Claim OwnershipThe Last Word with Matt Cooper
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On Ireland's most cutting edge current affairs show, Matt and his guests provide a running stream of intelligent opinions and heated debates on the issues that matter most to Irish listeners. You might not always agree, but you'll never want to miss a Word.
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As Trump doubles down on this treat to impose tariffs on eight European countries if he is not allowed to buy Greenland, EU leaders are due to meet on Thursday to consider all retaliatory options open to them.Shona Murray, Europe Correspondent with Euronews, Dan O'Brien, Chief Economist with the Institute of Economic and European Affairs and Derek Scally, Berlin Correspondent with the Irish Times, discuss the implications of the threatened tariffs and the options that are open to Europe.To catch the full conversation, press the 'play' button on this page.
If you're looking to plan a trip to Mexico during 2026, Kaitlin Murphy from TheTravelExpert.ie has all the best tips and tricks to get the most out of your holiday.She speaks to Will O'Callaghan on Monday's The Last Word, hit the 'Play' button on this page to hear the chat.
Doctors who carry out aesthetic treatments like Botox and lip filler say that they are increasingly dealing with the fallout of botched procedures that have been done by unregulated injectors and that some of these patients are as young as 15.Dr Caitríona Kieran, aesthetic practitioner, joins The Last Word to discuss the rise in black market cosmetic treatments and calls for better regulations to protect young people.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!
In order to qualify for the World Cup in the Summer, Ireland has to win two away games in March and April. The World Cup will take place in Mexico, Canada and America.Barry Heneghan, Independent TD for Dublin Bay North and Sheila Gilheany, chief executive, Alcohol Action Ireland debate whether pubs should be granted licenses to extend hours during the World Cup, if Ireland qualifies.To catch the full conversation, press the play button on this page.
This week, the European Union Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that the past 11 years have been the warmest on record, with 2025 coming third in that list.This trend suggests that Ireland is likely to face more harsh and extreme weather events in the future, similar to that of Storm Éowyn almost a year ago.Sadhbh O’Neill, Climate and Environmental Researcher and Irish Times Contributor, speaks to Matt about this issue and if there’s anything that can be done to combat it.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the piece.
From bike lights with built in radar to smart helmets with integrated lights, Andy O'Donoghue joins The Last Word to run through some of the best high-tech cycling safety gear on the market. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!
Representatives from school management bodies have called for a full review of the Hot School Meals Programme as they claim that a failure to properly resource the scheme is undermining its potential and overburdening schools.Dr Emer Nowlan, chief executive of Educate Together, and Regina Halpin, principal of Divine Mercy Senior National School in Balgaddy, Co Dublin, join The Last Word to discuss the challenges schools are experiencing with the programme which seeks to provide every child in primary school with a hot meal everyday.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!
Co. Cork musician Joe Philpott is the latest inductee into The Last Word's Culture Club.Hit the 'Play' button on this page to hear all of the choices that shaped him which includes music, TV, films and authors.
Research conducted by Switcher.ie has found that a switch to own-brand products could save a family over €2,000 a year.With grocery prices rising at a rate of 6.5pc, consumers continue to feel the pinch in early 2026.Charlie Weston, Personal Finance Editor with the Irish Independent, speaks to Matt on The Last Word.Hit the 'Play' button on this page to hear the piece.
1US President Donald Trump has said that "the day of reckoning and retribution is coming" for Minnesota as the state is suing his administration over its immigration crackdown following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good.Cal Thomas and Marion McKeone join The Last Word to discuss this and more of the latest news from the United States.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!
On Tuesday, Diageo confirmed that it will increase the price of its pints from February 2nd.The cost will increase by 7 cent per pint (excluding VAT), which is the 5th time the company has done so in three years.Pat Crotty, CEO Vintners Federation expressed his disappointment to Matt on The Last Word, saying that publicans are “being hit from all sides” and that they “cannot continue to absorb these hits year after year”.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear what he had to say.
Judge James O’Donohoe reduced a €50,000 damages award by 80% to a cyclist who suffered a brain injury when he collided with a motorbike, saying that cyclists in Dublin have become a “nightmare”.Dr Damien O’Tuama, National Cycling Co-Ordinator at the Irish Cycling Campaign and Tony Toner, freelance motoring journalist and advanced driving instructor, reacted to these comments on Tuesday’s The Last Word.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the piece.
