The Last Word with Matt Cooper

Film-maker and novelist Neil Jordan talks about his life and experience of working in Hollywood and his latest book, Amnesiac: A Memoir. To catch the full conversation, press the 'Play' button below.

A survey conducted by An Taisce on behalf of Irish Business Against Litter found that litter from cans and bottles has reduced significantly around Ireland since the introduction of the deposit return scheme. Ian Guider was joined by Conor Horgan from IBAL to discuss this. Press the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the full chat.

Last week, Ireland won two gold and two silver medals at the European Athletics Championships in Rome. It was the most successful championships since 1998. Athletics journalist Cathal Dennehy joined Ian Guider to discuss the financial challenges that athletes and coaches face in this country, and how more investment is needed in the sport to help development. Click the ‘Play’ button on this page t...

Eamon Ryan steps down from the Green Party, heatwaves sweeping Europe and beyond and Taylor Swift is a 'Derry girl'. Ian Power, CEO of Spunout.ie, and Roe McDermott, Irish Times advice columnist, joined The Last Word to discuss the week's biggest trending stories.

Criminologist Trina O'Connor and Kate Mitchell, Head of Development and Policy for The National Women's Council of Ireland, discuss the suspended sentence handed down to Cathal Crotty after his conviction for the assault of Natasha O'Brien in Limerick where she was left unconscious. To catch the full conversation, press the 'Play' button below.

With two weeks to go before the UK general election, Nick Ferrari joins Ian to discuss the projections that Sunak may become the first ever sitting PM to lose his own seat in a general election.

Kneecap have been granted leave by the Belfast High Court to proceed with a judicial review after the UK government blocked them from receiving their funding award. Dee Reddy joins Ian to discuss the outcome of this court case for the music scene.

Have you ever wondered what your pet is trying to tell you? Andy O’Donoghue joins the Last Word for this week's Tech Thursday to discuss the possibility that AI could translate what your pet is saying. For the full conversation, press the 'play' button below...

Thousands of passengers will see their travel plans affected next week as Aer Lingus pilots begin their industrial action on Wednesday, 26th June. Travel commentator Eoghan Corry joined Ian Guider to give an update on what customers can expect in the coming days. Click the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the full chat.

Two people have been arrested after Just Stop Oil activists sprayed powder on Stonehenge. John Gibbons joined Ian Guider to discuss the fallout from the protest and also gave his reaction to the news that Eamon Ryan will step down as leader of the Green Party. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

Roderic O’Gorman, Minister for Children, Equality Disability, Integration and Youth joins Ian on the show to discuss the Green Party Leadership election.

Thriller writer Andrea Mara, author of Someone in the Attic, joined The Last Word this week for the Culture Club. Press the 'Play' button on this page to hear her choices!

Nivida made history this Tuesday becoming the world's most valuable company, with a market cap of $3.335 trillion  Lorcan Allen joins The Last Word to discuss this and other headlines in the world of business with thanks to Forvis Mazars, the next exciting chapter for Mazars. Same local team, new global reach.  Press the 'play' button below to catch up on the full conversation... 

A RED C Survey conducted by An Post Insurance revealed that the price of funerals has skyrocketed by 42% since 2016  David McGowan of McGowan Funeral Directors and Nat O’Connor, Senior Public Affairs & Policy Specialist, Age Action join the show to discuss.  Press the ‘play’ button below to catch up on the full conversation  

This week, the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association announced that Aer Lingus pilots would begin an indefinite work-to-rule action from Wednesday, 26 June. Charlie Weston, Personal Finance Editor with the Irish Independent, joined Ian Guider to explain what rights customers have when if flights are cancelled or delayed due to strikes. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the full conversation.

A new ad has been released by the Biden campaign highlighting Trumps criminal record. Cal Thomas and Marion McKeone join Ian to discuss all the updates from the US.

Many growers are reporting that some of your favorite varieties of potatoes have been lost due to poor weather conditions this year have caused a shortage. Food Economist Ciaran Fitzgerald joins Ian to discuss the impact on you.

In an announcement after today's cabinet meeting, Eamon Ryan stated his intentions to step as leader of the Green Party, Minister for Transport, Environment, Climate and Communications and that he would not contest the next general election in the Dublin Bay South constituency. Daniel McConnell, Editor of The Business Post and Sarah Carey, Columnist for the Irish Independent join Ian Guider, stand...

Minister for the Environment and Transport Eamon Ryan joined The Last Word to explain why he has taken the decision to step down as leader of the Green Party.

Dr Sabina Brennan, psychologist and neuroscientist, explains why she wanted to investigate the social media phenomenon of manifesting and find out if there was science based evidence for some of it's claims. She talks to Ian Guider about her new book, The Neuroscience of Manifesting. To catch the full conversation, press the 'Play' button below.

With further protests taking place outside the home of Taoiseach, Simon Harris over the weekend, the question is being raised across the country as to whether or not these protests should be put to a stop. Conor Lally, Security and Crime Editor for the Irish Times and Fianna Fail Senator, Malcom Byrne joins The Last Word to discuss protests that have taken place over the last number months and a b...

Sinéad Kennedy, author of Life is a Cycle and solo travel expert, joined The Last Word to discuss all the great things to see and do in the Spanish city of Salamanca. Catch the full chat by pressing the ‘Play’ button on this page!

Around 10,000 disqualified drivers have failed to hand over their licences in the last two years. Despite this, only 26 people were prosecuted and one convicted for the offence in 2022 and 2023. Conor Lally, security and crime editor with The Irish Times, joined The Last Word to discuss this issue.

Ali Ugur, chief economist with the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland, and Marian Finnegan, managing director of Sherry Fitzgerald Residential & Advisory, joined The Last Word to discuss why almost a quarter of first-time buyers are buying properties outside their own counties. Catch the full chat by pressing the ‘Play’ button on this page!

Brianna Parkins, Columnist with the Irish Times, and Kieran Cunningham, Chief Sports Writer with the Irish Daily Star, joined Matt to discuss some of the big stories that made the news this week. Plus, Brianna explained why she has decided to move home to Australia after living in Ireland for 5 years. Click the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the full chat.