Lunchtime Live

Two MEPs have condemned the sale of childlike sex dolls on fast fashion retailer Shein. Both Barry Andrews and Regina Doherty are shocked with what they have come across and have called for a €5 levy on ultra-fast fashion purchases from China, as the sale of these dolls violates both our moral and legal obligations to protect children.What needs to be done to tackle the sale of these products and how can we prevent these platforms from advertising certain explicit and harrowing content?Joining Andrea to discuss Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews, Arts and Culture Journalist Ashley Chadomoyo Malone, Traitors Contestant Faye Louise Brennan as well as listeners.

This week, the Home Squad are in Cork to discuss wall finishes, and how you can get them just right!Joining Andrea to discuss is Ger Cooney from Ger Cooney Design and Kate Hobbins-Lockett from Interiors By Kate Hobbins-Lockett.

Black Friday is coming up this month, which for those online shoppers amongst you, could be a time to start burning up the debit card.But, there are unfortunately plenty of tricks and scams we need to watch out for when we’re shopping online...Joining Andrea to discuss this is Financial Planner with Castle Capital, Leah McMahon.

Endometriosis procedures in Ireland can have long waiting lists, which might make you want to look abroad for treatment…Sinead O’Neill did exactly that, and joins Andrea to discuss her experience of going to Greece for an endometriosis procedure. Keira O’Neill was also meant to discuss her hopes to get endometriosis treatment abroad, but was unable to join because of her condition, and sent in a statement read out by Producer Dee King.

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 Bon Jovi’s album, ‘Slippery When Wet’!

This week, the internet’s buzzing after NFL legend Tom Brady revealed he’s cloned his dog. It’s sparked a big question: if you could bring your beloved pet back, would you do it?Is cloning the ultimate act of love, or are we crossing a line nature never intended?Joining Andrea to discuss is Pete Wedderburn, AKA Pete the Vet, Laoise Downes, owner of Outpaws and Wedding Woofs and Suzie Walsh, Dog Behaviourist & Trainer.

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: President of Ireland - Facebook

From CCTV to location services on the apps we use and even livestreaming cameras at self-service checkouts, we constantly have eyes on us.But, how safe are we in a world where we are constantly under surveillance?Joining Andrea to discuss is Caitríona Redmond, Consumer Columnist with The Irish Examiner, Ronan Murphy, Chief Executive for Smart Tech 24/7 and listeners.

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 the importance surrounding the weight and age of a pregnant woman.

Today, we’re asking: what truly makes a gentleman? Is it about style, manners, or the way we treat others? How has the idea of a gentleman evolved, and what it means today?Joining Andrea to discuss is 98FM Presenter, Luke Thomas, Mark Fennell, Life Coach and Meghann Scully, Broadcaster.

In a bid to tackle the war against drugs in Ireland, The Labour Party will today call for a health-led drugs policy and decriminalization of people who use drugs.Labour’s Health Spokesperson Marie Sherlock TD has said the Government has failed to deliver on its promise of a health-led approach, and that criminalising, shaming and stigmatising people in addiction has created a broken system that punishes rather than supports.Would you be in favour of decriminalising drugs?Joining Andrea to discuss is Addiction Therapist in Limerick, Michael Guerin, as well as listeners.

For this week’s Ask the Expert, Andrea is joined by Podiatrist Niall Donohoe to answer all of your podiatry-related questions!

Today, we’ve got the creator behind one of TikTok’s biggest trends: the Jet2Holiday craze. He’s taken social media by storm with his creativity and energy. Brad Bennett joins Andrea to discuss! Also joining to discuss the impact of this meme is Brand Strategist and Storyteller, Kerry Matzelle.

Nowadays, kids spend a lot of time consuming content online, one of the most popular platforms for this is YouTube, but they mostly watch American content due to the lack of dedicated Irish creators.This has resulted in some observing younger children developing Americanised accents and using American words.One person who is trying to change that is teacher Fergus Lacey with his channel RíRá Rhymes.Fergus, as well as Katie Makk, Presenter of the ‘Opinions Matter’ podcast and Peter Melrose, Primary School Teacher from Meath, join Andrea to discuss.

