Lunchtime Live

Welcome to The Pod Squad! We review podcasts every week so you always have something new to listen to. Ciaran Bradley from Newstalk’s Digital team and Ellen Butler from the Newstalk Newsroom join Andrea to review ‘Stick to Football’! Image: Acast

The GAA has issued a statement clarifying the final score of Sunday’s All-Ireland SHC semi-final, revising the official score to: Tipperary 4-20 Kilkenny 0-30.  The final score was initially given as 4-21 to 0-30 but has been amended... But, did this mistake change the course of the game? Joining Andrea to discuss is Tommy Rooney, Off the Ball’s GAA Correspondent, Eddie Keher from the Kilkenn...

Architect and Home of the Year judge Hugh Wallace joins Lunchtime Live to share his summer memories. From travels to Zimbabwe to his favourite holiday song. Listen here for all this brilliant conversation.

Pat Carty, freelance arts journalist, joins Lunchtime Live to discuss the return of Oasis — what’s real, what’s rumour, and whether Liam and Noel Gallagher will keep it together long enough for a world tour. Listen here.

Dr Ann-Marie Creaven, psychologist at University of Limerick, joins Lunchtime Live to explore why making new friendships gets harder with age — and how to open yourself up to connection. Listeners also share how they’ve built friendships later in life, and the challenges they faced. Listen here.

Edel Carey, school liaison officer with the Irish Wheelchair Association, and Joan Carthy, National Advocacy Manager with the IWA, join Lunchtime Live to discuss the challenges of travelling as a wheelchair user. Travel agent John Galligan also joins to explain how accessibility is improving (and where it’s not). Listen here.

In this week’s Regional Roundup, Shane Beatty checks in with stories and voices from across the country. From #lovedonegal day reaching 99 million people to Bruce Springsteen's ancestral Kildare home becoming a tourist Mecca. Listen here.

Independent Senator Michael McDowell joins Lunchtime Live to argue that banning bedsits may have made housing less accessible. He’s joined by listeners who share their views on whether small, single-occupancy units should return to ease the housing crisis — or if those conditions are a step backwards. Listen here.

Pat Keville from Plantstore.ie joins Lunchtime Live to help listeners with their summer planting dilemmas, from wilting herbs to container vegetables. He’s joined by Peter Dowdall, better known as The Irish Gardener, to offer more advice on minding your indoor and outdoor plants, Listen here.

With the summer holiday season in full swing and temperatures climbing across Europe, many of us are reaching for insect repellent to avoid those pesky, itchy bites. But what exactly causes these bites, and is there anything we can do to stop them?  To help us understand more, Andrea is joined by Collie Ennis, Zoology Research Associate and Biodiversity Officer at Trinity College Dublin, and...

Earlier this week tickets went on sale for the All-Ireland hurling semi-finals in Croke Park, with stand tickets for either day costing €60 each.   Many people have been complaining about the cost of tickets, which have increased in recent years.  So, have GAA tickets become too expensive? Andrea speaks to listeners impacted by the rising prices. Listen here.

Joyce, June and Paula Kavanagh are three sisters born into a large family of ten children in the late 1950’s-early 1960’s in a disadvantaged area of Dublin, where their father sexually abused them daily from age three or four right up to their late teens. In 1989, they made the decision to bring charges against their father and, in 1990; the Irish State took a successful case against him. The sist...

In this week's The Making of, we do a deep dive into The Beetles' iconic, influential and incredible Abbey Road Joining Andrea today is Head tour guide at the Irish Rock ‘N’ Roll Museum Experience Alan Buckley. Alan talks us through the road to Abbey Road and the ever-lasting impact this album has. Listen here.

With fast fashion increasingly under fire for its environmental impact, online retailer ASOS has taken a firm stance against 'serial returners’  This growing trend has prompted ASOS to tighten its return policies, identifying repeat offenders and warning them that their accounts could be permanently closed.   What does this mean for online shoppers who depend on these sites to find...

Andrea speaks to Mary Fogarty and Leoni Maher from The Cottage café in Loughmore, Co. Tipperary, who were in Leinster House campaigning for long-term government support for Ireland’s community cafés. They’re joined by café managers Louise Lawlor from the community café in Portland Row and Amy from the Priory Café and The Edge Community Café, who share how important a role these cafés play. Listen...

98FM's Cathal O’Sullivan joins Andrea for a look at some of the good news stories of the week, including Luas 2050 plans, a crisp festival, the Devil Wears Prada sequel and where is the most popular spot to get down on one knee. Listen here.

RTE have confirmed that they won’t be broadcasting any of Electric Picnic this year.  They used to have live coverage and highlights from it for several years but stopped in 2017.  It's Ireland’s largest music festival -- so, should they?  Listen here.

Professor Shane Higgins, Master of the National Maternity Hospital, joins Andrea in studio to answer listeners’ questions about pregnancy, fertility and maternal care in Ireland. Listen here.

Simon Calder, Travel Editor at The Independent (UK), joins Lunchtime Live to make the case for abolishing traditional airline check-ins—and what it would mean for future travel. Listen here.

Andrea speaks to consultant allergist Dr Ranbir Kaulsay about changing food habits in Ireland and the possible links to increasing allergy rates. The rising trend of mediterranean diets and other seed focused diets may lead to a rise in allergies, and potentially serious health impacts. For more listen here.

Andrea hears from listeners across the country on whether reintroducing water charges would help cut down on waste. Colin O’Byrne from VOICE Ireland joins to highlight the urgent need to fix Ireland’s water infrastructure. We also hear listener opinions, as temperatures increase and data centres contribute to overconsumption. Listen here.

Michelle Browne, divorce consultant, mediator, and author of Scars of Divorce, joins Lunchtime Live to answer listener questions about separation, legal planning, and financial issues arising from divorce. Listen here

Brendan Kelly, Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin, joins Lunchtime Live to break down the science of being cool. Things like comfortability in oneself, style and sense of humour are top of the list, find out what else by listening here.

Dr Akshay Deoras, research scientist at the University of Reading, joins Lunchtime Live to explain what’s behind Europe’s latest heatwave and what, exactly, is a 'heatdome.' We also hear from listeners and travellers across the continent to hear if the heat is putting people off their Summer holidays. Listen here.

Blake Boland from Dublin Bus joins Lunchtime Live to explain the nature of this antisocial abuse and behaviour across the Dublin Bus network. Suzanne O’Connor from SIPTU’s Respect Transport Workers programme also discusses the toll it’s taking on drivers and staff. Listen here.