The Last Word with Matt Cooper

Dermot Whelan, one-half of Dermot and Dave on Today FM, is leaving the station after 9 years. Before that, himself and his radio partner spent 12 years on 98FM in Dublin. The pair have spent 21 years together and as it's due to come to an end, Dermot joined The Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the Play button on this page.

Chris Sherlock was bullied in school to the point where he left before he completed his Junior Cert. Ever since then Chris has been trying to piece his life back together. He’s 31 now and joined Matt Cooper on The Last Word to discuss his journey. Catch the full chat by pressing the Play button on this page. Chris Sherlock, anti-bullying campaigner

We're back with our week trending, this week we're looking at Lizzo, Whether or not Ireland is becoming a tourist hot spot and if warnings should be added to processed food packages. Breda Brown, Co-founder of Unique Media and Eoghan Thomas McDermot, MD Communications Clinic join Matt to discuss. For the full chat click the 'Play' button on this page.

With only 5 weeks to go till the start of the Rugby World Cup, Ireland's pre-season training is in full swing with Italy being the first guests this week. Matt Williams joins Matt to discuss. For the full chat click the 'Play' button on this page.

Don't let the rain stop you and the fam from having that outdoor family BBQ. Pat Conway from Smokin' Soul joins Matt to cover his go-to rainy-day BBQ recipes. All full recipes can be found below. For the full chat click the 'Play' button on this page. Not the normal Chicken Wings This recipe is a complete break from the norm to more mainstream hot/spicy or bbq wings. Ingredients 250 g Parmesan 2 tsp Chilli Flake 1 cup flat-leaf Parsley 75g Butter ½ cup Honey 1 kilo of chicken wings Directions Take your chicken wings and cook offset on your bbq at 180c until the core temp reaches 85 degrees, at this point the meat is getting ready to come away from the bone. This could take 45 mins. The wings are not seasoned OR marinated in any fashion at this point. You can take the wings and sear over the flames should you wish. Having reached the desired temp begin to put the wings into a large bowl with the rest of the ingredients except the butter and honey, as the wings are added to the mix keep stirring the contents of the bowl. Make sure as each new batch of wings that are added gets coated evenly. Keep repeating the processes until all the wings are in the bowl and there is no ingredient left at the bottom of the bowl. Now add the butter and honey and make sure all the wings are equally covered, serve immediately and enjoy. Smokin' Soul BBQ Sauce One of the most divisive recipes in Smokin' Soul history. Jim and I spent years playing with different versions and variants of bbq sauce. BBQ sauce when done well is a joy to behold, when done incorrectly it is horrendous. This is our everyday sauce, do make this week in advance, it is so much better once matured. Ingredients 5 kg Ketchup (average quality will do, don't use very vinegar-heavy ketchup.) 4 cups brown sugar 1 cup Worcester sauce 1/3 cup of American mustard 2 cups apple juice 1/3 cup garlic powder 1 cup apple cider vinegar Tablespoon of cayenne Tablespoon of salt 2 Tablespoons cracked black pepper Tablespoon paprika ½ tablespoon cumin ½ tablespoon coriander Directions In a large pot mix all ingredients together. Bring to a simmer very slowly, the slower the better. Keep the contents of the pot stirred regularly as the sugar will try to sink to the bottom and will burn to the base of the pot and ruin the sauce. Cool and decant to containers of your choice, and refrigerate. Due to the preservatives present in the ketchup, the sauce will keep indefinitely once refrigerated. Do allow the sauce time to come together, hence making a big match means the sauce gets a chance to mature and becomes better over time. Cauliflower steaks Soak a head of Cauliflower in water for an hour. Remove the Cauliflower and coat in a hot sauce of your choice, I like to mix sriracha and a lousiana vinegar-based hot sauce together for this. Put a dry rub of your choice on Cauliflower next, there are many options out there or you can make your own. Put it into your bbq and cook offset until it's tender. Remove and slice in inch-thick slices.

The Government's National Risk Assessment report has identified a number of rising concerns for the country, including war and AI. Elaine Loughlin, Political Editor with The Irish Examiner, and Declan Power, Security & Defence Analyst joined The Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Greenpeace have accused the UK Government of sabotaging their climate commitments following recent decisions made by Prime Minister Sunak with regards to North Sea oil extraction licenses. Sadbh O’Neill, Co-ordinator at Stop Climate Chaos Coalition joined The Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

With the school year approaching, what tech can you invest in to make to process smoother? Andy O’Donoghue joined The Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

How has Google's presence economically impacted Ireland over the last 20 years? Andy O’Donoghue and Elaine Burke joined The Last Word to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Novelist Claire Kilroy joined us this week for the Culture Club! She spoke to Matt about music, films, books and more. Her latest book is called Soldier Sailor and is available now. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.