The Last Word with Matt Cooper

Cathal Crowe, Fianna Fáil TD for Clare and former primary school teacher, discusses education reform inspired by Finland. He outlines shorter school days, extra outdoor breaks and staggered timetables. He also talks about specialist teachers, simple hot school meals and avoiding overloading teachers while simplifying the curriculum.

Sarah Slattery, travel expert behind thetravelexpert.ie, shares last-minute getaway finds. She highlights bargain short breaks to Sorrento, Rhodes and Ábita. She covers adult-only Marrakesh resort options and value-packed Lake Garda packages. She also points to Mediterranean cruise deals with drink-and-dine offers and pre/post hotel bundles.

On Thursday night, Ireland's hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup ended after they lost to Czechia on penalties in the playoff semi-final at the Fortuna Arena in Prague.Heimir Hallgrimsson's side went 2-0 up early in the game but they will have regrets about how they allowed the Czechs back into the contest.Gavin Cooney of The42.ie and former Ireland international Tony Cascarino speak to Matt about the result.Hit the 'Play' button on this page to hear the piece.

Heartbreak for the Boys in Green after loss to Czechia in penalties brings Ireland's world cup dreams to an end. Pop star Chappell Roan faces significant online backlash following accusations that a security guard berated a young fan. And Barry Keoghan opens up about the impact of online abuse targeting his appearance.Dion Fanning, host of The Free State podcast, and broadcaster Fionnuala Jones join The Last Word to discuss the week's trending stories. Catch the full chat by pressing the play button on this page!

Stephen Colbert will sign off as host of The Late Show in the United States later this year but it appears he won't have much down time as he is set to adapt the next movie in The Lord of the Rings franchise.Brian Lloyd joins The Last Word to chat about this news and also to review the latest movie releases including Project Hail Mary starring Ryan Gosling. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

Younger people in Ireland are joining Alcoholics Anonymous. Ahead of an event in Galway, Matt talks to Melanie and John, two members of Ireland Young People in AA, about their journeys to recovery from alcoholism. To catch the full conversation, press the 'play' button on this page.

Since March, bomb and missile strikes have released a mix of chemicals and other pollutants into the air in the Middle East, which experts have said could cause decades-long health and environmental damage.Commentator John Gibbons speaks to Matt on The Last Word.Hit the ‘Play’ button on this page to hear the piece.

Andy O'Donoghue explains the legal action being taken by Sky to crack down on the end users of dodgy boxes.He also has all the details of two historic courtroom showdowns in the US. A jury in LA has found that Meta and Youtube designed addictive products. A New Mexico jury ruled that Meta deliberately misled the public about the safety of its apps while ignoring internal warnings and enabling child sexual exploitation.To catch the full conversation, press the 'play' button on this page.

To mark five years of his weekly environment slot, John Gibbons joins The Last Word for the Culture Club.He chats to Matt about his favourite music, books, movies and more.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!

The latest completion date for the new national children's hospital will not be met, making it the 18th time that the deadline has been missed, the Oireachtas health committee has been told. Shauna Bowers, Irish Times' health correspondent, and Dr Paul Davis from DCU's Business School join The Last Word to discuss why the deadline for substantial completion of the hospital continues to be missed and who is responsible.Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page!