Lunchtime Live

Electric Picnic celebrates its 20-year anniversary with a new date in August plus acts like Calvin Harris and Kylie Minogue announced to be headlining. Are you going? And what do you make of this year's headliners? Andrea is joined by 98fm’s Ciaran O’Connor to go through the announcement. She’s also joined by Brian Warfield of the Wolfe Tones, as they are part of the new line-up on the main stage.

Do you want to see Super Mario having a lightsaber fight with Joan of Arc?  Maybe you would like to see what your friends and family would look like if they were cartoon characters?   The capabilities of AI, as we have been learning all this week, is already astounding and it is only improving over time. But, what does this mean for the arts sector? And how will creative people work...

Every day we scour the newspapers but often, many great stories from the regional papers don’t make the headlines. Newstalk's Breakfast Briefing presenter Shane Beatty has rounded up some of the best stories that you might have missed…

Violent scenes erupted in Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow last night.  Six people were arrested outside an area that had been earmarked to accommodate international protection applicants.  Gardaí came under attack after workers were brought onto the site. Three Garda cars were damaged, Gardaí had rocks and other missiles thrown at them while fires were lit at the scene. An axe was a...

How can you do your own tiling at home, and how easy is it? Hardware Expert Alan Grant and Róisín Lafferty, Founder and Creative Director of Kingston Lafferty Design join Andrea to give their top tips.

Irish scientist Rosemary Coogan has graduated from space training as a new European Space Agency astronaut. That means she’s eligible for spaceflight. She joins Andrea to discuss why she became an astronaut in the first place, and what the experience has been like.  Image: European Space Agency

Geraldine Mullen lost 'absolutely everything' in 2020 when she was the sole survivor of a car accident that left her without her husband and two children. She recently made a post remembering her son, Tomás, who would have been 18 this month. She joins Andrea to reflect and discuss what life has been like for her since.

This week is ‘AI Week’ for Lunchtime Live. Every day we will take a deep dive into the world of artificial intelligence, exploring how AI is shaping our lives, from the apps on our phones to the way we work and interact with the world around us.  What impact will artificial intelligence have on the workplace? Will it simply make work easier for most people? Or are we facing massive redundanci...

It's time for Throwback Thursday, where we look back on things that happened this week in history. Ciaran O’Connor from 98fm joined Andrea Gilligan on Lunchtime Live… Image: Coca-Cola Company

With increased road deaths this year, calls have been made for tougher sanctions to bring back the “fear of penalty points”. What do you think? Do people fear getting penalty points? What more can be done? Andrea is joined by listeners to hear their takes.

From deciding what brand to get to installing a charger in your home, Derek Reilly, founder of electric car platform Nevo, is here to answer all of your EV-related questions.

From dream house to nightmare: a Donegal family have had to move out of their house because of the damage done by the defective mica blocks used to build it.  Paddy Diver, one of the family members, joins Andrea to discuss his situation.

This week is ‘AI Week’ for Lunchtime Live. Every day we will take a deep dive into the world of artificial intelligence, exploring how AI is shaping our lives, from the apps on our phones to the way we work and interact with the world around us.   What problems is AI going to dig up in terms of truthfulness? With the ability to mimic peoples’ voices accurately and make them say things th...

Have you ever had the misfortune of being on a plane with a crying baby or disruptive child? Well, Corendon Dutch Airlines has announced it will be launching adult-only areas on some of its flights later this year.  Children will be kept out of the designated adult area by “means of walls and curtains,” which will “create a shielded environment that contributes to a calm and relaxed flight.”&...

Lunchtime Live's Reasons to be Happy looks at some of the news stories that you might have missed that will leave you feeling more optimistic.   Today FM’s Cathal O’Sullivan joined Andrea in the studio to put a smile on your faces…

Welcome to The Pod Squad! We’ll review podcasts every Tuesday so you’ll have something new to listen to.  Andrea was joined by Today FM’s Shelly Gray and Newstalk’s Tom Douglas to discuss ‘Michael Jackson: Think Twice’.  Image: Wondery

Apparently, we’re going to have another burst of sunshine for the May bank holiday weekend. Well, that’s what Carlow Weather’s Alan O’Reilly is teasing. He joins Andrea to discuss how far ahead we can really predict the weather. Also joining is engineer and science communicator Phil Smyth - @philofscience on Instagram.

For ‘Ask the GP’ yesterday Dr Nina Byrnes joined Andrea to answer all of your medical questions. We got an interesting text into the show that read:   ‘We just had a baby seven weeks ago.   We are actually finding it extremely tough going.   She cries a lot, she’s not colic, she eats very well, she is growing well but we are actually really struggling – particularly m...

This week is ‘AI Week’ for Lunchtime Live. Every day we will take a deep dive into the world of artificial intelligence, exploring how AI is shaping our lives, from the apps on our phones to the way we work and interact with the world around us.    One of the most striking examples of the capabilities of artificial intelligence can be found in music; whether you want to hear pop sta...

This year Andrea Gilligan is determined to make some changes and become that bit healthier!  Over the next few weeks Andrea will be joined by a number of different people to find out how they live well. Andrea was joined by Alicia Christofi-Walshe, the founder of the group She Summits to learn all about trail running.

Families of the victims of the Creeslough tragedy feel they haven’t been listened to after plans to rebuild a service station on the site of the tragedy were revealed. Andrea is joined by affected people Donna Harper and Derek Martin for their takes.

Join Andrea as she embarked on an exciting weekend of camping for the very first time! She recorded the entire experience while also talking to the people who run the campsites. She went to both River Valley Holiday Park in Wicklow and Battlebridge Camping in Roscommon. Would you go on a similar trip?

Dr Nina Byrnes, GP at Generation Health Medical Clinic joined Andrea Gilligan to tackle your medical queries...

A new survey carried out by the Disabled Drivers Association of Ireland shows that the fear of physical and verbal abuse and their own safety were among the top reasons for not approaching somebody parked illegally in accessible parking bays. What has your experience been? Is enough done to stomp out illegal parking?  Andrea is joined by Richard Ryder of the Disabled Drivers Association as we...

It seems like every time you open a newspaper, switch on the radio or watch the news we are hearing about Artificial Intelligence.  It is something which will increasingly shape our future and, with that in mind, we’re kicking off AI Week – here on Lunchtime Live.   Each day this week, at this time, we'll dive deep into the world of artificial intelligence, exploring how AI is shapi...