An Irish MEP used AI to write a letter about Gaza which quoted Swedish House Mafia. Why are we seeing more bad behaviour at airports? Should smoking be banned in parks and on beaches? Sarah McGuinness, political correspondent with the Irish Daily Mail, and Dave Hanratty, host of the No Encore podcast, join The Last Word to discuss the week's trendi…

On Friday, Richard Satchwell was found guilty of the murder of his wife Tina Satchwell in 2017. Ms. Satchwell’s skeletal remains were found in their home in October 2023. Mr. Satchwell had pleaded not guilty to murdering her at Grattan Street, Youghal, Co. Cork in March 2017. Jamie O’Hara, Today FM Court Reporter and Brenda Power, columnist with th…

Political journalist Gavan Reilly joins The Last Word to chat all about how Irish politics really works, as outlined in his new book 'The Secret Life of Leinster House'. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button!

Irish company Brightflag, which uses artificial intelligence to help legal firms manage their finances, has been sold. Founded by Ian Nolan and Alex Kelly, it has been sold for €425m cash. Ian Guider, columnist with the Business Post, joined Matt on The Last Word. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.…

Environmental groups have raised concerns about plans to lower the environmental standards of hundreds of rivers across Ireland. This would mean that over 400 stretches of water would be classified as “heavily modified water bodies” John Gibbons explained the significance of this on Thursday. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.…

Writer Andrew Meehan, author of Best Friends, joins The Last Word for the Culture Club. Hear all about his favourite music, movies, tv shows and more by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

The Trump administration has suspended new visa applications for foreign students to give US embassies around the world more time to vet applicants and also prepare to carry out deeper checks on their social media history. Larry Donnelly, law lecturer at the University of Galway, and Chris Clifford, president of AMLÉ, the union of students in Irela…

On this episode of Mormonish Podcast, Rebecca and Landon are joined by the lovely Jessica to discuss patriarchal blessings and their impact on the lives of faithful LDS. Taking to social media, we asked the question "Do patriarchal blessings come true?" The answers are very telling and reveal so much about these supposed glimpses into the future we…

Donald Trump is considering imposing further sanctions on Russia as it continues its large scale attack on Ukraine. The US President's relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin appears to have soured with Trump saying that the Russian president has 'gone absolutely crazy'. Cal Thomas and Marion McKeone join The Last Word to discuss Trump's ch…

Lorraine Keane was one of the first women to break the taboo around discussing perimenopause and menopause in Ireland. She joins The Last Word to discuss why she feels it is so important for women to talk to their family and friends about the changes they are going through. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!…

The Premier League season concluded on Sunday amid huge celebrations at Anfield after Liverpool were crowned champions. With Arsenal securing their place in next year’s Champions League last weekend, several teams were battling it out to make the final 3 spots. In the end, there were few surprises as Man City, Chelsea and Newcastle all qualified fo…

Sarah Slattery from the travelexpert.ie joins The Last Word to chat about all of the best things to see and do in Las Vegas. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Bono: Stories Of Surrender is set for release on Apple TV+ this Friday, May 30th. Directed by Andrew Dominik, the documentary received a seven-minute long standing ovation at the Cannes film festival. Joe O’Shea and Elaine Burke talked to Matt on The Last Word on TV & Streaming. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the chat.…

'La-Z-Boy' recliner among requests for TD's Leinster House office; controversial robot trees are removed from Cork City; and Government signs off on plans to celebrate Ireland's Norman history. Lorcan Nyhan, head of training at the Communications Clinic, and Laura Byrne, voices editor and podcast producer with The Journal.ie, join The Last Word to …

The latest cost estimate for building Dublin’s Metrolink was approximately €23 billion. However, could that figure now be too low? Work is set to start in 2026, with its completion estimated to be in the mid-2030s. Dr. Sean Sweeney, Programme Director of Metrolink spoke to Matt on The Last Word. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conver…

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump accused South Africa of committing white genocide as the country’s president Cyril Ramaphosa visited the White House. Meanwhile, two Israeli embassy staff were shot dead as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington DC on Wednesday night. Marion McKeone and Larry Donnelly, Law Lecturer at U…

Wallet trackers, power banks and UV scanners, Andy O'Donoghue had a run down of the best travel tech to make planned summer trips as easy as possible. To catch the full conversation, press the play button on this page.

