The Last Word with Matt Cooper

US President Donald Trump's plan to 'take over' war torn Gaza and turn it into the 'Riviera of the Middle East' has been met with shock and global condemnation.Professor Aoife O’Donoghue from Queen's University Belfast and journalist Hannah McCarthy join The Last Word to discuss the proposal which flies in the face of international law and risks further destabilising the Middle East.Later, Marion McKeone and Larry Donnelly join to assess whether the US President is really serious about this plan which would amount to an ethnic cleansing. Catch the full conversation by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Daragh O'Brien, the Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy, and Transport, discusses critical plans for upgrading the ESB electricity grid to enhance resilience, especially post-storm. He delves into the financial implications of these upgrades, weighing costs on consumers versus the state. O'Brien also addresses the troubling shortfall in housing completions for 2024, critiquing current government targets and exploring solutions for first-time buyers in a challenging market.

On Tuesday, Matt was joined by author Joseph O’Connor as he discussed the release of his latest book “The Ghosts of Rome”.The book is set in spring 1944 and follows a group of people who help others escape the Germans in Rome, which has been occupied by the Nazis for six months.They also discussed the current political landscape in both Ireland and around the world, and how it is reflected in the themes throughout the novel.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear their conversation.

Ian Guider, columnist with the Business Post, joins The Last Word to discuss the impact of US President Donald Trump slapping tariffs on China and threatening Canada, Mexico and the European Union.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

China has slapped tariffs on a raft of goods coming from the United States in response to US tariffs on Chinese goods introduced by President Donald Trump.Marion McKeone and Cal Thomas join The Last Word to discuss the latest news from the US as Trump fires the first shots in what could become a global trade war.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

The delivery of houses in Ireland could fall short of the government’s targets in 2025, according to a report by Mitchell McDermott.This prediction comes off the back of CSO figures which showed that only 30,330 houses were completed in 2024, almost 10,000 lower than the 40,000 target.Paul Mitchell, Director & Co-Founder of Mitchell McDermott and Kate English, Chief Economist at Deloitte, discussed this with Matt on Thursday’s The Last Word.Hit the ‘Play button on this page to hear the conversation.

Ireland kick off their 2025 Guinness Six Nations campaign against England this Saturday as they bid to win a historic 3-in-a-row.Under interim head coach Simon Easterby, how are Ireland’s chances looking, and which players will be putting their hands up ahead of the Lions tour in the summer?Matt was joined by Fiona Hayes to discuss the weekend’s fixtures.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.

DeepSeek, a Chinese owned startup, is disrupting the AI sector amid claims it performs better than other popular technology at a fraction of the price.Andy O'Donoghue joins The Last Word to explain what DeepSeek does and why it is scaring the world's tech giants.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

On Thursday, Matt was joined by Armando Iannucci, the creator of iconic TV shows like Alan Partride, Veep and The Thick of It.He discussed his stage adaptation of the Stanley Kubrick classic, 'Dr. Strangelove', which is coming to the Bórd Gáis Energy Theatre on the 5th of February, along with his storied career that spans decades.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear their chat.

Trevor Birney, journalist, documentary maker and producer of the Kneecap movie, joins The Last Word for the the Culture Club. He discusses his favourite cultural choices as well as the success of Kneecap and working on the upcoming Saipan movie.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!