The Last Word with Matt Cooper

Author Christine Dwyer Hickey joins The Last Word to discuss her favourite music, movies, books, tv shows and more in the Culture Club. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Irish company Kingspan has been heavily criticised in the final report of the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017 which led to 72 deaths. Ian Guider from the Business Post joins The Last Word to discuss the report which found that Kingspan and two other firms engaged in a deliberate strategy to mislead the market about their products. Catch the full discussion by pressing the 'P...

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has warned that Dublin Airport must stick to the passenger cap. He also spoke about the costs of the new Leinster House bicycle shelter.

We’ve heard a lot about dynamic pricing since tickets for Oasis at Croke Park next August went on sale last weekend, but does it impact our everyday spending more than we realise? Charlie Weston, Personal Finance Editor with the Irish Independent, joined Matt to tell us which other companies use the system. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

The Department of Education has been criticised after having a Junior Cycle textbook containing “absurdly misconceived and discriminatory” depictions of an Irish family in its curriculum. Jennifer Horgan, secondary school teacher and Irish Examiner columnist, Peadar Toibin, Meath-West TD and Aontú leader and historian and musician Paddy Cullivan spoke to Matt about the issue. Hit the ‘Play’ button...

There has been widespread outrage over the cost of tickets to Oasis's reunion tour which in some cases more than doubled in price while on sale at the weekend due to dynamic pricing. John Caddell and Dee Reddy join The Last Word to discuss the controversy and whether the band have put off announcing further dates because of it. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Cal Thomas, nationally syndicated US columnist, and Marion McKeone, US correspondent with the Business Post, join The Last Word to discuss the latest news from the United States as the presidential election draws closer. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Sinn Féin has unveiled its €39 billion housing plan in which it pledges to deliver 300,000 homes over five years if the party is elected into government. Eoin Ó Broin, Sinn Féin's housing spokesperson, joins The Last Word to outline what the party would do to solve Ireland's housing crisis. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Sarah Slattery from the travelexpert.ie spoke to Mario Rosenstock on The Last Word for part two of her look at wellness retreats, where she focuses on what Ireland has to offer from yoga retreats, unique experiences, and spa breaks. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Dynamic prices, long queues and site crashes were just some complaints that fans cited after tickets for Oasis at Croke Park in August next year went on sale on Saturday. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has since said there are “legitimate concerns around the consumer experiences” of buying tickets. Dave Hanratty, host of the No Encore podcast and tech journalist Andy O’Donoghue...

An Post has identified 20 emerging Irish fiction writers whose work will be promoted in the run up to the annual An Post Irish Book Awards. Three of these writers, Fíona Scarlett, Michelle Gallen and Ferdia Lennon, join The Last Word to discuss their work and the strength of modern Irish literature. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Andy O'Donoghue joins The Last Word to discuss the whether it would be possible to ban access to social media for under-16s and the tools and apps that can help to keep children safe online. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Kamala Harris is set to give her first major interview since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee on Thursday night. Cal Thomas, nationally syndicated columnist and Larry Donnelly, Law Lecturer at University of Galway & Political Columnist with TheJournal.ie joined Matt to discuss what could be in store. Press the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

Coldplay pledged to reduce their carbon footprint for their ‘Music of the Spheres’ tour, which rolls into Dublin this weekend, but how effective has it been? Environmental commentator John Gibbons joined Matt to discuss that and how Exxon has predicted that demand for oil will stay at the same level in 2050 as it’s at now. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

Émer Dineen actress and creator of 0800 Cupid, a musical extravaganza and cabaret show debuting at Dublin’s Theatre Festival was the latest inductee to The Last Word’s Culture Club. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear all her choices!

The average cost of going to college has risen by more than €500 compared to last year. Charlie Weston, personal finance editor with the Irish Independent, joins The Last Word to discuss why going to third-level has become so expensive and what students and parents can do to reduce the costs. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

The Irish Medical Organisation(IMO) has backed proposals from government ministers to limit young people's access to smartphones and social media. However, the Irish Secondary Schools' Union (ISSU) believes any bans would be unrealistic and there should be better online safety education instead. Professor Matthew Sadlier from the IMO and Jack McGinn, president of the ISSU, join The Last Word to di...

Marion McKeone, US Correspondent with the Business Post and nationally syndicated columnist Cal Thomas joined Matt for Tuesday’s The Last Word’s Slot. Up for discussion was Donald Trump threatening to pull out of next month’s debate with Kamala Harris and Robert F Kennedy junior being added to Trump’s transition team, should he win November’s election. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear th...

Journalist and author Aoife Barry joins The Last Word to discuss the announcement that Liam and Noel Gallagher have put aside their differences for a long-awaited reunion tour and will play two nights in Croke Park next year. Then in The Last Word on Music, John Caddell and Dee Reddy react to the news and look ahead to Coldplay's four nights in Croke Park. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play...

Friends of the Earth has said that Ireland has ‘just scraped a B- overall grade’ in its attempts to address climate change issues. Meanwhile, Wind Energy Ireland has urged the government to provide funding to invest in infrastructure to develop offshore wind energy. Dr. Cara Augustenborg, Assistant Professor, Environmental Policy Programme at UCD and Noel Cunniffe, Chief Executive at Wind Energy I...

Ian Guider, columnist with the Business Post, joined Matt for Monday's business news. They discussed how Aer Lingus is reducing its Dublin-Heathrow service later this year due to passenger numbers not improving since Covid-19 travel restrictions were lifted. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

In a strongly worded interview, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, outlined the inappropriate material that teenagers are exposed to online and the litany of harms that can be caused to them. He vowed to take social media companies to task over their responsibilities and he vowed to ban social media for under 16 year old. To catch the full conversation, press the play button on this page. If yo...

Sarah Slattery from the travelexpert.ie joins The Last Word to discuss some of the best holidays out there for people who want to focus on their health and wellness. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

23% of Leaving Cert candidates did not register for Irish exams this year. It’s the highest figure recorded so far and there has been an increase each year since 2018 where 15% of students received exemptions. Julian de Spáinn, Ard-Rúnaí - Conradh na Gaeilge and Donald Ewing, Head of Education and Policy, Dyslexia Ireland joined Matt to discuss. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

World Athletics has announced that Bahrain Athletics Association was charged with a number of anti-doping violations before the Paris Olympics, raising the question of why Bahrain's athletics team was allowed to compete? Ian O'Ríordan, athletics correspondent with the Irish Times, joins The Last Word to discuss the investigation and what it could mean for Irish athlete Rhasidat Adeleke. Catch the...