief Executive of CityJet. In this episode, Pat talks about his career that began in banking and finance when he was 19 years old and then spread across to aviation and consultancy. In an in-depth discussion, Pat recalls his experience of running CityJet and his passion for the aviation industry, the importance of excellent relationship...

Nicola Sturgeon is the latest guest on Magnified. Sturgeon released her memoir ‘Frankly’ earlier this year and here she speaks to Matt live from the National Concert Hall in Dublin about the career that led her to become the first female and longest serving First Minister of Scotland. In this wide ranging and extensive interview, she opens up about what nationalism means to her...

In the latest episode of Magnified, Matt speaks to Mark Henry. Mark is the author of ‘In Fact: An Optimist’s Guide to Ireland at 100’, where he looks at how despite the challenges that we face when it comes to housing, the cost of living and other issues, Ireland is broadly a very positive, enjoyable country to live in. He also talks about what Ireland’s future could look like, and how decisi...

On this week’s Magnified, Matt meets Seán Farrell, the new Chief Executive of Trócaire. Seán was appointed to his role in October of this year having previously been with the organisation for 20 years. He speaks to Matt about the humanitarian work that brought him to Asia and Africa, the devastating impact that war and violence has on children and his optimism for the prospect of solving world hun...

Niall Breslin, aka Bressie, the Irish singer/songwriter who first shot to fame with The Blizzards, joins Matt for this week’s episode of Magnified. He speaks to Matt about the release of his new album ‘The Place That Has Never Been Wounded’, which sees him go in a different direction and dip into neoclassical music. He also discusses his pivot into hosting his podcast ‘Where Is My Mind’, why he de...

Paul Johnston is this week’s guest on Magnified. Paul recently finished up in his role as British Ambassador to Ireland after five years. In this episode, Paul talks about what it takes to become an ambassador of a country, how he and his wife fell in love with Ireland and decided to make it their forever home, and what lies ahead in his new job as Director General of the Irish Universities Associ...

On this week's Magnified, Matt is joined by former Kerry footballer Marc Ó Sé. During his career with his county Marc earned five All-Ireland titles, along with 10 Munster championship and 3 national football league medals. He was also awarded 3 All-Stars and was named Footballer of the Year in 2007. In this episode, Marc talks about the pressure of growing up as a member of the Gaelic football's...

Former All-Ireland winning hurler with Kilkenny Walter Walsh is the latest guest on Magnified. He founded his tech business SocialTies with Brendan Kavanagh earlier this year which saw him create the Kilkenny Cats Social app. The app is a one stop shop for Kilkenny GAA fans and provides news updates and content for clubs around the county. On this week's episode of Magnified, Walter talks about hi...

Hannah Wrixon is co-founder and CEO of KELLA, an exclusive company which focuses on supporting female business leaders. Hannah founded KELLA on International Women’s Day 2025, having previously started and sold three other businesses. She has 25 years’ experience in the business industry. In the first episode of the new series, Hannah speaks to Matt about the struggles that women face in the workp...

Louis Walsh is one of the most prolific music moguls of the last 20 years, having managed pop groups such as Westlife, Boyzone and Girls Aloud. Louis joined Matt to talk about growing up in Kiltimagh in Co. Mayo, his time as an X Factor judge, his relationship with Simon Cowell and his experience of living in the Big Brother House. He also addressed the criticism he received after the release of t...

On this week’s Magnified, Matt spoke to Yvonne Brewer, Country Manager for Ireland at Auticon. Auticon is an IT solutions company that prides itself on its inclusivity and which is now the largest majority-autistic company in the world. In this week’s episode, Yvonne speaks candidly about the passion she has for her work, the importance of implementing inclusivity and diversity practices in the wo...

Pat Farrell is Chief Executive of Irish Institutional Property, but has a CV that covers an extensive range of roles and industries. Among them include General Manager at Sligo General Hospital at just 24 years of age, Chief Executive at the Irish Banking Federation and General Secretary of Fianna Fáil between 1991 and 1997. In this week’s Magnified, Matt speaks to Pat about his career and his inf...