The Irish Postmasters’ Union has warned that without funding of €15 million per year for the next five years, post offices around the country face “rapid, unrestrained closures”. Ian Guider, Columnist with the Business Post, joined Matt for Wednesday’s business news. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the conversation.…

Author Pat McCabe was this week’s entry into the Culture Club as he celebrated the release of his new book ‘Golden Glove’. Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear all his choices.

Earlier this week, a report by Daft.ie found that the average rent in Ireland has now exceeded €2,000 a month, which is almost 50% higher than it was before the Covid-19 pandemic. This, along with high insurance premiums, increasing TV and broadband prices, and the cost of nights out also rising means that low to mid-range earners have less and les…

On this episode of Mormonish Podcast, Rebecca and Landon are joined by the wonderful Doug Vincent to discuss a much overlooked powerful influence on Joseph Smith and the origins of Mormonism itself, the Erie Canal. During Joseph Smith's formative years, the Smith family lived in Palmyra New York. In describing Joseph's youth, there is little mentio…

In 2018, author Jeanine Cummins published her novel American Dirt to a fanfare of praise and expectation. It didn't take long for online opinion to turn on the author. The author was accused of cultural appropriation and misrepresentation of Latino cultures. Despite the criticism, American Dirt was a bestseller. Jeanine Cummins spoke to Matt about …

Cal Thomas, nationally syndicated columnist, and US Correspondent with The Business Post, Marion McKeone, join Matt the go through all the latest in US politics. With Joe Biden being diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, and the Russia-Ukraine peace talks taking place – this week has been more than eventful in the White House. Liste…

The All-Ireland Gaelic football championship sprung to life at the weekend as Dublin reminded everyone of their credentials by beating an in-form Galway side by a point at Pearse Stadium, Kerry had a comfortable win against Roscommon, and Cavan earned a superb win over Mayo in MacHale Park to put Kevin McStay’s side on the back foot for their remai…

Joe O’Shea, Editor at Cork Beo, and Today FM’s own Alison Healy are here to give all the latest in this week’s TV and Streaming news. A curious Eurovision saw Ireland gave Israel the maximum 12 points in Eurovision semi-final and 10 points in the final, raising some eyebrows in the country. Everybody’s talking about the Netflix documentary covering…

David French, brother of Valerie French Kilroy who was murdered by her husband James, outlines his family's campaign to have the parental rights curbed for those who kill their spouses. David remembers his sister Valerie and writes about the aftermath of her murder in his book, For Valerie.

A year and a half ago Mormonish aired a candid interview with Michelle Stone in which she talked about her faith journey, ecclesiastical abuse she had suffered, her experiences in the church and more. This interview perhaps sheds some light on her current decision to take her channel down and remove all her videos. We definitely thought it was wort…

New figures released by the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland have shown that in the final quarter of 2024, almost €200m was borrowed to fund car purchases. Loans for home improvement projects also hit highs never seen before. However, given the current economic climate, should borrowers exercise more caution when deciding to take out a loan?…

As the US PGA gets into full swing, Andy O'Donoghue joins The Last Word to talk about all the best new golf tech. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

People who live near golf courses are more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease, due to pesticides used on the lawns. That’s according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which looked at data from 27 counties in Wisconsin and Minnesota. John Gibbons joined Matt for Thursday’s environment slot. Hit the ‘Play’ bu…

Conductor David Brophy joins The Last Word for the Culture Club! Hear all of his favourite musical and cultural picks by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Goldman Sachs’s is considering launching its online retail bank Marcus in Ireland, a move that could give Wall Street access to billions of euros in deposits from domestic households. Ian Guider, columnist with the Business Post, joins The Last Word to discuss how the banking giant could shake up the Irish market and more of the latest business new…

A new report from UNICEF has found that Irish teenagers are among the least happy in high-income countries despite leading in academic performance. Aibhlín O’Leary, head of advocacy with UNICEF, and Dr Colman Noctor, child and adolescent psychotherapist, join The Last Word to discuss why teenagers in Ireland are less happy and what can be done to h…

A survey by Laya Life has found that raising a child in Ireland now costs €15,000 per year, which is an increase of almost 40% in the last 10 years. The first year of the child’s life and teen years have been found to be the most expensive, with the cost of pocket money increasing by 86% since 2015 to an average of €1,196 per year. Charlie Weston, …

