The Last Word with Matt Cooper

The Last Word kicked off its series of party leader interviews on Monday ahead of the general election on November 29th. First up was Aontú’s Peadar Tóibín, who spoke to Matt about immigration, public transport issues, the cost-of-living crisis and which parties he would be willing to go into government with. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

Ian Guider, columnist with the Business Post joined Matt for Friday’s business news. They discussed how a new health insurer, Level Health, has launched in Ireland. The move is expected to boost competition within the market. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

Aoife Barry, journalist and author of Social Capital, and Ian Power, CEO of Spunout.ie , join The Last Word to discuss the week's trending stories including Leaving Cert reforms, the rise of Bluesky after Trump's election and Robbie Keane's wife hits out at 'dangerous' comments. Catch the full chat by pressing 'play' button on this page!

Sean Ronayne, ornithologist and author of Nature Boy: A Journey of Birdsong and Belonging, spoke to Matt about his love of nature, and his project to record every bird species in Ireland, and the importance of conservation. To catch the full conversation, press the ‘play’ button on this page.

Episode 5: In the run up to the big day, join Today FM's Ben Finnegan as he covers what's being said across the political spectrum to help give you the best chance of being informed at the ballot box. On day 8 of the campaign, Fianna Fáil launches their plan to tackle crime leading to a fight back from Fine Gael, we delve into People Before Profit's transport policy focuses on their key free of ch...

Episode 4: In the run up to the big day, join Today FM's Ben Finnegan as he covers what's being said across the political spectrum to help give you the best chance of being informed at the ballot box. On day 7 of the campaign Simon Harris reveals Fine Gael's election slogan, People Before Profit Solidarity launch their manifesto, Sinn Féin put forward their immigration plan and Andrew Lowth joins...

Paul McAuliffe, Fianna Fáil spokesperson on social protection, local government and electoral reform, and Pa Daly, Sinn Fein justice spokesperson, join The Last Word to discuss what their parties would do to manage crime and increase safety on the streets if they are in the next government. Hear the full debate by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

COP29 is being held in Azerbaijan until the 22nd of November, and the country’s president Ilham Aliyev has criticised "Western fake news" regarding the country's emissions, saying that oil and gas are a “gift from God”. Meanwhile, Argentina has pulled out of talks in Baku after the country’s president Javier Milei previously said that climate change is a “socialist lie”. Commentator John Gibbons j...

This week, President-elect Donald Trump began announcing his nominations for top roles within his administration. Among the nominations are Republican congressman Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general, Stephen Miller to become deputy chief of staff for policy and Kristi Noem for the role of Homeland Security Secretary. Marion McKeone, US Correspondent, Business Post and Larry Donnelly, Law Lectu...

George Hamilton is the latest inductee into the Culture Club. The legendary sports commentator, Lyric FM presenter and author of The Hamilton Notes joins The Last Word to discuss his favourite music, books, movies and more. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Episode 3: In the run up to the big day, join Today FM's Ben Finnegan as he covers what's being said across the political spectrum to help give you the best chance of being informed at the ballot box. On day 6 of the campaign Fine Gael launched their childcare policies including their commitment to the 'baby bundles', The Social Democrats, Labour and Fianna Fáil all announced pledges around renter...

Elon Musk was one of the biggest contributors to US president-elect Donald Trump’s election campaign and now he will play a significant role in the Trump administration as he is appointed to lead a new government efficiency agency. Eric Lipton, investigative reporter with the New York Times in Washington, joins The Last Word to discuss how tech billionaire Musk and his businesses stand to benefit...

On Wednesday, The Last Word continued its buildup to November 29th’s general election, this time looking at how immigration will affect how people cast their votes. Colm Brophy, Fine Gael TD for Dublin South-West and Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín joined Matt to discuss their positions on the subject. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

On day six of the campaign trial, Gary Murphy Professor of Politics at the School of Law and Government in DCU, joined Matt to assess the election campaign so far, and to consider whether a Trump-style Department of Government Efficiency could work in Ireland. To listen to the full conservation, press the 'play' button on this page.

On Tuesday’s music slot, John Caddell and music journalist Zara Hedderman reacted to the news that Robbie Williams is set to play Croke Park next summer. Also up for discussion was the upcoming BBC Two documentary ‘Boybands Forever’, Olivia Rodrigo announcing a date for Marlay Park and Simon & Garfunkel’s reconciliation. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

This week on the Last Word on The US, Marion McKeone is joined by Larry Donnelly to discuss the first appointments to Trump's cabinet. The appointments so far suggest a massive deportation programme to come.

Author and journalist Catherine Sanz joins The Last Word to discuss her book 'Drama Drives Interest: The Web Summit Story' which looks at the rise and fall, and rise again, of the massive tech event and its notorious CEO Paddy Cosgrave. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'play' button on this page!

Episode 2: In the run up to the big day, join Today FM's Ben Finnegan as he covers what's being said across the political spectrum to help give you the best chance of being informed at the ballot box. On day 5 of the campaign we have Sinn Féin launching their housing policy, The Green Party launching their manifesto and Andrew Lowth joins Ben to discuss what parties are pledging to do with the App...

Minister of State with responsibility for Public Procurement, eGovernment and Circular Economy and Green Party candidate Ossian Smyth and Senator Fiona O'Loughlin, Fianna Fáil candidate, join The Last Word to debate what climate actions their parties' will take if they are in the next government. Catch the full debate by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Episode 1: Over the next three weeks politicians will be pounding the pavements, knocking on doors, kissing babies and making promises.  After months of speculation - a General Election will take place in Ireland.  Polling day will be Friday, November 29th.  In the run up to the big day, join Today FM's Ben Finnegan as he covers what's being said across the political spectrum to hel...

Ireland were beaten by the All Blacks on Friday night in their opening fixture of the 2024 Autumn Internationals, ending their 19-game unbeaten run at the Aviva Stadium. Matt was joined by Paul Wallace and Will O’Callaghan from Off The Ball to discuss how Andy Farrell's side will look to bounce back against Argentina and the lack of atmosphere inside the stadium. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page...

Manchester City lost their fourth consecutive game for the first time in Pep Guardiola’s career, leaving his side 5 points adrift of Liverpool at the top of the table. How concerned should Guardiola be about City’s form, and is Liverpool’s momentum sustainable throughout the season? Miguel Delaney, Chief Football Writer with The Independent and Off The Ball’s Will O’Callaghan joined Matt on Monday...

In the first of our election debates, Eoin Ó Broin, housing spokesperson for Sinn Féin, and Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Public Expenditure and Fine Gael housing spokesperson, joined Matt to debate the housing crisis, which remains the biggest issue for many voters heading to the polls on November 29th. To catch the full debate, press the 'play' button on this page.

Fine Gael is scrambling to limit the fallout after controversial comments Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary made about teachers at a party event. Daniel McConnell, editor of the Business Post, joins The Last Word to discuss what's been going on in the first few days of the general election campaign. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Orla Ryan from TheJournal.ie and Eoghan Tomás McDermott, Managing Director at the Communications Clinic, join Matt to discuss the big news stories of the week.  Donald Trump’s victory hailed as ‘the biggest political comeback in US history,’ General Election 2024 gets underway at home, and fans clash in Amsterdam after Ajax vs Maccabi Tel Aviv tie.  For all the week's biggest news, hit ‘...