Lunchtime Live

Alopecia is an autoimmune disease that causes patchy hair loss, predominantly on the scalp. Joining Andrea to discuss their experiences living with the condition are Claire Fullam, owner of Trua Trichology Clinic, Caoilfhinn Ní Choiligh, Alopecia Advocate and Westmeath Rose and listeners.

With the introduction of a €3 fee on imported items, known as ‘Temu Tax’, will more people be pushed into the secondhand market? Alongside vinted and Facebook marketplace, might charity shops see a boost? Joining Andrea to discuss is Jo Linehan, Editor of the Climate Supplement with the Sunday Times, Laura Mullett, Fashion Expert and Journalist and Shanel Williams from Vision Ireland.

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: Amazon MGM Studios

The Government is expected to sign off today on new draft planning guidelines for one-off housing in rural and Gaeltacht areas. Under the proposals, local authorities will be told not to take an "overly prescriptive" approach to rural housing applications. The aim is to make it easier for people to secure planning permission to build a home and live in these communities. Will these changes help ta...

It’s time for Ask the Medic! Where an expert joins to answer any of your health-related questions. This week, Andrea is joined by Dr Niall Breen from the Portmarnock GP Clinic to answer your medical questions!

Irish influencer Charleen Murphy entered Love Island’s Casa Amour last night - what are her chances on the show, and have you been keeping up with it? Joining Andrea to discuss is Broadcaster Fionnuala Jones, Content Creator Holli Breslin, Eva from the Positive Tribes, a Tarot Reader in England and podcast host Orlaith Condon. Image: ITV

Almost 360,000 primary school children have not had free dental assessments, due to a lack of public dentists. In the last academic year alone, almost 70,000 eligible children did not receive an assessment… Joining Andrea to discuss this is Eoin Dolan, Principal of Mother of Divine Grace National School in Finglas, George Miller of Crumlin Road Dental and listeners.

Gemma Doyle packed up and moved to Australia with her two kids in tow. Now, three years on, Gemma has garnered nearly 60,000 TikTok followers from her “Irish Mammy in Australia” content, and has now written a book called ‘The Young Movers Guide to Australia’. She joins Andrea to discuss!

Are you determined to finally get on top of your finances once and for all? For many, looking at your bank account is something you dread, but how should we best manage what’s coming in and what’s coming out? For this edition of Finance Matters, Andrea is joined by Paul Merriman of Ask Paul to discuss how to grow your assets.

Andrea’s guest Barry and his wife suffered a miscarriage when she was 18 weeks pregnant... New plans being considered by the Government will offer paid leave for women who suffer a miscarriage before 23 weeks. Barry joins Andrea, as well as listeners, to discuss. If you were affected by this topic, help is available. Miscarriage Association of Ireland Helpline: 0830151351(10am-12pm) 0868930748(8pm...

We continue a county-by-county journey across Ireland, exploring all 32 counties that make up this remarkable island. Have you been to some of these places and hidden gems? Today, Andrea is joined by Travel Content Creator Will Murphy to find out what the best things to see and do are in County Carlow!

Many people move out, but do they ever fully leave home? For a lot of people, their bedroom will always be their bedroom, despite what their parents do or say. So, do you still have a room in your family home - or are you a parent refusing to get rid of your child’s things? Andrea is joined by Journalist Saoirse Hanley and Katie Makk from the ‘Opinions Matter’ podcast to discuss!

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...