The Last Word with Matt Cooper

Irish film director Lorcan Finnegan spoke to Matt about working with Nicolas Cage for his new film, the Australian set, psychodrama, The Surfer. To catch the full conversation, press the 'play' button on this page.

Andy O'Donoghue previewed the best e-readers and audiobook apps for every price point! To catch the full conversation, press the 'play' button on this page.

‘Zombie’ traffic lights are to be installed on Tara Street in Dublin City in a bid to get people who are distracted by looking at their mobile phones to pay attention to oncoming traffic. Is this a good idea, or an indication that we’ve become too dependent on our devices? Adrian Weckler, Tech Editor at the Irish & Sunday Independent and Aoife Barry, author of Social Capital, spoke to Matt on...

More families are now buying own-brand products and shopping in discount stores in order to reduce the costs of the weekly grocery shop. According to figures from EY, more than half of Irish households said that price is a significant factor when deciding what to buy, and nearly half said that they use discount stores to reduce spending. Charlie Weston, Personal Finance Editor with the Irish Indep...

DJ and producer Mark McCabe is the latest inductee into the Culture Club. He joined Matt to talk about ‘Maniac 2000 (25th Anniversary Edition)’, which was released last Friday. Hit the ‘Play’ button to hear his choices.

RTÉ has asked the European Broadcasting Union for a discussion on Israel's inclusion in the Eurovision Song Contest that takes place later this month due to the ongoing war in Gaza. Johnny Fallon, strategy director at Carr Communications and Eurovision enthusiast, joins The Last Word to discuss the likelihood of Israel being excluded from the contest. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' but...

On Saturday, the Dublin and Kilkenny camogie teams took to the field wearing shorts ahead of their Leinster semi-final fixture, in protest against a rule which requires them to wear skorts during matches. Having been told by the referee that the game wouldn’t go ahead if they didn’t comply with the rules, they subsequently changed into skorts. The move followed research published by the GPA which...

US President Donald Trump has threatened to slap 100% tariffs on movies coming into the US that are "produced in foreign lands" in a statement that has alarmed the industry. Brian Carey, Sunday Times' business editor, joins The Last Word to discuss how this could impact Ireland's significant film industry. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has met with United States President Donald Trump at the White House as he looks to reset the US-Canada relationship following months of turmoil between the neighbouring countries. Cal Thomas, nationally syndicated US columnist, and journalist Marion McKeone join The Last Word to discuss this significant meeting and more of the latest news from the US. Catch the...

The Government's plan to set up a new office to speed up home delivery has snowballed into a major issue, all while it is still scrambling to find ways to address Ireland's housing crisis. Tabitha Monahan, political reporter with the Irish Independent, and Daniel McConnell, editor of the Business Post, join The Last Word to explain this latest controversy and discuss whether it has exposed cracks...

The number of women emigrating from Ireland has jumped 56% since the pandemic, according to a report by the Department of Enterprise. The figures also show that young women are emigrating at a much higher level than young men Sarah McGuinness, political correspondent with the Irish Daily Mail, and Labour Senator Laura Harmon join The Last Word to discuss why so many are making the decision to leav...

Sunday and Irish Independent sports columnist Eamonn Sweeney has released his latest book “The Last Ditch: How One GAA Championship Gave A Sportswriter Back His Life”. It details how, in 2000, Eamonn developed a crippling phobia of travelling, which led to extreme panic attacks and resulted him living a solitary life in West Cork. However, he was given the opportunity to write about the 2024 GAA c...

Andy O'Donoghue joins The Last Word to talk through all the best new tech for outdoor activities. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Writer Louise Hegarty is the latest inductee to the Culture Club. Following the release of the her debut novel Fair Play, a classic murder mystery with a twist, Louise joins The Last Word to discuss her favourite music, books and more. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

The government has defended plans which could see chief executives of commercial semi-state bodies in line for pay increases worth tens of thousands of euro. This decision has come under criticism from members of the opposition, with the Social Democrats’ Cian O’Callaghan saying there was a “double standard” when compared with lower-paid workers. Brian Carey, Business Editor at The Sunday Times ex...

Charlie Weston, personal finance editor, Irish Independent, spoke to Matt about the implications of the carbon tax increases and also how a higher BER adds value to second-hand homes, and the cost of upgrading homes. To catch the full conversation, press the play button on this page.

Kneecap continue to face backlash after videos from their shows resurfaced where members of the group appear to call for Conservative MPs to be killed and shout “up Hamas, up Hezbollah”. Dee Reddy and John Caddell join The Last Word to discuss the Irish language rap trio’s track record of courting controversy and more of the latest music news. Catch the full chat by pressing the ‘Play’ button on t...

Global tariffs, negotiating peace in Ukraine and an immigration crackdown are just some of the many moves made by US President Donald Trump since he returned to the White House. Cal Thomas, nationally syndicated US columnist, and Larry Donnelly, law lecturer at University of Galway & columnist with The Journal join The Last Word to assess Trump's first 100 days in office. Catch the full chat b...

Meath and Louth will contest this year’s Leinster Senior Football Final after the Royals beat Dublin at O’Moore Park in Portlaoise on Sunday. This will be the first time since 2010 that Dublin are not in the decider. Instead, Meath will face Louth after they beat Kildare on Saturday. Former Kildare footballer Johnny Doyle and Will O’Callaghan from Off The Ball spoke to Matt about the weekend’s res...

Seville is a city of incredible architecture, amazing food and colourful flamenco dancing. Sinead Kennedy, host of wellness activity breaks and travel expert, joins The Last Word to talk about the best sites and activities in the southern Spanish city. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Tom Fitzgerald, Unite Regional Coordinating officer, and Neil McDonnell, ISME Chief Executive join Matt to discuss trade union Unite's call for Climate Leave in the event of extreme weather. Unite is seeking a meeting with the Minister for Enterprise to bring their requests into the conversation for future legislation. Listen here.

Michael Dowling, managing director of Michael Dowling Mortgage and Financial Services, and Brendan Burgess, founder of askaboutmoney.com , speculate on the new mortgage product from Revolut and how it might impact the market. To catch the full conversation, press the play button on this page.

Belfast/Derry trio Kneecap have been criticised for pro-Palestinian chants during their Coachella sets, with TV personality Sharon Osbourne urging US authorities to revoke their visas. Given how outspoken they’ve been about political issues in the past, should we be surprised by the move? Furthermore, should we be more encouraging to artists and celebrities to express their views on world events?...

Tributes have been paid to Pope Francis, whose death was announced on Monday morning. UN climate official Simon Stiell said that the Pope was “a towering figure of human dignity, and an unflinching global champion of climate action as a vital means to deliver it”. Environmental commentator John Gibbons spoke to Matt about this. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

Andy Donoghue has his top garden gadget picks from watering systems, to lawnmowers, plant sensors, outdoor lighting and outdoor sockets. To catch the full conversation, press the play button on this page.