Lunchtime Live

We’re officially in the week leading up to Christmas – and it's the final festive sprint. The dinner prep, the last-minute shopping and the social gatherings are in full swing. But is this week the BEST part of the festive period? Even more so than Christmas Day itself?   Irish Independent Journalist Kirsty Blake Knox believes it is, she joins Andrea to make her case for what she’s calli...

Over the next few weeks Andrea will be talking to Irish producers across the country about the wonderful things they have on offer, and why it’s important to buy Irish for Christmas! Today we are talking to some of the incredible Irish food producers including Sian McCann from Wild Fuschia Bakehouse, Birgitta Hedin of Burren Smokehouse, Georgia Quealy of Bon Chocolatiers & Martina from Richmou...

It’s How I Live Well time: where we learn how to live a little better from someone who has mastered it! Paul Norton, Participation Manager for Cycling Ireland, joins Andrea to tell her about the world of Cyclocross

The website, which was bought by the Irish Times earlier this year, is  introducing a fee of €100 per notice. What do you think of Rip.ie introducing this charge?   Photo by Pavel Danilyuk

Back in October we heard about a protest organised by students in Dundalk Grammar school over the school’s refusal to allow them play Gaelic football - Andrea catches up with them now that they have now been allowed to introduce a Gaelic football team Image: Sportsfile

Dr Afif El Khuffash, Consultant Neonatologist and Paediatrician, joins Andrea for a special segment of 'Ask the GP' - with the focus on newborns

Ireland is producing 20% more waste than a decade ago and our recycling rates have not improved over that time. How are we still getting it so wrong?  Photo by Lara Jameson

Is it time to scrap Christmas traditions? Terry Prone, Chairman of the communications clinic, joins Andrea to tell us why she thinks so! Photo by Katie Barget

All this month, Lunchtime Live is doing Christmas specials to give you plenty of time to prepare for the big day, and hopefully batch cook some bits in advance to make Christmas a lot easier! Adrian Martin, Owner of Luigi Malones in Temple Bar and Wild Flower Restaurant in Blackrock joins us to talk Christmas sides!

The travel plans of tens of thousands of people with ferry crossings booked over the festive period are under threat. Are you worried about the disruptions at Holyhead Port? Image: Clare Gainey / Alamy Stock Photo

For this week’s Ask Me Anything, Plastic Surgeon Professor Jack Kelly, President of the Irish Association of Plastic Surgeons joins guest host Clare McKenna to answer any of your questions!

Driving licences, learner’s permit fees and National Car Tests costs all are set to rise in the New Year, The Road Safety Authority announced yesterday. The price hikes will see a learners permit rise from €35 to €45 and a driving licence that has cost €55 jump to €65. These increased costs will take effect from next month – but what are your thoughts? Is Ireland becoming increasingly anti-car, an...

If you’re mad enough to be planning a Christmas Day swim, or even a New Years one – firstly – fair play! But, there are some warnings that you should take note of… Joining Clare McKenna to discuss is RNLI Water Safety Education Manager & a crew an at Bundoran RNLI, Killian O’Kelly, and more.

From a humpback whale to drama over a Disney trip, there’s plenty of stories you might have missed from around the country this week. Caoimseach Connolly from the Newstalk Newsroom joins guest host Clare McKenna to discuss.

Guest host Clare McKenna has a 13-year-old son who went into town last Sunday with some friends. They went to a burger restaurant where they queued, but were told they could only get their food to take away - while others were allowed to sit down… So, do we discriminate against ‘young lads’? Do we look at a group of teenage boys and immediately think the worst? Clare is joined by Sarah-Jayne Tobin...

How can you brighten up a dark room without too much hassle? The Home Squad is here to help! Jenny Sheahan, Irish Examiner Columnist and former winner of ‘Home of the Year' and Roisin Lafferty, Founder and Creative Director of Roisin Lafferty join Andrea to share their top tips.

He might not be able to settle the rows over what to watch on TV, or who won what game, but Donal Skehan can help take the stress out of making the Christmas dinner! He joins Andrea to share his cooking hacks this festive season! Image: Donal Skehan

Should we ban heading the ball? A new study finds that there may well indeed be a connection between heading the ball and dementia, with a large percentage of former players having developed the illness. So, is it time to ban headers altogether? Professor Willie Stewart, Consultant Neuropathologist, at the University of Glasgow and more join Andrea to discuss.

This morning, Lunchtime Live, with the help of Kieran Cuddihy, attempted to set a Guinness World Records Title… Here’s how they got on! David Wilson, Guinness Adjudicator and Kieran join Andrea to discuss the experience.

From the Muppets Christmas carol to Winona Ryder up to no good, 98fm’s Ciaran O’Connor joins Andrea with plenty to chat about on this week’s throwback Thursday! Image: Disney

Is it wrong to let children play with toy guns? Stephanie Rohan from the Newstalk Newsroom has a predicament, and joins Andrea along with Brendan Kelly, Psychiatrist and more to discuss.

For this week’s Ask the Expert, Sinead Ryan, Presenter of the Home Show on Newstalk and Consumer Expert, joins Andrea to tackle any of your consumer issues, especially around Christmas!

Has modern movie-going become a cesspit of regurgitated sequels and reboots – or do you love to sink your teeth into a movie series with familiar faces and plotlines – where surprise, surprise - the good guy wins again! Gladiator 2 is the latest film to get a big screen sequel-outing almost a quarter of a century later – 24 years to be exact since the original film’s release, and reviews have been...

When it comes to Christmas dinner, all you hear about is the Turkey and ham – but, have you ever considered swapping it out for fish?  Tadhg O’Meara from Kish Fish joins Andrea to discuss.

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... Image: Jamie Oliver