Ed Sheeran did a secret gig to Irish mega fans last night – were you there?Organised by Spotify, his highest Irish streamers were sent links to register for free tickets to the exclusive gig.Is this the best way to reward fans? Gigs exclusively for your biggest listeners?Or is it all too inaccessible?Joining Andrea to discuss is Aoife Rooney, Assistant Editor of Weekend Magazine at the Irish Independent, Dave Hanratty, Host of the ‘No Encore’ music podcast and Singer-Songwriter Tim McStay.

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 Aoife Lacey, Hot Yoga Teacher and Head of Operations at Yoga Dublin to discuss the benefits of hot yoga!

We were contacted by one of our listeners, Cathy, who says the number 70 bus from Clonee didn’t show up on three occasions last week.She’s so fed up with the delays, she’s now thinking of ditching public transport altogether and buying a car to drive into Dublin City Centre.Cathay, as well as listeners, join Andrea to discuss.

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

When you think of luxury cars, do you think of people like James Bond? Or Lewis Hamilton?Do you ever think of women?Well apparently, women are becoming one of the fastest-growing forces in Ireland’s supercar market! So, what’s stopping you?Joining Andrea to discuss this is Nadia Adan, owner of Ashford Motors and Motoring Journalist Geraldine Herbert.

Former Kilkenny hurler and nine-time All-Star Award winner DJ Carey has been sentenced to 5 years in jail for defrauding a number of people by falsely claiming he had cancer…Newstalk’s Court Correspondent Frank Graney is at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, and joins Andrea to discuss.

Dublin firefighter Terence Crosbie has lodged an appeal against his conviction for raping a woman while in Boston for the St Patrick’s Day celebrations last year.Some 88 pages of character references for Crosbie were provided to the court, including testimonies from his wife, parents and many people who worked with him in Dublin.His uncle and his younger brother Kiefer Crosbie, a former UFC fighter, also submitted character references, as did a former primary school teacher, a school principal and a member of the Capuchin Order.But, should we allow character references similar to those submitted in this case to be read out in court?Joining Andrea to discuss is Barry Ward, Fine Gael TD and Criminal Barrister, Noeline Blackwell, Human Rights Lawyer, Consultant and Online Safety Coordinator with the Children’s Rights Alliance, Miriam Henry and Paula Doyle.

Do you expect a thank you from your boss? Or is your pay check enough?A fifth of workers surveyed say they’ve never been thanked and over half say they don’t feel valued…Joining Andrea to discuss this is Terry Prone, Chairman of the Communications Clinic, Patrick Scanlon, HR Business Consultant at The HR Buddy and Ian O’Doherty, Columnist with the Irish Independent.

Welcome to The Pod Squad!We review podcasts every week so you always have something new to listen to.Laura Mullet Journalist and Stylist and Tom Douglas from the Newstalk Newsroom join Andrea to review ‘Jane Austen Stories’!Image: Noiser

A new report from environmental law and policy group Opportunity Green has said that The Government should scrap Irish aviation’s “free pass” on climate by introducing an air travel tax. By doing this it will ensure the sector pays its fair share for pollution.Many people in Ireland only fly once a year, while others are frequent flyers. Should people be expected to pay this levy and how would it impact the price of our flight?Would you be less inclined to travel abroad if you had to pay a frequent flyer levy?Joining Andrea to discuss is Independent Climate and Environment Researcher and Contributor to the Irish times, Sadhbh O’Neill, as well as listeners.

For this week’s Ask Me Anything, former Meteorologist Evelyn Cusack joins Andrea to answer any of your weather-related questions!

By this time tomorrow, a €5 bottle of e-liquid will cost over €10 thanks to a tax that was introduced as part of last year's budget…A flat rate of 50c per millilitre of e-liquid will be applied, so for some, their vape fix will more than double. We’re told this is causing a rush to vape shops today so people can get in ahead of the increase.Do you have any sympathy, and is the price hike too much?Andrea is joined by listeners to discuss.

