The Last Word with Matt Cooper

Alan O'Reilly from Carlow Weather, and Food Economist, Ciaran Fitzgerald joined The Last Word to discuss the effect the current record rainfall in Ireland is having on our agricultural business. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

The vacant homes tax has raised only €2 million since it's been introduced. With vacant properties all over Ireland, why is this figure so small? Charlie Weston joined The Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Minister Rodrick O'Gorman plans to spend up to €5 billion over the next 20 years on 10,000 asylum seeker beds. Aisling Moloney , Political Correspondent with The Irish Daily Mail joined The Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

What are the reasons for Simon Coveney's sudden departure from cabinet, and where does this leave Simon Harris as he takes over as Taoiseach? Danny McConnell, Editor of The Business Post, and Gary Murphy, Professor of Politics at The School of Law and Government in DCU joined The Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

How is Ireland going to deal with a teacher shortage in both primary and secondary schools? Norma Foley, Minister For Education joined The Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

With the prices of fuel increasing, should SUV drivers pay more than other road users? Brenda Power, Columnist with The Irish Daily Mail & Sunday Times, and Kevin McPartlan, Chief Executive of Fuels For Ireland joined The Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Have the Government done too much in relation to imposing additional costs on businesses in recent years? Owen Reidy, General Secretary of the ICTU, and Danny McCoy, CEO of Ibec joined The Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

What does John Gibbons have to say about Eamon Ryan's newly approved traffic legislation? Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Shane O’Donoghue, Editor for CompleteCar.ie, and Paul Walsh, Chief Executive of Peopl Insurance joined The Last Word to discuss the possibility of economically unviable car ownership in urban centres, following on from yesterday's cabinet's approval on new traffic reduction measures. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Are you on the hunt for the best selection of wireless add-ons and accessories for your laptop or PC? Andy O’Donoghue joined The Last Word for Tech Thursday with his top recommendations! Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Guy Garvey, lead singer of Elbow joined us this week for The Culture Club! Press the 'Play' button on this page to hear his choices!

Actor Tom Vaughan Lawlor joined The Last Word to discuss his latest film, The Beautiful Game, releasing on Netflix on the 29th of March. Today FM’s Big Busk for Focus Ireland is taking place on Friday 12th April. Over 13,500 people are without a home in Ireland – that’s the equivalent of the entire population of Mallow in County Cork. Imagine not climbing into your own bed every night, not being a...

Charlie Weston, Personal Finance Editor for The Irish Independent joined The Last Word to discuss details on the new Pension Auto Enrolment Scheme, approved today by cabinet. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Local authorities will have the power to introduce traffic congestion charges in the future as part of a new strategy aimed at reducing private car use. Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan has received Cabinet approval for the strategy, which focuses on reducing car use in urban centres to address congestion, pollution and to help reach the country’s transport climate targets. He joined The Last Wor...

Cal Thomas, Nationally Syndicated US Columnist , and Marion McKeone, US Correspondent for The Business Post joined The Last Word to discuss this morning's tragic events in Baltimore. Listen by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Why have Diageo decided to increase prices on their draft beers? Ian Guider, Business Columnist for The Business Post joined The Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

On The Last Word, Matt spoke to James Flanagan about his experience of homelessness. TodayFM's Big Busk for Focus Ireland is taking place on Friday 12th April. Over 13,500 people are without a home in Ireland - that's the entire population of Mallow in County Cork. Imagine not climbing into your own bed every night, not being able to cook your own dinner and trying every day to hide the fear in yo...

Where does Fine Geal stand in relation to enacting Ireland's Sale of Alcohol Bill, which will allow pubs and nightclubs to stay open for longer? Sunil Sharpe from Give Us The Night, and John Clendennen, VFI President and Owner of Giltraps in Kinnity, Co. Offaly joined The Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Nick Ferrari, Presenter of Nick Ferrari At Breakfast on LBC Radio, joined The Last Word to discuss the recent disinformation spread about the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Danny McConnell, Editor for The Business Post , and Senator Barry Ward of Fine Gael joined The Last Word to give their opinions and predictions on Fine Gael's next steps as Simon Harris takes the reigns as Taoiseach. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

How does a direct flight to a beautiful Greek island sound? Sarah Slattery from travelexpert.ie joined The Last Word with all of the information you need! Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Cathal Malone, Immigration Lawyer, and Billy Kelleher, Fianna Fáil MEP for Ireland South joined The Last Word to discuss the possibility of the Irish Government signing up to the EU's Migration and Asylum Pact. But what will this mean for Ireland? Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Everyone seems to be talking after Leo's shock departure yesterday. Aisling Moloney, Political editor with the Irish Daily Mail and Holly Cairns, leader of the Social Democrats join Matt to discuss. For the full chat click the 'Play' button below.

Is John O'Shea's first game as interim manager of the Republic of Ireland soccer team an audition of sorts for a position as full-time manager? Gavin Cooney, Sportswriter for the42 joined The Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Finn McRedmond, Columnist for The Irish Times and Eoghan Tomás McDermott, MD of The Communications Clinic joined The Last Word to discuss the week's biggest trending stories. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.