Lunchtime Live

Reports this morning show that some-60,000 people across the country are affected by power outages – with some others experiencing problems with their water supply also… Andrea is joined by listeners to hear how they were affected.

The president of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) , Garda Mark O’Meara has warned that ‘Over-zealous’ disciplining has left Gardaí afraid to draw their batons, even when in danger,’  Are our Gardaí equipped to fulfill their role fully – what level of force should they be allowed to use?   Photo: Leon Farrell/© RollingNews.ie

We look ahead now to the big cinema releases of the year – with Pop Culture and Entertainment Expert, Deirdre Molumby.  Photo by Pixabay

Angela Collins O’Mahony, Ireland’s first female Steeplejack joins Andrea in studio to answer all of your questions!

From live-saving heroism in Kerry to a village shocked by a spate of cat poisonings, Breakfast Briefing Presenter Shane Beatty joins Andrea with plenty of stories from around the country this week!

A new resource has been created to provide guidance to schools, teachers and parents on how to address the impact of online masculinity influencers like Andrew Tate. Photo by Ron Lach

Planning on doing a bit of home decorating in 2025, but don’t know where to start? Well, the Home Squad is here to help! Jenny Sheahan, Irish Examiner Columnist and ‘Home of the Year’ winner and Sarah Carroll from Sand and Deliver DIY join Andrea to discuss.

You will probably be hearing a lot about New Year’s Resolutions over the next week or two. But, are they even worth making? Andrea is joined by Esther McCarthy, Life/Style Daily Features Editor with the Irish Examiner and Comedian Fiona Frawley to discuss.

Ever wondered what you would say if you met a huge A-lister in real life?  What about if one walked into your shop? That happened to Eyebrow Expert, Elaine Simms, who treated ‘Friends’ star Courtney Cox! Elaine, as well as Frank O'Connor, Co-Owner of O’Connors pub in Salthill join Andrea to discuss their celebrity encounters. Image: Warner Bros

Claudia Winkleman returned to our screens last night, with a fresh batch of faithfuls hoping to catch out those dastardly traitors and take home the prize money – but this year with an added twist! Esther McCarthy joined Andrea to discuss what we can expect in this latest edition of traitors as well as former traitors Eamon O’Keefe and Ben

An article in the Irish Examiner today details that school assaults have forced nearly 400 staff to take leave… Sophie Cole is a recent victim of an assault in her classroom leaving her with debilitating pain and nerve damage. Sophie and more join Andrea to discuss.

Every Thursday on Lunchtime Live, Andrea will be joined by followers of different religions in Ireland to learn more about them. This week, she’s joined by Puneet Singh to learn about Sikhism.

It’s all about 1975 for this week’s Throwback Thursday! Ciara Treacy from Newstalk’s Digital Team joins Andrea to discuss the biggest things that happened that year… Image: Universal

Milan has introduced a total ban on smoking outdoors in the city… Those caught lighting up on city streets could face fines of up to €240.  So, would you like to see outdoor smoking banned in Ireland? Andrea is joined by listeners, including Tom Gleeson from New Nicotine Alliance Ireland, to discuss.

With Christmas right around the corner - what are your favourite Christmas memories? What traditions do you have with your family, and how are you spending it this year? Joining Andrea to share their favourite festive memories and more is Presenter of the Home Show, Sinead Ryan, Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly and Today FM’s Cathal Minogue.

It can sometimes be easy to forget, with all the shopping and presents, but Christmas is a Christian holiday. And, while a lot of people might no longer be practicing – many will still attend Mass over the Christmas period. So, should non-religious people attend mass at Christmas? Andrea is joined by listeners to discuss.

Apparently, bingo is the newest old craze among young people! Buzz Bingo owns 82 clubs in the UK – and say they’re expecting record numbers this Christmas because of all the young people going. So, why is it so popular with younger people? Joining Andrea to discuss is Will Meara, CCO of Bingo Loco, John Purcell from Rock Bingo Cork and Emily Keegan from the Newstalk Newsroom.

All this month, Lunchtime Live is doing Christmas specials to give you plenty of time to prepare for the big day, and hopefully batch cook some bits in advance to make Christmas a lot easier! For the last Big Batch of the year, Paul Knapp, aka @thefirefightingchef on Instagram, joins Andrea to discuss how you can cater for vegans and vegetarians at Christmas!

The taxpayer is subsidising 50 private secondary schools by more than €140 million a year, new figures show. What do you think about giving funding to fee paying schools? Should taxpayers be subsidising private schools? Andrea is joined by listeners to discuss.

A huge trend this year online has been hosting and learning how to create a gorgeous table for guests coming around to your house this festive season. And a big part of that is the concept of ‘tablescaping’: landscaping your table for want of a better description! Joining Andrea to discuss how you can do it on a budget is ‘Home of the Year’ star, Jen Connell.

Journalist Niamh O’Reilly has decided she’s pushing back on manspreading with a bit of womanspreading of her own! She joins Andrea to discuss why, and explain what exactly womanspreading entails…

Sinéad O’Connor is in the news today because her Bray home is up for sale, but… should the State buy it to convert it into a music museum? The seafront property is back on the market after the owners were blocked from turning it into apartments. Now, fans want to buy it and transform the six-bedroom home, where Sinéad lived for 15 years, into a museum and music school for teenagers. What do you th...

Singer Daniel O’Donnell has been warning people about scams going around, where people are posing as him online in a bid to steal money… Daniel joins Andrea to discuss. Image: Kip Carroll

From UFOs in Athlone to business booming in Coppers - Newstalk’s Eamonn Torsney has the stories from around the country that you might have missed this week.

Should LED headlights on cars be banned? Keith Fay has written that he has sent a complaint to the RSA, believing that they are too dangerous. Keith, Dave Humphreys, Motoring Journalist with CompleteCar.ie , Nadia Adan, owner of Ashford Motors and more join Andrea to discuss.