The Last Word with Matt Cooper

On Wednesday night, The Last Word went back to Copper Face Jacks for a special All-Ireland Hurling Final preview. Matt was joined by a panel of hurling stars to look ahead to this weekend's big game between Kilkenny and Tipperary. Our panel consisted of: Michael Fennelly, eight-time All-Ireland winner with Kilkenny JJ Delaney, nine-time All-Ireland winner with Kilkenny Paul Curran, 2010 All-Ireland winner with Tipperary Michael Ryan, 2016 All-Ireland winning manager with Tipperary They gave...

It may be hard to believe, but Friends is celebrating its 25th anniversary. To mark the occasion, 1,000 cinemas in the United States will be screening 12 episodes across three nights in September and October, along with previously unseen content and exclusive interviews. Fans on this side of the pond don't have to miss out on the celebrations, however. Lego recently announced the release of a Central Perk set, complete with Friends characters, which will be available on 1 September. Alison...

According to a new study, it may not be avocado toast that's responsible for millennials being unable to afford their own house — it's that they are attending too many weddings. The survey, carried out by the UK house sharing site SpareRoom, shows that a third of millennials don't have enough money to spend on their friends' weddings. One in three respondents admitted to falling into debt, with the result that they were unable to pay their bills, while one in ten were forced to sell...

Walking is something many of us take for granted, but it has a number of physical and mental health benefits. Shane O'Mara is Professor of Experimental Brain Research at Trinity College Dublin. He has written a book, In Praise of Walking, all about the science of how we walk and why it's good for us. Shane says that the moment we first learn to walk "signals a really important change in development". "We're designed by evolution to engage in moderate levels of walking right throughout the...

Greta Thunberg has become internationally famous for her climate change activism. The 16-year-old from Sweden is currently travelling to New York on a zero-emissions yacht for a UN summit on global warming, a journey that will take two weeks. Her actions have received considerable criticism online, with one of the more disturbing remarks coming from Brexit campaigner Arron Banks, who took to Twitter to make a joke about yachting accidents. Freak yachting accidents do happen in August ......

This week's inductee into our Culture Club is Eoin Colfer, one of the most popular children's authors in the world and the man behind the Artemis Fowl book series. Eoin has two theatre projects in the works. His play, My Real Life, runs at the Viking Theatre in Clontarf from 19-31 August, and he has collaborated with none other than Dustin the Turkey on a musical comedy which makes its debut in September. He joined us to discuss his favourite music, theatre, books, TV shows and films....

Many people enjoy eggs as part of their breakfast, but are they actually good for you? And how many should you be eating a week? Dr Ray Walley joined us for our weekly medical consultation to discuss the effect eggs can have on our health. Cholesterol is a lipid, which is a fat chemical made in your body, and is present in eggs. There is good and bad cholesterol, and bad cholesterol is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. A study of 30,000 people in the United States found that each...

Following the release of the Leaving Cert results yesterday, two government ministers have made controversial comments regarding student expenses. Education Minister Joe McHugh appeared to suggest that students in rural Ireland should opt for local colleges if they cannot afford to go to university in the major cities. Meanwhile, Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O'Connor has said that students should use their grants to cover rising accommodation costs. Are these...

A few weeks ago on The Last Word's music slot, John Caddell chose a live album by Soft Cell as his Pick of the Week. It sparked a debate among listeners about whether live albums are really any good at all, and if so, which ones qualify as the best. John Caddell and Larissa Nolan returned to this topic tonight and picked some of their own favourite live albums. Jeff Buckey - Live at Sin-é Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - Live 1975-85 MC5 - Kick Out the Jams Oasis - Familiar to...

Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his New York prison cell last weekend, but questions remain about whether his death was as a result of suicide. Epstein had been awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking underage girls. He was placed on suicide watch after first attempting to take his own life two weeks earlier, but this was reportedly lifted. It has also since emerged that Epstein was left alone by prison guards in the hours before his death was discovered....

