Magnified with Matt Cooper

Former Labour Party Leader Pat Rabbitte is this week’s guest on Magnified.Rabbitte previously served as Labour leader from 2002 to 2007, minister for communications, energy and natural resources from 2011 to 2014, and minister of state for commerce, science and technology from 1994 to 1997.In this episode, Pat delves into the ups and downs of his political career, the demands of the job and reflects on his time in office having left politics a decade ago.Rabbitte stepped down as the Chair of Tusla at the end of 2025. The child and family agency has faced intense criticism in the last 12 months, but he described his time there as “an immensely worthwhile experience”.This series is brought to you by Intact Insurance.

Nicola Sturgeon is the latest guest on Magnified.Sturgeon released her memoir ‘Frankly’ earlier this year and here she speaks to Matt live from the National Concert Hall in Dublin about the career that led her to become the first female and longest serving First Minister of Scotland.In this wide ranging and extensive interview, she opens up about what nationalism means to her and if the result of Scotland’s independence referendum dented her reputation as SNP leader, how she thought former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson didn’t take his role seriously enough and how she was “frightened” and “overwhelmed” at the level of responsibility that was thrust upon her during the Covid-19 pandemic.She also discusses her fallout with fellow former SNP leader Alex Salmond and how the breakdown of their professional relationship impacted her.This series is brought to you by Intact Insurance.

On this week’s Magnified, Matt meets Seán Farrell, the new Chief Executive of Trócaire. Seán was appointed to his role in October of this year having previously been with the organisation for 20 years.He speaks to Matt about the humanitarian work that brought him to Asia and Africa, the devastating impact that war and violence has on children and his optimism for the prospect of solving world hunger.Matt also questions him about whether the media is neglectful in their coverage of the ongoing conflict in Sudan.This series of Magnified is brought to you by Intact Insurance.

Paul Johnston is this week’s guest on Magnified. Paul recently finished up in his role as British Ambassador to Ireland after five years.In this episode, Paul talks about what it takes to become an ambassador of a country, how he and his wife fell in love with Ireland and decided to make it their forever home, and what lies ahead in his new job as Director General of the Irish Universities Association.This series is brought to you by Intact Insurance.

Former All-Ireland winning hurler with Kilkenny Walter Walsh is the latest guest on Magnified.He founded his tech business SocialTies with Brendan Kavanagh earlier this year which saw him create the Kilkenny Cats Social app. The app is a one stop shop for Kilkenny GAA fans and provides news updates and content for clubs around the county.On this week's episode of Magnified, Walter talks about his decision to leave his teaching profession and enter the business world, the ups and downs of being an intercounty hurler and what it was like to play under legendary manager Brian Cody.This series is brought to you by Intact Insurance.

Louis Walsh is one of the most prolific music moguls of the last 20 years, having managed pop groups such as Westlife, Boyzone and Girls Aloud.Louis joined Matt to talk about growing up in Kiltimagh in Co. Mayo, his time as an X Factor judge, his relationship with Simon Cowell and his experience of living in the Big Brother House.He also addressed the criticism he received after the release of the recent Boyzone documentary on Sky.This series is brought to you by Close Brothers Motor Finance.

Pat Farrell is Chief Executive of Irish Institutional Property, but has a CV that covers an extensive range of roles and industries. Among them include General Manager at Sligo General Hospital at just 24 years of age, Chief Executive at the Irish Banking Federation and General Secretary of Fianna Fáil between 1991 and 1997.In this week’s Magnified, Matt speaks to Pat about his career and his influence on some pivotal moments in Ireland’s economic history, the country’s housing shortage and his decision to leave politics after working under Charles Haughey, Albert Reynolds and Bertie Ahern.This series is brought to you by Close Brothers Motor Finance.

Richard Shakespeare is the Chief Executive of Dublin City Council (DCC). He took over the role from Owen Keegan, who retired in September 2023. Richard has over 30 years of experience in local government, including roles as Assistant Chief Executive at DCC and Director of Municipal Services at Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.In this week's Magnified, Matt gives Richard the opportunity to discuss some of the major issues facing Dublin as a city such as litter, vacant buildings and transport and what his plans are to tackle them.This series is brought to you by Close Brothers Motor Finance.

Alan Kerins is a legendary Irish sportsman, humanitarian, social entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He is renowned for his achievements in both hurling and football, having played for Galway at inter-county and at club level with Satlhill and Clarinbridge. Alan has the unique distinction of winning All-Ireland medals in both Gaelic games codes with his county and club teams.Beyond his sports career, Alan is deeply involved in humanitarian work. He founded The Alan Kerins Projects in 2005, raising significant funds for various life-saving projects worldwide. He is also a leadership development specialist and peak performance coach, running retreats and performance development centers for senior executives and top managers.In this week's Magnified, Alan discusses his remarkeable sporting career, what inspired him to pursue his humanitarian work and the impact his young son's illness had as a newborn.This series is brought to you by Close Brothers Motor Finance.

