The Last Word with Matt Cooper

Writer Patricia Scanlan is the latest inductee into The Last Word Culture Club, where she talks about the music, books, TV and movies that have influenced her life and work.To catch the full conversation, press the 'play' button on this page.

Energy supplier Energia has been given the go-ahead to build a data centre in Dublin to be operated by tech giant, Microsoft.Ian Guider, columnist with the Business Post, joins The Last Word to discuss this and more of the day's business news. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

The CSO has released a survey showing the long term impact the experience of living through the Covid-19 pandemic has made.Five years on, one in four people who were surveyed said they still try to avoid shaking hands, while a third of respondents between the ages of 22 and 29 said that their alcohol consumption increased since Covid restrictions were introduced. Tim Bergin, People Consulting Partner at EY Ireland and Helen Vaughan, psychotherapist at Maynooth Counselling spoke to Matt on Wednesday’s The Last Word.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.

There's outrage in the United States after a journalist was included in a group chat in which US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance and other top officials discussed upcoming strikes against Yemen's Houthi group.Cal Thomas, nationally syndicated US columnist, and journalist Marion McKeone joins The Last Word to discuss this massive security leak and more of the latest news from the US. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

On Monday, gardaí conducted raids on members of a Dublin-based drugs gang known as The Family.The Irish Times reported that the gardaí’s National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau has been investigating the group for up to a decade.Conor Lally, Crime and Security Editor with The Irish Times, joined Ian Guider on The Last Word to explain the story.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

Elaine Burke and Joe O’Shea discuss the four-part Netflix drama, Adolescence, written by and starring Stephen Graham, that is being watched all over the world. Dealing with toxic influences in teenaged lives, Joe and Elaine talk about why they think it’s an era defining drama.

Ireland beat Bulgaria 2-1 (4-2 on aggregate) in the Aviva Stadium on Sunday night which retains their status in League B in the Nations League.Gavin Cooney, Sportswriter with The42.ie and Off The Ball’s Will O’Callaghan spoke to Matt about a positive few days for Heimir Hallgrimsson, Evan Ferguson getting on the scoresheet again and how these results can benefit Ireland’s World Cup qualifying prospects.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

Has medicine gone too far in diagnosing disorders like autism, ADHD or even long Covid? Can these diagnoses sometimes hinder a person more than they help?Neurologist Dr Suzanne O'Sullivan joins The Last Word to discuss the dangers of over medicalisation as explored in her new book 'The Age of Diagnosis'.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Following his St Patrick's Day White House visit, Conor McGregor has said he will run for president of Ireland this year; Tesla cars are being boycott in protest against Elon Musk; and what countries are the happiest?Laura Byrne, voices editor and podcast producer with TheJournal.ie, and Eoghan Tomás McDermott, managing director of The Communication Clinic, join The Last Word to discuss the week's trending stories.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

A teacher has claimed that she was wrongly identified as the so-called “GAA Catfish”, and has secured a short term injunction restraining her employer from continuing a disciplinary process against her.The story was originally told on The 2 Johnnies podcast and detailed how a woman was using fake online profiles to dupe men into romantic relationships.Carl O’Brien, Education Editor with The Irish Times, explained the story on The Last Word.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.