You may have been listening to our piece about the Kildare Ladies Camogie and Football Finals on Wednesday.It got such a huge response, that we decided to come back to it today…Joining Andrea to discuss is Pat Mc Dowell, Manager and Chairman of Muckalee Ladies Gaelic Football Club in Kilkenny and Rachel Sheehan from Off The Ball.

Tourism Ireland has been marketing Ireland around the world as the ‘Home of Halloween’, and it seems like it’s been a pretty big success: it's generated €50 million!So, was it the right move?Joining Andrea to discuss is Tom Lawlor, Co-Director of Dublin City Council’s Bram Stoker Festival, Head of Culture for Derry City and Strabane District Council, Aeidin McCarter and Historian and Journalist Rob Buachanan.

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

New figures from The Central Bank of Ireland have shown that motor insurance premiums rose by an average of 9% to €623 last year.Despite a drop-off of 1,000 in the number of private motor claims last year, the total cost of settlements rose by €42 million to a record €896 million, up 38% on the pre-Covid average…If there are less claims, why is car insurance on the rise and how can we tackle these rising costs?Joining Andrea to discuss is Brian Hanley, Director of the Alliance for Insurance Reform, Editor with Completecar.ie, Shane O’Donoghue, Moyagh Murdoch, CEO of Insurance Ireland, as well as listeners.

When you make changes to your home’s interior, there are some mistakes you can make that even a professional can fall into.This week, the Home Squad are here to discuss those mistakes, and how you can avoid them!Joining Andrea to discuss is Jenny Sheehan, Irish Examiner Columnist and former winner of ‘Home of the Year’ (@workerscottage on Instagram) and Tanya Neufeld Flanagan, Interior Designer and podcast host.

Parents who have children in hospital have enough worries to deal with than to think of what they should have for lunch. With catering in hospitals, staff would have no problem but to help ease the burden by providing something as simple as tea and toast to parents. However, if you are not breastfeeding your child, you must fend for yourselves.Joining Andrea to discuss is Consultant in Pediatric Intensive Care at Crumlin Children’s Hospital, Suzanne Crowe, Certified lactation consultant and member of Association for Improvements in Maternity Services in Ireland, Maria O’Sullivan and Irish Times Journalist and host of the Conversations with Parents Podcast, Jen Hogan and more.

Hurricane Melissa has been called the “storm of the century”.It’s one of the most powerful in Atlantic history, and has left a path of destruction in the Caribbean, hitting the Bahamas, Cuba and Jamaica.So far, dozens of people have been confirmed dead.In Jamaica, it's estimated up to 90% of homes in the devastated town of Black River have been stripped of their roofs.Orlagh Kilbride lives in Kingston, the island’s capital, with her family, and joins Andrea to discuss.Image: AP

Would you give your seat to the disabled or elderly on public transport? Newstalk Reporter Kyle Butler noticed some worrying behaviour after he moved to Dublin, and joins Andrea, as well as Mark Fennel, Author & Life Coach, to discuss.

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 Westlife’s greatest hits as the band celebrates their 25th anniversary!

Nearly €450,000 was spent on an ad campaign to entice Irish builders to come home. Ads were posted on billboards and on social media with tag lines like ‘You’ve built Sydney, now come and build back home’.Is this money well spent? Or an enormous waste when housing targets here aren’t being met?Andrea is joined by listeners to discuss.

As Halloween week creeps in, many people are getting into the spirit by settling in for a good scare with their favorite horror movies. For some, that means spending most of the film peeking through their fingers, bracing for whatever terrifying moment might jump out from the screen.Well, if you are in any way anxious, scary movies may be your best friend. Research carried out has discovered that fictional tales of terror may bring some psychological benefits, including reducing the anxiety we feel about events out in the real world.Would you watch a scary movie if it reduced your anxiety?Joining Andrea to discuss is Dr Sarah Cleary, Karen Beckett, Chartered Psychologist and Researcher and Patrick Osborne, author and Screenwriter.