Therese Coveney is the co-founder and CEO of the Together Academy, an organization dedicated to creating employment opportunities for young adults with Down syndrome. Inspired by her daughter April, who has Down syndrome, Therese founded the Together Academy to challenge stereotypes and support individuals with intellectual disabilities in achieving their goals and living independent lives. In thi...

Richard Shakespeare is the Chief Executive of Dublin City Council (DCC). He took over the role from Owen Keegan, who retired in September 2023. Richard has over 30 years of experience in local government, including roles as Assistant Chief Executive at DCC and Director of Municipal Services at Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. In this week's Magnified, Matt gives Richard the opportunity to di...

Daniel Davey is a well-known performance nutritionist and author based in Dublin, Ireland. He has worked with elite athletes, including the Dublin Senior football team and Leinster Rugby team. Daniel is the founder of Davey Nutrition, a platform offering practical nutrition advice, recipes, and personalized consultations. He has authored best-selling books like "Eat Up, Raise Your Game" and "Eat U...

Alan Kerins is a legendary Irish sportsman, humanitarian, social entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He is renowned for his achievements in both hurling and football, having played for Galway at inter-county and at club level with Satlhill and Clarinbridge. Alan has the unique distinction of winning All-Ireland medals in both Gaelic games codes with his county and club teams. Beyond his sports caree...

While we wait to resume the rest of this series of Magnified after the festive break we thought we'd give you the chance to listen back to a collection of some of Matt's favourite interviews so far. HAPPY NEW YEAR! from Magnified HQ. Conor Niland, a former Irish professional tennis player, has written a captivating book titled "The Racket: On Tour with Tennis’s Golden Generation – and the other 99...

While we wait to resume the rest of this series of Magnified after the festive break we thought we'd give you the chance to listen back to a collection of some of Matt's favourite interviews so far. Happy Christmas and a wonderful new year from Magnified HQ. Eoghan Murphy, the former Fine Gael Housing Minister, has recently published a memoir titled "Running From Office: Confessions of Ambition an...

In the course of a twenty-year friendship, broadcasters, podcasters and best pals, Jenny Kelly and Mairead Ronan have experienced single life, career highs, break-ups, make-ups, marriages, divorce, motherhood, death, diets, hair styles, stress, ageing, lifestyle dilemmas, sadness and lots and lots of good times too. Of a middling age, and after years of talking (and cups of tea), they no longer sw...

Shane Kenny is a well-known Irish journalist and broadcaster, primarily associated with RTÉ Radio 1. Kenny is notable for launching and being the first editor of RTÉ's flagship radio news program, Morning Ireland . He also served as a news anchor for News at One and This Week , and was RTÉ's US correspondent for ABC network . In addition to his journalism career, Kenny served as the press secretar...

Eoghan Murphy, the former Fine Gael Housing Minister, has recently published a memoir titled "Running From Office: Confessions of Ambition and Failure in Politics". The book, provides an unflinching insight into his time in office, detailing the personal and political challenges he faced. Murphy's memoir is described as brutally honest and sometimes harrowing, yet surprisingly funny, offering a de...

Gavin Friday's latest album, "Ecce Homo," has just been realesed. This album marks his first solo release in 13 years and features a mix of thundering electronics and exquisite acoustics. Produced by Dave Ball of Soft Cell and Michael Heffernan, the album explores themes of loss, nostalgia, unity, and defiance. In this week's episode of Magnified, Matt invited Gavin on to discuss the inspiration f...

Series 5 of Magnified with Matt Cooper is back and for the first episode Matt is joined by two of the greatest hurlers to ever do it, Joe Canning and Richie Hogan both of whom have two excellent autobiographies out at the moment. In a chat fittingly recorded in front of a live audience in Croke Park, the two greats discuss their remarkable careers, just some of their many historic moments and who...

Welcome to AI - Magnified with Matt Cooper , a Magnified Plus series that looks to examine the present possibilities and future impact of AI here in Ireland. For the fifth and special bonus episode of this AI Magnified series, we're going live from A.I.B on Molesworth St to hear from an expert panel and their perspectives on leveraging AI to drive innovation, improve efficiency, and enhance decisi...