The Last Word with Matt Cooper

A study by Maynooth University has suggested that homework tasks of up to 15 minutes can be more beneficial than longer time periods.Mario Rosenstock was joined by Professor Andrew Parnell, Hamilton Professor and Director of the Hamilton Institute at Maynooth University and Jennifer Horgan, teacher and Irish Examiner columnist, to discuss the findings.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

But for how long? Will it disband in November for the election or in January for a rumored February election?Gary Murphy, Elaine Loughlin and Kevin Cunningham join Matt to discuss the potential timeline.

Comedian Killian Sundermann was the latest inductee into The Last Word’s Culture Club this week.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear all his favourite music, book, film & TV choices!

Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate after wave of exploding pagers killed 12 people and injured thousands in cities across Lebanon. Hannah McCarthy, foreign correspondent in Beirut, joins The Last Word to outline the situation in Lebanon as there are reports of a second wave of explosions.Listen back to the full discussion by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Amazon has told its staff that they must return to the office five days a week in January 2025, ending its hybrid working policy.Meanwhile, Intel have announced that they are postponing new factories in Germany and Poland for two years, meaning that the Leixlip plant will remain as the company’s “lead European hub”.Ian Guider covered these topics on Tuesday’s business news.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

Many children in Ireland are overweight "because they have to be driven everywhere" according to the deputy leader of the Green Party.Senator Róisín Garvey joins The Last Word along with Prof Dónal O'Shea, HSE clinical lead on obesity, and Jen Hogan, parenting columnist with the Irish Times, to discuss the factors that are leading to around 20 per cent of primary school children being overweight or obese. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Donald Trump has received criticism after conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer joined his campaign trail, with some Republican supporters concerned the move could cost him Georgia and North Carolina in November’s election.Nationally syndicated columnist Cal Thomas and Marion McKeone, US Correspondent with the Business Post, joined Matt to discuss.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

The new book is out now; Sophie: The Final Verdict. Author Senan Molony joins Matt to discuss how the evidence is laid out in his book and why a case was never brought forward that ended in a life sentence for Ian Bailey.

It's prostate cancer awareness month and the Marie Keating Foundation are asking men to 'stand up for your prostate and pay attention to your pee' to recognise any signs and symptoms of prostate cancer early. Helen Forristal, Urology Nurse Specialist and Director of Nursing Services at the Marie Keating Foundation is here to give us all the information.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin said on Monday that Ireland’s Apple tax will be used to “copper-fasten” investment in housing in the country in the coming years.Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien joined Matt on from the Fianna Fáil think-in to discuss how much the issue of housing will influence the upcoming general election campaign.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

Ras Al-Khaimah is the northernmost emirate in the United Arab Emirates and is quickly becoming a popular holiday destination, particularly for those in search of adventure. Sarah Slattery from the travelexpert.ie joins The Last Word to explain what Ras Al-Khaimah has to offer.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

We’ve got potential presidents spouting cat-eating conspiracy theories, another weird statue; this one of Queen Elizabeth in Antrim. And The UK moving to ban junk food TV ads pre-watershed, should Ireland follow suit?  Joe O’Shea, editor of Corkbeo.ie, and Jennifer Horgan, columnist with the Irish Examiner join The Last Word to discuss the week’s trending stories. Catch the full chat by pressing ‘play’ now! 

Matt was joined by Liam O’Callaghan, author of Blood and Thunder: Rugby and Irish Life: A History, which looked at how rugby in Ireland has become a sporting success, despite its small population.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

John Gibbons brings us the weekly environment round up.The All Ireland Hedgehog Survey has warned that these robot mowers pose a large risk to the species.

Charlie Weston, Personal Finance Editor with the Irish Independent, was back with Matt on Thursday and they discussed how the Central Bank is to disband its consumer protection directorate.They also covered how the ECB has found that the Central Bank’s mortgage rules that cap borrowing for potential homebuyers negatively impact younger, middle and lower income households.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.