Lunchtime Live

From Nirvana to Greta Thunberg, this was a big week in pop culture history. Ciaran O’Connor from 98fm joins Andrea Gilligan to rewind the clock!

Should we be paying for TDs to keep fit? Leinster House have put up a posting for a personal trainer, needed for the next 4 years, to keep TDs and Senators in shape. And, the wage is around €190,000. Joining Andrea to discuss if this is necessary is Senator Mary Seery Kearney, Clinical Psychotherapist, Stephanie Regan, Green Party TD Steven Matthews and more.

For this week’s Ask the Expert, Andrea Gilligan is joined by Andrew Dunne, a Physiotherapist and Founder of Personal Health - Medical Exercise Clinic, to answer any of your physiotherapy questions!

It’s Love Donegal Day! Andrea’s second favourite day of the year after Christmas! What’s not to love? The beautiful beaches, the beautiful scenery, the beautiful people?! Perhaps the most loveable thing is their way of speaking. So, where does some of this Donegal slang come from? Andrea is joined by Grace Shields, owner of Social Scene PR & Marketing and Hotelier Noel Cunningham to discuss. I...

Sabrina Carpenter’s new album has raised some eyebrows for its “sexy” nature, with many parents disapproving of the former Disney Channel star’s explicit adult content. But, is it time we stopped expecting young stars to be role models? To discuss, Andrea is joined by Saoirse Hanley from the Irish Independent, Lisa O’Sullivan Shaw from @modernirishmom and Psychiatrist Brendan Kelly. Image: Island...

Ireland AM Presenter Alan Hughes and his husband Karl were at the receiving end of homophobic slurs as they walked down Grafton Street last week. Alan joins Andrea to discuss what occurred.

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. Rebecca Shekleton, Presenter of 98fm’s Big Breakfast joined Andrea this week to share all the things to make you smile! Image: Heinz

Officials from the Board of the new National Children's Hospital are being questioned by an Oireachtas Health Committee today. It comes as the contractor BAM has moved the completion date for the hospital, originally due to open in 2020, 14 times. The completion cost is now estimated to be over €2.2 billion. How has this been allowed to happen? To discuss, Andrea is joined by Kirsty Blake Knox, Jo...

Welcome to The Pod Squad! We review podcasts every Tuesday so you always have something new to listen to. This week, Andrea was joined by Ciara O’Brien, Irish Times Business and Technology Correspondent and Broadcaster Padraig Wilson to review Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ ‘Wiser than Me’! Image: Lemonada

The ultimate in comfort TV returns tonight as 12 bakers take to the tent in the Great British Bake Off, but what has made it such a favourite amongst TV viewers? Andrea is joined by former contestant Rebecca Lightbody and Graham Herterich, aka ‘The Cupcake Bloke’, to discuss. Image: Channel 4

The Israeli military has said it hit dozens of Hezbollah targets in several areas of southern Lebanon overnight. Yesterday, Israeli air strikes killed at least 492 people, including 35 children, the health ministry said, marking the deadliest day of cross-border violence since the Gaza war began. A spokesperson for the Defence Forces has confirmed that all Irish soldiers currently deployed in Leba...

Cork’s water issues are unfortunately continuing - and a listener calls into the show to give their experience. John Howard from the Ballyhooly Community Council as well as Cllr Nelius Cotter join Andrea to discuss the water issues they are having in Ballyhooly in Cork.

This year on Lunchtime Live we’ve been looking at things that we can do in order to make ourselves that bit happier and healthier. This week, Andrea is joined by Liam Irwin from https://thehotboxsauna.ie/ to learn about the benefits of the sauna!

Plans for a crackdown on motorists who have held provisional licences for years, and sometimes decades, have been delayed over fears of a knock-on effect on waiting lists for driving tests. A briefing from the Department of Transport said any dramatic change on how many learner permits a person could hold would lead to “a surge of applications” for driving tests on an ‘already overburdened testing...

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

Apparently, Ireland is seeing a rise in bed bugs. And the surge we’re seeing is expected to last until Christmas. So, where has this come from? Andrea is joined by Trevor Hayden from Complete Pest Control to discuss.

Should parking at universities be phased out to help us reach climate targets?  Under the State’s Public Sector Climate Action mandate, universities will be required to phase out the use of car parking for most staff and students in areas where there is a range of public transport options. What do you think of this? To discuss, Andrea is joined by Miranda Bauer, President of the UCD Student U...

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. It’s something none of us want to think of, but luckily, there are great charities like Childhood Cancer Ireland to help us if this ever darkens our door. One area not covered on the show before is what it’s like for families after treatment. To discuss, Andrea is joined by Dr Mairead Brennan, Principal Clinical Psychologist and Director of Psychosoci...

This is Lunchtime Live’s Big Batch. Every Monday we’ll be learning new easy to cook batch recipes to keep you eating well. No more staring into an open fridge looking for inspiration! This week, Andrea is joined by Siobhan Berry, from @mummycooks on Instagram, to look at some great breakfast ideas, from smoothies to muffins! Follow the hashtag #LLBigBatch for all our recipes.

Are you working from home at the moment? Staff who only want to work from home face the prospect of lower pay and benefits, as employers increasingly favour getting back to pre-Covid work practices. 55% of Irish employers have said they were “very likely” to introduce different pay and benefits for people who attended the office regularly compared to those who worked completely remotely. What do y...

Every Friday, as part of our ‘Ask Me Anything’ series, we put your questions to people from interesting backgrounds or working in different careers.     This week, Andrea Gilligan was joined by OnlyFans creator Meghan O’Neill to answer your questions.

Avid golf fan Danny Rooney had his wish come true when he got to hit a few balls with legend of the game, Padraig Harrington at the Irish Open last weekend. Danny and his mum Vicki join Andrea to discuss how this all came together.

Leader of Sinn Féin and TD for Dublin Central, Mary Lou McDonald, joined Andrea in the studio to discuss her life recently, including the loss of her father, and her husband’s cancer diagnosis.

Ireland AM turns 25 today! The morning TV show first aired on the 20th of September 1999 and has been through many changes over the years. Andrea went to Virgin Media Television Studios to catch up with some special guests as well as current presenters, Muireann O'Connell, Tommy Bowe and Alan Hughes – who has been with the show from the beginning. Image: @IrelandAMTV on X

From Potholes to rare eggs, Breakfast briefing Presenter Shane Beatty has plenty of stories you might have missed from across the country this week.