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, Personal Finance Editor with the Irish Independent, spoke to Matt on The Last Word.

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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 latest news from the US.

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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.

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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 of Alcohol Action Ireland, spoke to Matt about this on Tuesday’s The Last Word.

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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 weekend, have the new rules breathed life into the provincial championships?

Michael Foley, Sportswriter with The Sunday Times and former All-Ireland winning captain Ray Silke, spoke to Matt about this on Monday.

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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 who were conned by Cookes across Ireland and the UK.

Alan Bradley, director of Bad Nanny and one of Cookes’ victims, Lynn McDonald, joined Matt on The Last Word.

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Sarah Slattery from the travelexpert.ie joins The Last Word to chat all about her recent trip to Utah in the United States.

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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 discuss the week's trending stories.

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Irish film director Lorcan Finnegan spoke to Matt about working with Nicolas Cage for his new film, the Australian set, psychodrama, The Surfer.

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Andy O'Donoghue previewed the best e-readers and audiobook apps for every price point!

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