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.

Matt’s first guest for 2026 is Pat Byrne, founder and former Chief Executive of CityJet.
In this episode, Pat talks about his career that began in banking and finance when he was 19 years old and then spread across to aviation and consultancy.
In an in-depth discussion, Pat recalls his experience of running CityJet and his passion for the aviation industry, the importance of excellent relationships with customers, and what factors came into play when deciding he no longer wanted to work alongside Richard Branson.
He also speaks about his personal life, particularly focusing on what its like to watch his sons, Ross and Harry, play professional rugby and compete against each other at the highest level.
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.

In the latest episode of Magnified, Matt speaks to Mark Henry.
Mark is the author of ‘In Fact: An Optimist’s Guide to Ireland at 100’, where he looks at how despite the challenges that we face when it comes to housing, the cost of living and other issues, Ireland is broadly a very positive, enjoyable country to live in.
He also talks about what Ireland’s future could look like, and how decisions we make about such things like climate change, global warming and infrastructure can impact the quality of life for later generations.
This series of Magnified 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.