Munster rugby captain Peter O'Mahony is part of the Ireland squad that will shortly be travelling to Japan for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He is also a Marks & Spencer ambassador. With a World Cup warm-up victory over Italy behind them, Ireland are now gearing up for a training camp in Portugal before they take on England at Twickenham. Peter O'Mahony joined us on The Last Word to discuss preparations and expectations for the World Cup, and how these have differed from the 2015 tournament....

Rules on compulsory Irish in schools are to be overhauled for the new academic year. Changes to exemptions are among the new reforms being introduced. Students with learning difficulties will no longer require a psychologist's assessment to obtain an exemption from studying Irish. Julian de Spáinn of Conradh na Gaeilge feels this change could put school principals "under additional pressure to give students exemptions when they don't need them." Journalist Declan Lynch thinks that Irish...

Green Party councillor Hazel Chu has been the target of racist abuse online. It began with a video which referred to her as "that migrant", despite the fact that she was born and raised in Dublin. Those responsible for the video accused her of "curtailing the freedoms of Irish individuals by coming out against hate speech." Since then, Hazel has received anonymous phone calls and racially abusive messages on social media calling for her to be "deported back to China" and saying that she...

The Bill Clinton sex scandal will be the subject of a new TV drama series entitled Impeachment: American Crime Story, which will air before the 2020 election. The story focuses on Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky, a former White House intern, and the impeachment proceedings which followed. In an interesting twist of events, Lewinsky is a producer on the series. She has described her involvement as an opportunity to "reclaim my narrative", despite initial hesitation. She added that her...

Police in the US are investigating a YouTuber for possible animal abuse, after she was shown hitting her dog in a video. Brooke Houts uploaded a video entitled "plastic wrap prank on my doberman". Unedited footage in which she appeared to hit and spit on her dog also found its way online. There has been a considerable backlash from Houts's almost 340,000 subscribers since the video emerged, and Los Angeles police are now investigating the incident. Houts issued an apology for her behaviour,...

To help you enjoy the last of the summer evenings, we've got some wine recommendations. We were joined by Ciara Leahy, consumer editor with the Irish Farmers Journal, who shared her top red, white and rosé choices. Whites RAW Verdejo Airen Sauvignon Blanc from Centra - €9 Pazo de Señorans, Albarino from O'Briens - €22.95 Reds Fleurie, Cru de Beaujolais from Aldi - €8.99 Esquinas de Argento Malbec from Dunnes Stores Simply Better range - €14.99 Rosé La Dame en Rosé, Terroir du Midi from M&S -...

If you're looking for a last-minute summer holiday, it's not too late. Sarah Slattery of thetravelexpert.ie joined us to go through some of the best deals available over the next month or so. For more information on the deals listed below, see Sarah's website. Package Deals 24 August to Lanzarote, Turkey or Sicily for one week - from €399 21 August to Cyprus for one week - €465 for a couple or €1474 for two adults and two kids 21 August to Rhodes, Greece for one week - €444 For The Kids 12...

In the final part of our relationships series Helen Vaughan, psychotherapist with Maynooth Counselling, discussed how to deal with difficult friends or relatives of your partner. Helen says these are issues that most people have experienced, and she has several tips on handling them. Try to recognise and work on the issues as a couple. Figure out what your own family norms might be bringing to your relationship. Figure out your shared boundaries. For example, if you have in-laws who call in...

This week's inductee into our Culture Club is actress Clelia Murphy. Clelia is best known to Irish TV viewers for her role as Niamh Brennan in Fair City, a character she portrayed for 22 years before leaving the soap in 2017. She is about to star in a new play, Gym Swim Party, at Dublin's O'Reilly Theatre as part of the Fringe Festival. It opens on 11 September and tickets can be found at the Fringe Festival website. Clelia joined us to discuss her favourite music, films, theatre and TV...

Gout is a painful condition which affects one in every 100 people, mainly male. It is caused by the formation of crystals in the joints which results in inflammation, and sometimes tissue damage. Gout is often seen in the big toe and presents as an inflamed, hot, red joint. However, it can also occur in the elbows, fingers or knees. Most people who experience gout are between 30 and 60 years of age. Dr Ray Walley joined us for our weekly medical consultation to explain more about the...