While we wait to resume the rest of this series of Magnified after the festive break we thought we'd give you the chance to listen back to a collection of some of Matt's favourite interviews so far. Happy Christmas and a wonderful new year from Magnified HQ.Eoghan Murphy, the former Fine Gael Housing Minister, has recently published a memoir titled "Running From Office: Confessions of Ambition and Failure in Politics". The book, provides an unflinching insight into his time in office, detailing the personal and political challenges he faced.Murphy's memoir is described as brutally honest and sometimes harrowing, yet surprisingly funny, offering a deeply personal view of the life of a modern politician12. It covers his tenure as Ireland's Minister for Housing, a role marked by significant criticism and controversyIn this episode Eoghan joins Matt to discuss the book, his turbulent time in politics and the impact it's had on his life since.Anthony Scaramucci is an American financier but he best known for the time he briefly served as the White House Director of Communications from July 21 to July 31, 2017 before being dismissed by President Donald Trump. Scaramucci has also been critical of Trump in the media and voiced support for Joe Biden in the 2020 and 2024 election and is a huge advocate for bitcoin. In this episode of Magnified Matt spoke to Anthony in front of a live audience about his short but eventful time in Trump's White House and why he is such cheerleader for crypto.This series is brought to you by Close Brothers Motor Finance.

Shane Kenny is a well-known Irish journalist and broadcaster, primarily associated with RTÉ Radio 1. Kenny is notable for launching and being the first editor of RTÉ's flagship radio news program, Morning Ireland. He also served as a news anchor for News at One and This Week, and was RTÉ's US correspondent for ABC network.In addition to his journalism career, Kenny served as the press secretary for the Irish government from 1994 to 1997. .His latest book is titled "Under the Rainbow: Inside John Bruton's Coalition Government" and in this episode he discusses how the book provides an insider account of the Fine Gael, Labour, and Democratic Left coalition government led by John Bruton from late 1994 to June 1997. The book covers significant events such as the Northern Ireland peace process, the Veronica Guerin murder, the 'payments to politicians' tribunal, and the divorce referendum.Shane also opens up about his personal health struggles, particularly with chronic pain and the side effects of benzodiazepinesThis series is brought to you by Close Brothers Motor Finance.

Gavin Friday's latest album, "Ecce Homo," has just been realesed. This album marks his first solo release in 13 years and features a mix of thundering electronics and exquisite acoustics. Produced by Dave Ball of Soft Cell and Michael Heffernan, the album explores themes of loss, nostalgia, unity, and defiance.In this week's episode of Magnified, Matt invited Gavin on to discuss the inspiration for the album, the bullying in and outside the classroom that shaped him, the life changing experience of seeing Bowie at the peak of his Ziggy Stardust powers as a teen and the formation of The Virgin Prunes. Bono gets a look in too of course. This series is brought to you by Close Brothers Motor Finance.

Welcome to AI - Magnified with Matt Cooper , a Magnified Plus series that looks to examine the present possibilities and future impact of AI here in Ireland.For the fifth and special bonus episode of this AI Magnified series, we're going live from A.I.B on Molesworth St to hear from an expert panel and their perspectives on leveraging AI to drive innovation, improve efficiency, and enhance decision making within SMEs.On the panel:Stuart Fitzgerald is Chief Executive of Fitzgerald Power, which is a firm focused on accountancy services with a commitment to empowering businesses with deeper financial insights, helping them make strategic informed decisions. And as an established leader, he can provide insights into how AI is impacting traditional industries, such as accounting and finance, and share practical steps for other businesses to begin integrating AI.Tariq Zaki is CTO of Shopbox AI, which is an AI driven e commerce solution focused on customer experience and personalization. He has a deep understanding of the retail sector and he's going to offer us insights into how AI is revolutionizing retail. Customer engagement and sales processes. Jane Tolan is head of AI at AIB, responsible for designing and implementation of an AI strategy within a major financial institution. She's going to bring us her perspective on how AI can support transformation in large scale regulated industries. Igor Kochajkiewicz is the head of product design at Nori, and he designed a hospitality OS that helps its users make better business decisions every day. He was previously lead product designer at Glowfox, a B2B SaaS serving the fitness industry worldwide, and head of design at Kuhaba, an award winning digital agency in Dublin and Berlin.And finally, Michael Corcoran is co founder of Frankly, a social media agency. He has extensive experience in digital and social media, places like Paddy Power and Reiner, and he's going to share his insights on how AI is transforming customer interactions and marketing.This series is proudly sponsored by Fitzgerald Power. More than just accountants, Fitzgerald Power is a trusted partner for its clients. The firm is committed to empowering businesses with deeper financial insights, helping them make strategic, informed decisions