Lunchtime Live

The giving season is fast approaching and, on top of your families and friends, you may be purchasing a present for the teachers in your life too. Has the Christmas time token gotten too much for parents? Andrea is joined by Jen Hogan, Journalist and Columnist with the Irish Times, as well as listeners, to discuss.

For many retail staff around the country, Stephen’s Day is just another workday. Is this necessary or excessive? Can the post-Christmas sales wait? Andrea is joined by listeners to discuss.

It's How I live well time! Where someone joins to discuss what they do to improve their life... This week Andrea is joined by John Belton, Head Coach and owner of No.17 PT to discuss building physical strength through a simple push-up!

Storm Bram is sweeping across the country today with warnings being upgraded. The public have been advised to be “very careful”. Joining Andrea to give the latest updates is Carlow Weather’s Alan O’Reilly, Graeme McQueen, Media Relations Manager with the DAA, Barry Kenny, Corporate Communications Manager with Irish Rail. Listeners also join to give their experiences so far…

Dr Niall Breen from the Portmarnock GP Clinic joined guest host Anna Daly to tackle your medical queries.

The build up to Christmas is well and truly on, and the invites to get togethers are probably flooding in! So, how do we make it to the 25th without feeling well and truly burnt out, and how do you say no to plans? Joining guest host Anna Daly to discuss is Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin, Brendan Kelly.

‘Derry Girls’ and ‘Bridgerton’ star Nicola Coughlan has spoken out against the “immense violation” of her privacy after seeing photos of herself on early dates with her partner. A new interview revealed that Coughlan finds it overwhelming to receive this level of scrutiny of her personal life from her fans and the media. This begs the question, do celebrities ‘owe’ you insight into their life, and...

We’re officially in the run up to Christmas! For the next few weeks, Lunchtime Live is going to be highlighting some great Irish businesses that you can support this festive season. Let's be honest, we sometimes have too much stuff - have you ever thought about giving an experience? Joining guest host Anna Daly to discuss is Atlantic Flight Training Academy's Captain Philip Smythe, Food writer and...

Welcome to The Pod Squad! We review podcasts every week so you always have something new to listen to. Tom Douglas from the Newstalk Newsroom and Native Editor of DMG Media Sarah Jayne Tobin join guest host Anna Daly to review ‘Deep Water’! Image: Tortoise Media

Should restaurants serve smaller portion sizes to women because they need less calories? According to the head of the UK Government’s obesity programme, menus should be adapted to include smaller versions of meals that contain fewer calories, as part of an effort to drive down obesity rates. What do you think? Joining guest host Anna Daly to discuss is Professor Naveed Sattar, Professor of Metabol...

For this week’s Ask Me Anything, Magician and Mind Reader Jamie Skelton joins Andrea to answer any of your magic questions!

This festive season, one of Ireland’s leading skin experts Eavanna Breen says needles aren’t necessary to achieve the perfect glow… She joins Andrea to discuss!

The President of the GAA has warned that we could start to lose communities if something is not done to stop people leaving rural communities. As young people leave their towns for cities, falling numbers have placed their clubs at risk of extinction. While in cities there are not enough clubs and facilities to cater for a burgeoning population… So, is the GAA becoming another victim of Dublin-cen...

Dublin’s arts scene has been dealt another blow, as The Complex in Smithfield announces its closure this January. More than 30 artists face eviction after a planned deal to secure the site collapsed due to missing Government funding. The loss of the much-loved venue adds to growing concern over the shrinking number of cultural spaces in the city… Joining Andrea to discuss this is Vanessa Fielding,...

Breakfast Briefing Presenter Shane Beatty joins Andrea Gilligan with plenty of stories from around the country this week!

Taxi Drivers Ireland are escalating their action next week with a planned 6-day protest from Monday to Saturday. The protests will majorly disrupt Dublin City Centre and the area around Dublin Airport, as well as Cork and Galway. What implications will this have for those moving around these cities next week? Andrea is joined by taxi drivers and listeners to discuss.

When you’re renovating or building a home, there are certain things that make a big impact which you might not realise… The Home Squad are here to discuss ceilings and mouldings! Joining Andrea to discuss is Sarah Carroll (@sand.and.deliver on Instagram) and Founder and Creative Director of Arlene McIntyre Design, Arlene McIntyre.

Gift vouchers are often given as a present when we can’t think of what to get someone. Last Christmas, over 60% of people received one. However, over 20% of us have still not used our gift vouchers from last year! The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission is now advising us to consider giving cash instead… So, do you use yours? Andrea is joined by listeners to discuss.

The CSO’s Longitudinal Growing Up in Ireland survey has revealed that two in three 18 to 34-year-olds still live in their family home, often not by choice. What impact does this have on family dynamics, and on the parents who essentially have adult lodgers in their home? Joining Andrea to discuss is Freelance Journalist Niamh O’Reilly, Newstalk’s Niamh Dunne, as well as listeners.

Organ donation and transplantation save lives. It’s nearly six months since the Human Tissue Act came into effect on June 17, stating that if you are aged 18 or over, and you don’t specify otherwise, you will be considered a potential organ donor. But, what happens if, in a final act of altruism, a person wishes to go one step further and give their body to science following death? Joining Andrea...

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… Image: Disney

Every Wednesday afternoon, we’ll be talking Making Babies. Andrea will be joined by Professor Shane Higgins, Master of the National Maternity Hospital, 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 what is available to you in the public system.

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 Head Tour Guide at the Irish Rock ‘N’ Roll Museum Experience, Alan Buckley, who’s going to talk through some of Rory Gallagher’s best live performances!

A new RCSI study of over 4,000 Irish teenagers has found that heavy social media use, body dissatisfaction, and sexting are strongly linked to poorer mental health, especially among girls. The findings raise important concerns about how digital life is affecting young people today. How do you talk to your child about this, and the sharing of explicit images? Joining Andrea to discuss is Ollwyn Mor...

For this week’s Ask the Expert, Andrea is joined by Mary Bishop, Head of Education at Grow it Yourself to answer any of your vegetable-growing questions!