Lunchtime Live

As primary school children skip out the gates today for eight weeks of summer holidays, parents are entering one of their busiest planning seasons. Between organising summer camps, childcare and work schedules, is there really time to think about September? Yet, with school uniforms and stationery already appearing in shops, parents are being reminded that back-to-school preparations are just arou...

Andrea’s guest was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at just 22. 30 years on, Samantha McCarthy is still walking, teaching yoga, and determined to share a message of hope and resilience. Samantha joins to share her story…

Breakfast Briefing Presenter Shane Beatty joined Andrea with a roundup of some of the stories from across the country this week.

We all know of Molly Malone and the Anna Livia, but where are the monuments honouring the women of the revolution? From over 200 statues dotted across Dublin’s city centre, only a handful of them are of women. Dublin City Council is launching a plan with the aim of addressing the lack of women represented in the city's public spaces. Do we need more monuments to women? Joining Andrea to discuss is...

If you have a dark room in your home, are there any tricks to light it up naturally? This week, the Home Squad are here to discuss lighting for a dark room! Joining Andrea to discuss is Jenny Sheehan, Co-Host of ‘Rip it up: The Renovations Podcast’ (@workerscottage on Instagram) and Interior Stylist Sarah Doyle of Retwiggd.

We are finally seeing some summer sunshine this Thursday afternoon. As the temperatures soar, today is looking to be the hottest day of the year on record. Where in the world are you, and what are some of the best things to do in your area while the sun is splitting the stones? Andrea is joined by listeners to discuss!

Whether you’re a soccer fan, or just hopping on the bandwagon, the World Cup matches are attracting audiences across the globe... But, for people who are blind or visually impaired here in Ireland, they aren’t able to tune into the matches because of the lack of audio visual description on RTÉ… A petition on this has attracted 3,000 signatures. Andrea is joined by listeners to discuss.

Parents of pupils at St. Corban's Boys National School are facing uncertainty ahead of the new school year this September. The situation arises because the Department of Education has been unable to allocate an additional teacher to the school. As a result, 25 children due to start Junior Infants could be left without a school place, or alternatively, the school's First Class pupils may be combine...

We’ve decided to do a deep dive on some of our favourite albums to explore the stories behind them. What did the artists really think of each other? Where did the inspirations from the songs come from? Joining Andrea to discuss is Alan Buckley from the Irish Rock ‘N’ Roll Museum Experience, who’s going to talk through the life and work of duo Daft Punk!

As today is set to be the hottest day of the year on record, many people feel that Ireland is not equipped for the good weather. With heatwaves spreading across the country for a few weeks every year, do we need to embrace the good weather and make the heat more bearable? Pádraig Rice, TD for Cork-South Central has the same opinion. He is calling for a 50m outdoor pool in Leeside to help people es...

Irish Historian Catherine Corless has called on people to fight the Bessborough development in Cork. The site of the former mother and baby home was granted planning permission for a 140-apartment development, which has been met with mixed reaction. Having closed in 1998, should part of the Bessborough estate be built upon? Joining Andrea to discuss is Carmel Cantwell, Lead Campaigner of the Bessb...

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. 98FM’s Cathal O’Sullivan joined Andrea in the studio to put a smile on your faces…

It’s shaping up to be another scorching summer across Europe, with several countries already experiencing extreme heat. From Spain and Italy to parts of France and Greece, temperatures have been climbing well above seasonal averages. So, whether you’re at home or abroad, how are you handling it? Joining Andrea to discuss is Sinead O’Moore, host of the ‘Stretch Marks’ podcast, Eoghan Corry, Editor...

Every Wednesday afternoon, we’ll be talking Making Babies. Andrea will be joined by Professor Shane Higgins, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, to cover every area of trying to have a baby. From the very start of knowing how to prepare, right up to pregnancy – and all the bumps in the road in between. This week, Shane joins Andrea to discuss ‘Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing’.

Do you find yourself stuck at a desk for most of your day? Experts are advising that people who sit during work should be getting up for five minutes every hour to walk around the office. This boosts productivity and improves your mood! Siobhán O’Donovan, the Posture Physio AKA the ‘Booby Physio’ joins Andrea to discuss.

TDs and Senators from across the political spectrum have recommended that the possession of drugs for personal use be fully decriminalised, and that the move should apply to all illicit substances. The report does not specify the amount of drugs an individual should be legally allowed to have on them at one time. Is this a good idea? Should we decriminalise the possession of drugs for personal use...

For this week’s Ask the Expert, Andrea is joined by Dermot Goode, Health Insurance Expert with totalhealthcover.ie to answer any of your health insurance questions!

Do you take maybe a vitamin D tablet in the morning, fish oils before your breakfast, maybe a magnesium tablet and a Vitamin C tablet to top it all off? Well, experts have warned that popping a cocktail of supplements every day might be doing you more harm than good… Sinéad O’Donovan, Registered Dietitian and Performance Nutritionist, joins Andrea to discuss.

With the good weather, now would be a great time to park yourself outside a café or a bar and soak in the sun, but do we have enough outdoor seating? And, are regulations too strict? Joining Andrea to discuss Gwen Leyden, Landlord of Georges Street Arcade in Dublin, Paul Montgomery, bar owner in Cork, Sunil Sharpe, Spokesperson for the Give Us The Night and listeners.

We’re not used to hot weather here, so our homes don’t tend to be cut out for it. How do we cool them down, get a good night’s sleep and make sure our pets are okay? Joining Andrea to give their top tips is Interior Designer Adeline Molloy, Sleep Consultant Tom Coleman and Laoise Downes, owner of Outpaws and Wedding Woofs, a bespoke dog service.

Katie Gallagher, Spin News Anchor, has her finger on the pulse for what’s happening and she joins Andrea with the things you don’t want to miss this week! Image: Netflix

Redevelopment for the GPO will cost between €200m and €500m, Cabinet will hear today. The redevelopment of the historic building will see some of the existing functions of the GPO complex, including a public post office, a cultural centre, public realm enhancements, office accommodation for the government, as well as some continued retail use. What would you like to see from the new GPO? Joining A...

Last night, Andrea and her team were brought on a wonderful food tour around Galway City along with Galway Food Tours. The experience gave a taste of some of the beautiful food and drink Galway has to offer. Joining Andrea today are just some of the wonderful producers from Galway: Mike Browne, to chat all about oysters, and John Casey from The Galway Kitchen, chatting about humus and various popu...

Love Island isn’t the only thing locals are watching in Galway this summer, as this July sees the return of the Galway Film Fleadh, which showcases homegrown talent! Charlene Lydon, Galway Film Fleadh Festival Programmer joins Andrea to discuss… Also joining to discuss how her brother Seán ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald is doing in the Love Island villa is Katie Fitzgerald!

He’s a musician, a foodie, an author and an academic; is there anything Mike Hanrahan can’t do? He joins Andrea, while he’s currently on tour with Eleanor Shanley and soon to be performing with Stockton’s Wing at the Hibernacle Festival on the 19th of July, for a chat! (Stockton's Wing will perform on the Sunday of the Hibernacle Festival this summer at Orlagh House in Rathfarnham. The festival is...