The Last Word with Matt Cooper

Munster have confirmed the departure of head coach Graham Rowntree following a poor start in the season for the club. Liam Toland, former Munster and Leinster player, joins The Last Word to discuss Rowntree's shock exit and what's next for Munster. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

A comedian at a Donald Trump rally in New York's Madison Square Garden called Puerto Rico "a floating island of garbage" sparking outrage amongst both Democrats and Republicans. Cal Thomas, nationally syndicated US columnist, and Marion McKeone, US correspondent with the Business Post, join The Last Word just one week out from polling day in the US. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' butto...

Nicola Tallant, Investigations Editor at the Sunday World, has released her new book “Web Of Betrayal: Murder In Ireland’s Brutal Gangland”, which looks at the murder of Robbie Lawlor and gives an insight into the infamous gangland feud in Drogheda, Co. Louth. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear her chat with Matt.

Traders in Dublin city centre are taking a High Court challenge over traffic measures introduced by the city council in August. Ian Guider, columnist with the Business Post, joins The Last Word to discuss this and more of the day's business news, including the Irish business man who wants to be the next chief executive of fashion brand Boohoo. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on t...

A new survey has found that Dublin is the second most expensive city in Europe. The clocks are going back this weekend, but should they? And King Charles was heckled while visiting Australia. Roe McDermott, advice columnist with the Irish Times, and Kieran Cunningham, chief sports writer with the Irish Daily Star, join The Last Word to discuss the week's trending stories. Catch the full conversati...

With 11 days to go until America goes to the polls, Bruce Springsteen is the latest celebrity to endorse Kamala Harris for the presidency. He appeared at her rally in Georgia on Thursday night, which drew approximately 20,000 people. Larry Donnelly, law lecturer at the University of Galway and political columnist with TheJournal.ie Marion McKeone, US Correspondent with the Business Post joined Mat...

Writers Kevin Barry, Edel Coffey, Christine Bohan, Conor Niland and Bert Wright from the An Post Irish Book Awards joined Matt as he unveiled the nominees for this year's Last Word Listeners' Choice category. They also discussed the importance of the awards and why Ireland is a literary powerhouse. To listen to the full conversation, press the 'play' button on this page.

John Gibbons returned for The Last Word’s weekly environment slot on Thursday. Up for discussion was the success of the deposit return scheme, whether nature’s carbon sink is failing, the Climate Change Advisory Council’s warning that Ireland could face an €8bn fine by 2030 if we fail to meet our climate targets and the effectiveness of disruptive climate protests. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this pa...

There's bad news for drivers as road tolls will rise on motorways once again next year, the fourth increase since 2022. Geraldine Herbert, motoring editor with the Sunday Independent, joins The Last Word to discuss why tolls are increasing and also the further rollout of average speed cameras on Irish roads. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

The number of job vacancies has fallen significantly in the past year according two new reports looking at the Irish jobs market. Ian Guider joins The Last Word to discuss this and more of the day's business news. Catch the full conversation by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

The Swing Cats frontman Luke Thomas, who will be performing alongside Una Healy at this year’s Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, joined Matt for this week’s Culture Club. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear his choices.

From social setting to price point, Brigid O’Hora, author of ‘The Home Sommelier’, knows exactly what to look for when picking up the perfect bottle of wine. On Wednesday, she joined Matt on The Last Word to share some tips. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

Veterinary surgeon Noel Fitzpatrick, aka the Supervet, joins The Last Word to discuss his new book 'Dogs And Their Humans' which tells the stories of healing and hope from his surgery and explores the unique relationship between dogs and the people that care for them. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

The tragic death of former One Direction singer Liam Payne has raised questions in the music industry about the duty of care for young artists. Former boyband singer Robbie Williams and former X-Factor contestant Katie Waissel are among those who have raised concerns about the care and support provided to musicians in the industry. John Caddell and Dee Reddy join The Last Word to reflect on the ef...

Journalist and author Lara Marlowe has written a book about Lieutenant Yulia Mykytenko, who, at 29 years of age, has been fighting on the frontline for Ukraine since 2016. Lara, Yulia and Nazar Yatsyshyn spoke to Matt about what the future holds for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

US presidential nominees Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are neck and neck in the polls just two weeks out from the election. Larry Donnelly, law lecturer at the University of Galway and columnist with The Journal, Cal Thomas, nationally syndicated US columnist, and Marion McKeone, US correspondent with the Business Post, join The Last Word to discuss how both candidates are faring as they try to c...

On Tuesday, Matt was joined by chef Neven Maguire to discuss the release of his 20th book “Eat Out At Home”. He talked about how to create the ideal dinner party menu, being 35 years in business at MacNean House in Blacklion and his love for 90’s dance music. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

Dublin city needs 1,000 extra gardaí over three years and more cultural spaces according to a new report from a group tasked with developing proposals to improve the capital. David McRedmond, chief executive of An Post and chair of the Dublin City Taskforce, joins The Last Word to discuss these proposals. Catch the full conversation by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Ulster beat Connacht in the interprovincial final in Croke Park on Saturday night, where the Football Review Committee’s proposed rule changes were trialled. Former All-Ireland winner with Galway, Ray Silke, and Off The Ball’s Will O’Callaghan joined Matt to give their verdict on whether the rules could improve the game in the long run. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

Daniel McConnell, Editor of the Business Post, joined Matt to run through the day’s political stories. They discussed when the general election is likely to be called, how Gerry “The Monk” Hutch is reportedly considering running as an independent candidate and Heather Humphreys becoming the latest Fine Gael TD to step down. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

Have you ever dreamt of coming face to face with gorillas in the wild? Sarah Slattery from the travelexpert.ie recently ticked gorilla trekking in Rwanda off her bucket list and she joins The Last Word to talk about her experience. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Written with Wham! band mate Andrew Ridgeley when George Michael was just 17 years old, Careless Whisper is now a modern-day classic. ‘Careless Whisper’ holds a truly unparalleled legacy that resulted in George Michael becoming the youngest recipient of an Ivor Novello Award at just 21 years old, propelling him into global superstardom. Today, 40 years after...

On the week trending Orla Ryan of thejournal.ie and Russell Alford, one half of the GastroGays discuss the tributes to singer Liam Payne and the criticism levelled at some media outlets for the way his death was reported. They also chat about the continued election speculation, and protests by members of the hospitality sector. To catch the full conversation, press the 'play' button below.

Cal Thomas, nationally syndicated US columnist, and Marion McKeone, US correspondent with the Business Post, join The Last Word to discuss Kamala Harris' appearance on Fox News, Donald Trump dropping out of interviews due to 'exhaustion' and more news from the US presidential election. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Lawrence Donegan has been travelling across the USA ahead of the US Presidential Election on November 5th and on Thursday, he joined Matt from Texas to describe the mood among voters before they go to the polls. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.