Brighton’s 2-1 defeat of Manchester United in Sunday’s FA Cup third round fixture at Old Trafford means United will play just 40 games in the 2025-26 campaign. It will be their shortest season since 1914-15.Miguel Delaney, Chief Football Writer with The Independent and former Ireland International Tony Cascarino speak to Matt about the weekend’s results.Plus, they reacted to the news that Real Madrid parted ways with manager Xabi Alonso after they lost to Barcelona in Sunday’s Supercopa de Espana final.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the piece.
Douglas Farah, President of IBI Consultants, a national security consulting firm based in Washington DC and former Washington Post journalist, was a participant in US war games in the Pentagon for the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations.Having worked in South America as a Washington Post reporter for many years, he was asked to take part with other experts to 'game out' how the end of the Maduro regime might come about and what would happen in the aftermath. A 2019 Pentagon report concluded that all scenarios would end in chaos. So why did the US intervene in Venezuela?Douglas Farah joins Matt to outline how war games are carried out and how the second Trump administration seems to be doing things very differently.To catch the full conversation, press the 'play' button on this page.
The Traitors Ireland stormed into the top 10 most-watched TV shows in Ireland last year, with The Late Late Toy Show once again claiming top spot with an audience of over 1.5m people.Elsewhere, Jessie Buckley picked up the Best Actress award at the Golden Globes on Sunday night for her performance in the widely acclaimed Hamnet. On Monday’s The Last Word, Joe O’Shea and Elaine Burke look at Buckley’s TV career, which included roles in Chernobyl and Taboo.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.
Sarah Slattery from thetravelexpert.ie joins The Last Word to run through some of the best travel deals to be found in the January sales. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!
This week on The Week Trending Matt is joined by Broadcaster and Author Aoife Barry and Sports Broadcaster Cathal Mullaney to discuss the week's biggest trending stories. This week they discuss controversy over AI 'Nudification' tools, Scotland getting a new bank holiday for their World Cup campaign and more Hit Play on this page to listen now
Ireland has a great reputation for its hospitality both at home and abroad, and part of it is built on the appeal of the Irish pub.So, what appeals to us the most about going to the pub? Is the future of the pub – particularly in rural Ireland – under threat due to the increase in the cost of a drink?Donal Fallon, Historian, Presenter of the Three Castles Burning podcast & author of ‘The Dublin Pub’ and Dr. Perry Share, Head of the School of Business and Social Sciences at Atlantic Technological University, and Co-editor of ‘The Irish Pub’ speak to Matt on The Last Word.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.
This week on The Last Word on the Environment John Gibbons joins Matt to discuss Ireland's decision not to back the EU's Mercosur trade deal with South America. They also discuss the Taoiseach's promise to remove the passenger cap at Dublin AirportHit Play on this page to listen now
Protests have taken place across the US after a 37-year-old woman was shot dead by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on Wednesday.Reacting to the incident, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said “We’ve been warning for weeks that the Trump administration’s dangerous, sensationalized operations are a threat to our public safety, that someone was going to get hurt.”Larry Donnelly, lecturer in law at the University of Galway, who is originally from Boston, speaks to Matt on The Last Word.
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Same tedious regular mouthpieces on coopers biased drivel .... some club they have going here .... jobs for the boys and girls
Matt is so biased and left leaning there is no balance..
Suprised you didnt have alison o connor on matt but maybe shes exclusively rtes attack dog, as i said before what a amazing country we'd have if hacks like you pursued with the same vigor this discredited ( children's hospital 14.5000 homeless including 4000 children) rag tag "coalition" as you do the shinners, thousands marching from the service industry of which i was 1 while genocide is ongoing in the middle east but the usual tropes and the playing the man instead of the ball continues.
#Free_Palestine #Down_with_Israel
If Cal Thomas didn't have whataboutery he'd have nothing. He's a tiresome bore.
Hahaha Sarah McGuinness thinking the fake tan article had merit 😂 Absolutely delighted to see people trying to import identity politics and the makey-uppy nonsense of cultural appropriation to Ireland left with egg on their faces 😂
Jennifer Gannon - idiotic take.
couldn't hear Neale on this interview, audio very poor.
2
Sorry Eoin but Harry's game by Clannad Trumps these.. Try Nils Frahm or Olafur Arnold's
Matt well done for highlighting finally the savagery unleashed on this Irish International sports star... Hopefully the Media will continue to press the powers that be into acting and supporting James , These sectarian Neanderthal knuckledraggers have no place in a progressive Society.
Kearney's a wet towel
Episodes are annoyingly frequent