US President Donald Trump has claimed it would be "stupid" not to accept the gift of a free Qatari plane, described as a "palace in the sky", to replace Air Force One. There has been much criticism of Trump's plan to accept the gift, even amongst his MAGA supporters. Cal Thomas and Marion McKeone join The Last Word to discuss this and more of the l…

Jacqueline Connolly, author of Deadly Silence, joins The Last Word to talk about her quest for justice for her sister Clodagh Hawe and her three nephews who were murdered by Alan Hawe in 2016. She explained why she wants the review into the investigation of their murders to be published. Listen back to the full conversation by pressing the 'Play' b…

The Vintners Federation of Ireland is calling on the government to introduce a 40% tax rebate in excise on pints of draught beer sold in pubs. The association said the move would be helpful for rural pubs who are struggling with increasing costs. Pat Crotty, Chief Executive of the Vintners Federation of Ireland and Sheila Gilheany, Chief Executive …

The future of the provincial football finals has been a source of debate in recent years due to Dublin’s dominance in Leinster and Kerry’s in Munster. But after Donegal won back-to-back Ulster titles and Louth were crowned Leinster champions for the first time in 68 years, along with a hugely entertaining Connacht final between Mayo and Galway last…

Earlier this year, Samantha Cookes was sentenced to three years in prison for multiple counts of theft and deception. She was found to have posed under numerous fake identities and convinced people she was a victim of discrimination due to her diagnosis of Huntington’s disease. ‘Bad Nanny’, a new two-part documentary on RTÉ One, hears from victims …

Sarah Slattery from the travelexpert.ie joins The Last Word to chat all about her recent trip to Utah in the United States. Listen back by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Content Warning: suic*de and other disturbing imagery In this riveting podcast, Randy Bell, delves into the chilling story of Heaven's Gate, a cult that led 39 members to a mass suicide in 1997. Through captivating insights, Bell unravels the cult's manipulative tactics, explores the twisted beliefs of its leaders, and highlights the importance of …

Leo XIV becomes the first North American pope; RTÉ demands 'discussion' on Israel's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest; and Tánaiste Simon Harris calls for a social media ban for children under the age of 16. Joe O’Shea, editor of Cork Beo, and Jennifer Horgan, Irish Examiner Columnist and secondary school teacher, join The Last Word to d…

Irish film director Lorcan Finnegan spoke to Matt about working with Nicolas Cage for his new film, the Australian set, psychodrama, The Surfer. To catch the full conversation, press the 'play' button on this page.

Andy O'Donoghue previewed the best e-readers and audiobook apps for every price point! To catch the full conversation, press the 'play' button on this page.

More families are now buying own-brand products and shopping in discount stores in order to reduce the costs of the weekly grocery shop. According to figures from EY, more than half of Irish households said that price is a significant factor when deciding what to buy, and nearly half said that they use discount stores to reduce spending. Charlie We…

‘Zombie’ traffic lights are to be installed on Tara Street in Dublin City in a bid to get people who are distracted by looking at their mobile phones to pay attention to oncoming traffic. Is this a good idea, or an indication that we’ve become too dependent on our devices? Adrian Weckler, Tech Editor at the Irish & Sunday Independent and Aoife Barr…

DJ and producer Mark McCabe is the latest inductee into the Culture Club. He joined Matt to talk about ‘Maniac 2000 (25th Anniversary Edition)’, which was released last Friday. Hit the ‘Play’ button to hear his choices.

RTÉ has asked the European Broadcasting Union for a discussion on Israel's inclusion in the Eurovision Song Contest that takes place later this month due to the ongoing war in Gaza. Johnny Fallon, strategy director at Carr Communications and Eurovision enthusiast, joins The Last Word to discuss the likelihood of Israel being excluded from the conte…

On Saturday, the Dublin and Kilkenny camogie teams took to the field wearing shorts ahead of their Leinster semi-final fixture, in protest against a rule which requires them to wear skorts during matches. Having been told by the referee that the game wouldn’t go ahead if they didn’t comply with the rules, they subsequently changed into skorts. The …

US President Donald Trump has threatened to slap 100% tariffs on movies coming into the US that are "produced in foreign lands" in a statement that has alarmed the industry. Brian Carey, Sunday Times' business editor, joins The Last Word to discuss how this could impact Ireland's significant film industry. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play'…