The Last Word with Matt Cooper

Roe McDermott, Hot Press movie editor & Irish Times Columnist and Eoghan Tomas McDermott, MD at the Communications Clinic were on Friday's panel for The Week Trending. They covered the fallout from Prince Harry’s book, the death of Lisa Marie Presley and Kevin Spacey pleading not guilty to sexual assault, among other stories which caught their attention over the last 7 days. For the full chat pres...

Matt was joined by Mark Lawrenson & Tony Cascarino to look ahead to a busy weekend of Premier League action. Manchester United host Manchester City on Saturday, while Arsenal travels to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday. Meanwhile, can Chelsea bounce back from their defeat to Fulham when they play Crystal Palace? For the full chat click the 'play' button on this page.

A recent study from the school of nursing and midwifery at Trinity College Dublin found that there’s been a steady rise in first-time mothers giving birth via caesarean section. Dr. Brian Higgins from Galway Primary Care explained the reasons behind these figures on this week’s The Last Word on Health. For the full chat click the 'play' button on this page.

On The Last Word’s weekly environment slot, John Gibbons spoke to Matt about an assessment from the World Meteorological Organisation which said that the Earth’s ozone layer is on track to fully recover by 2066. They also covered a recent report which found that Dublin was ranked the 5th most congested in Europe, and the 12th worst globally. For the full chat click the 'play' button on this page.

As further anti-refugee demonstrations were organised in parts of the country, Matt was joined by Brendan Ogle, Senior Officer at Unite and John Lannon, Chief Executive of Doras to discuss whether legitimate protests will be hijacked by the far-right. For the full chat click the 'play' button on this page.

Fine Gael junior minister Damien English resigned on Thursday after it was revealed he gave incorrect information when making a planning application to a local authority to build a house in a rural area. Brendan O’Sullivan, Head of the Planning School at UCC discussed whether Mr. English’s house should be demolished. Meanwhile Daniel McConnell, Political Editor of the Irish Examiner explained the...

This week marks one year since the killing of schoolteacher Ashling Murphy. Her death sparked calls to improve women’s safety in Ireland. Noeline Blackwell from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and Professor Louise Crowley from UCC’s School of Law and director of the Bystander Intervention Programme joined Matt to discuss whether any progress has been made on this in the last year. Catch the full cha...

The Banshees of Inisherin saw huge success at the 2023 Golden Globes, winning three awards. Roe McDermott, movies editor with Hot Press joined Matt on The Last Word to discuss the likelihood of Martin McDonagh’s tragicomedy winning at the Oscars and what films are its biggest competitors. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Almost 7 in 10 people are unaware of a new tax credit brought in with the last budget, according to a survey carried out by Taxback.com. Charlie Weston joined Matt to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

ChatGPT is a new AI-chatbot launched late last year which can write stories, poems and coding solutions. But questions are now being raised about the use and boundaries of AI. Andy O'Donoghue joined Matt to explain what ChatGPT can do and why there are concerns about it. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

There were 534 people waiting for a bed in hospitals this morning as pressure on the health care system continues. Dr. Chris Luke, former emergency medicine consultant joined Matt to discuss measures he believes would help to fix the Irish health service. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

There's been a lot of anticipation for Prince Harry's memoir but with so many scandalous stories being leaked before it's published you might wonder if the book is even worth reading. Journalist Lise Hand joined Matt to give her review of 'Spare'. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Cal Thomas and Larry Donnelly joined Matt to discuss the latest stories from the US including a six-year-old shooting his teacher and classified files found at Biden's think-tank office. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup third round means that Chelsea have now been eliminated from both domestic competitions, while also sitting in 10th place in the Premier League table. Miguel Delaney and Tony Cascarino joined us to analyse where it’s gone wrong for Graham Potter’s side so far this season. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

It's been reported that John Lydon wants to represent Ireland at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool. Elaine Burke and Joe O’Shea joined Matt to discuss this, along with Prince Harry’s interview on ITV ahead of the release of his autobiography ‘Spare’.

Matt was joined by Ellen Cullen, Chairperson of the Dublin Cycling Campaign to talk about new infrastructure plans that are due to be introduced in the coming years which aim to provide safer facilities for cyclists and pedestrians. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Sarah Slattery from TheTravelExpert.ie joined Matt for our weekly travel slot to highlight the new routes that are available from Irish airports to holidaymakers this year. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Teacher and Irish Examiner columnist Jennifer Horgan is calling for schools to get rid of homework saying it is an attack on childhood. Jennifer joined Matt on The Last Word to discuss why she thinks there should be little to no homework until students are in 5th year. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Munster and the IRFU have confirmed that out-half Ben Healy will leave the province at the end of this season to go to Edinburgh. Billy Holland and Cian Tracey joined Matt to discuss whether Ireland will regret losing the 23-year-old, and the prospect of facing him in the Six Nations. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Mairead Cleary, Bauer Media news reporter and Mick Clifford, special correspondent with the Irish Examiner joined Matt to discuss the other stories making headlines this week including Prince Harry's book, dung being thrown at politicians and Andrew Tate. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

John Gibbons outlined why Europe is experiencing record warm winter temperatures, and the consequences of these changes, including ski resorts without any snow. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Whether at home or abroad, Sarah Slattery from TheTravelExpert.ie has a comprehensive list of travel deals for all budgets. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Amid concerns that numbers awaiting hospital beds could reach 1,000 this week, HSE CEO Steven Mulvaney has asked senior medical staff to work this weekend. This follows comments from Health Minister Stephen Donnelly yesterday. Tony Fitzpatrick, Director of Industrial Relations at the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and Professor Matthew Sadlier, head of the IMO’s Consultant Committee discus...

It’s that time of year when people set goals for their health and fitness, but many resolutions are not sustainable in the long term. Dr. Brian Higgins, GP at Galway Primary Care outlined attainable health goals and plans for the year ahead. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

This week, Minister for Justice and Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris joined Matt on The Last Word for the Culture Club. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.