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…

Kildare Freelance Photographer Aisling Hyland posted on Instagram in recent days to voice her disgust over the lights being switched off at both Camogie and Football Ladies County Finals in St. Conleth’s Park…She joins Andrea to discuss, as well as Deirdre Hurley, Chair of Laurence's Ladies, Ciara Wheeler, St. Laurence's player, Niamh Tallon, Founder of Her Sport and Róisín Forde, Maynooth Camogie player.

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 answer some listener questions!

With Halloween week well underway, many parents and children are decorating their homes and prepping their costumes to take to the streets on Friday night to Trick or Treat.The dreaded fear for most parents is just how many sweets their children will consume on Friday night. Is there a way to manage the amount of sugar our children will eat this Halloween?Joining Andrea to discuss some healthy tips for this spooky season is Siobhan Berry, known on Instagram as @mummycooks.

Noel is the primary carer for his father. After becoming his father’s carer, he had to reduce the amount of hours that he works so he can spend time at home looking after his dad. Noel works 18.5 hours per week. He has no option but to work remotely so he can be there when his father needs him. Noel has since received a letter from the state to say that he owes them €22,000, as they have told him that he works more than the 18.5 hours…Noel joins Andrea to discuss his story.

For this week’s Ask the Expert, Anna Daly is joined by Dermot Wells, Head of Health & General Insurance at Cornmarket and Health Insurance Broker to answer your health insurance questions!

You may have heard this shocking story over the weekend, as well as the video that accompanied it.It shows two Drag Queens recording a video during Cork Jazz Festival where they are being homophobically abused...They are Krystal Queer and Lucina Schynning, and they join guest host Anna Daly to discuss.

Today, we're diving into the world of live music and concert-going, and asking you: How much would you be willing to pay to watch your favourite band? Has dynamic pricing crowded you out from getting to a gig – and have escalating costs changed the atmosphere in the crowd? For many, live music is the ultimate experience. But, how much are you really paying for the love of music?Joining guest host Anna Daly to discuss is Jess Spencer, Presenter with Spin 1038, Dave Hanratty, Host of The ‘No Encore’ music podcast, Freelance Journalist Kate Henshaw and listeners…

According to a recent survey 1 in 3 people allow their dog to sleep in their bed.Many people say it's great company, it's great for the cuddles and, as our heating bills creep up, sharing the bed with a furry friend is certainly one way of staying warmer!But, is sharing a bed with your dog hygienic?Joining guest host Anna Daly to discuss is Dr. Primrose Freestone, Associate Professor in Clinical Microbiology with the University of Leicester and Laoise Downes, owner of Outpaws and Wedding Woofs, a bespoke dog service.

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 Sandra Lewis, Librarian with Edenderry Library, to discuss how you can set up your own book club!

When a loved one passes away by suicide, it is often hard to grieve. Knowing what to say and how to process one's emotions can be challenging. Many times, people turn to social media to express their feelings.A County Galway priest has urged people to be mindful of what they post online following deaths by suicide. Fr Mark Quinn appealed to the public to avoid comments such as “he’s in a better place” or “she’s at peace with the angels,” saying that while well-intentioned, such phrases can send harmful messages.He warned that these expressions may imply that death brings peace, which could be dangerous for those struggling with their mental health…Fr Quinn said greater care and sensitivity are needed when offering condolences, reminding people that thoughtful language can help protect those who are vulnerable while still showing compassion to the bereaved.How can we grieve the loss of a loved one? Are we better off to stay away from social media in this instance?Joining guest host Anna Daly to discuss is Fr Paddy Byrne, Parish Priest of Abbeyleix, Raheen & Ballinakil, Counselling Psychologist and Lecturer in TU Dublin, Leslie Shoemaker, Mental Health Advocate and Antibullying Campaigner, Chris Sherlock and Member and Ambassador of Limerick Treaty Suicide Prevention & Professional Boxer, Lee Reeves.

For this week’s Ask Me Anything, Conductor and Composer Michael T Dawson, joins Andrea to answer any of your conducting questions!

For the last two days, Lunchtime Live has been focusing on pensions – all you need to know from the very beginning to retirement.Today, Andrea is joined by Co-Founder and Head of Financial advice for Moneycube, Ralph Benson, to discuss the steps you should take with your pension as you approach retirement.