Lunchtime Live

Today would have been the 75th birthday for Phil Lynott, the Thin Lizzy frontman.He’s often hailed as one of the country’s greatest songwriters, and because of that – there are celebrations across Dublin today in his honour.Joining Andrea to discuss his legacy and impact is Alan Buckley, Head Tour Guide at the Irish Rock ‘N’ Roll Museum Experience and Shane Byrne, Marketing for Bruxelles.

Listener Katie was overcharged by over €1,300 after booking a holiday in New Zealand. She noticed that the booking website she used to get the flights ended with her having three separate bookings for the same one!She joins Andrea to explain the situation, and Sinead Ryan, Presenter of the Home Show and Consumer Expert discusses what can be done to help.

This year, Andrea Gilligan is determined to make some changes and become that bit healthier! Andrea will be joined by a number of different people to find out how they live well.This week she was joined by someone who has made their own Camino, just closer to home! She speaks with Donegal Camino Founder Peggy Stringer.

Senator Sharon Keogan recently tweeted: I've been contacted by many women on what they can do to protect themselves. Ireland is changing rapidly. Do you think Pepper Spray should be legal? I think I'd risk a fine! What do you think?Andrea Gilligan is joined by Senator Sharon Keogan as well as listeners to discuss.

Dr Nina Byrnes, GP at Generation Health Medical Clinic joined guest host Anna Daly to tackle your medical queries…

How often do you sit around the kitchen table for dinner?Does it happen once a week? Or maybe even twice?Apparently, about half of families manage once a week, but would like to do it a lot more... So, what’s stopping us?Joining guest host Anna Daly to discuss is Media Personality Vogue Williams, who has teamed up with Heinz and Barnardos on this topic.

Do we need to change the way children are allocated school places?A centralised admission process for secondary schools is to be introduced in a number of towns across the country in time for the 2025 school year -  is this the best way to assign places?To discuss, guest host Anna Daly is joined by Lucy, a parent from Stillorgan, Eric Nelligan, Assistant Principal at St Munchin's College Limerick, Simon Lewis Principal of Carlow Educate Together and Rachel Harper, Principal of St Patrick's National School in Greystones.

Season four of Emily in Paris was released on Netflix last week. Reviews for the show, which follows the exploits of an American marketing executive in Paris, have not been kind.Yet, despite this, the series is still wildly popular.Why are shows like this, which are so definitively critically panned, such a hit with audiences?Guest host Anna Daly is joined by Newstalk Reporter Bella Finn, Journalist and Fashion Expert Laura Mullett, Marie Short from Marie Style Studio in Paris and Psychiatrist Brendan Kelly to discuss.Image: Netflix

This is Lunchtime Live’s newest segment, Gilligan’s Island! Every Monday, we're going to explore this gorgeous island of ours and all that it has to offer.This week, we are looking at why you should take a trip to some whale watching! Guest host Anna Daly was joined by Sarah-Kim from @heyfromsk on Instagram to discuss.

Electric Picnic has wrapped up for another year – with 75,000 revellers enjoying Ireland’s biggest music festival. Fans were treated to performances by stars like Kylie Minogue, Noah Kahan and Calvin Harris as well as homegrown acts such as The Wolfe Tones, The Mary Wallopers and Kneecap.Over in the UK, their biggest music festival, Glastonbury, is broadcast throughout the BBC for the entirety of the weekend – where everyone can watch the festival from the comfort of their own home.So, why don't we have the same thing here? Should RTÉ broadcast the Electric Picnic festival?Guest host Anna Daly is joined by DJ and Broadcaster Marty Guilfoyle, Jackie Conboy from the MEAI and more to discuss.

For this week’s Summer Memories, Andrea Gilligan is joined by iconic Dublin Drag Diva Davina Devine to chat and reminisce!

Andrea Gilligan was surprised to see a piece in the Irish Times writing that multivitamins are essentially placebos. As someone who regularly takes them, she had to know if this was really true.Andrea is joined by Sheena Mitchell, Pharmacist, health advocate and podcast host with Wondercare.ie to discuss.

Yesterday, Andrea Gilligan went down to the Dublin Horse Show, which will have around 120,000 people attending over the 5 days, to see what the big appeal was. She spoke with those attending to learn what makes it so popular, including Siobhan Masterson, Commercial Director for the RDS.

There is so much going on in the world these days – but the story that has overtaken social media the last couple of days; the subject of innumerable articles, column inches and news coverage… is Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury announcing their split.The pair, who met on Love Island in 2019, have been the subject of so much comment, rumours and gossip this week that it begs the question: why are people so invested in celebrities’ private lives?To discuss, Andrea is joined by Newstalk Reporter Emily Keegan, Editor-in-Chief of goss.ie, Kendra Becker, Dr Irene McCormick and Psychotherapist and author Iseult White.

Miss Ireland Jasmine Gerhardt says more needs to be done to tackle cyber-bullying after she suffered abuse online.Jasmine joins Andrea Gilligan to discuss.

From sitting the Leaving cert at 83 to being trapped in a lion enclosure – Breakfast briefing Presenter Shane Beatty has a roundup of stories from around the country you might have missed!

Electric picnic kicks off this weekend – and it can be hard to believe that it’s the 20th Anniversary!Andrea Gilligan is joined by listeners including Arts Journalist and Broadcaster Pat Carty and Today FM’s Cathal O’Sullivan to share some of their favourite memories from the festival!

Creating home bars has been growing in popularity over the past while, whether it’s out in the shed, or under the stairs!Our Home Squad are here with advice if you’ve a mind to make your own.Andrea is joined by Roisin Lafferty, Founder and Creative Director of Roisin Lafferty and Hayley Burke, The DIYist to discuss.

It’s an exciting time for women’s football in Ireland – following Ireland’s World Cup debut there is a lot of buzz about the talent in Ireland. But, who are the names to keep an eye out for over the next few years? Kathleen McNamee - Host of the COYGIG Podcast is with me to tell me about some of the rising stars.(Part 2 of our FAI/Cadbury series)

Maebhe Gorman was diagnosed with a life-limiting genetic disease about a year ago, and tragically passed away last week.Maebhe had a rare genetic condition that affects the brain, known as Metachromatic Leukodystrophy late infantile form. Her family are calling for the condition to be screened for in Ireland, as it is in most other countries.Andrea Gilligan is joined by Maebhe’s aunt, Carol Gorman, to discuss.

Do you find voice notes annoying? Apparently, recent research from Pure Telecom says three quarters of us think they shouldn’t be more than a minute long, and some just don’t like them at all.To discuss (not through voice note!), Andrea is joined by Esther McCarthy - Life and Style Daily Features Editor for the Irish Examiner, Off the Ball’s Nathan Murphy and Ciara Treacy from Newstalk’s Digital Team.

It's Throwback Thursday! Where we look back on things that happened this week in history. 98fm’s Ciaran O’Connor joins Andrea Gilligan once more to rewind the clock…Image: Apple TV+

Wizz Air has announced it’s launching a subscription service offering unlimited flights to those who sign up.The Hungarian airline’s “all you can fly scheme” is being offered at an introductory price for a limited time.A year’s subscription will set you back €499 before this Friday, when it will rise to €599.The membership is inclusive of all flights across the company’s substantial international network, which includes 950 routes across Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Asia.What do you think about this approach?Andrea Gilligan is joined by listeners to discuss.

Spin 1038fm presenter Michaela Hayes tells Andrea about her own experiences living with a stoma as M&S launch a brand of stoma underwear

For this week’s Ask the Expert, Andrea Gilligan is joined by Pat Keville from Plantstore.ie to answer all of you houseplant questions

Irish teenagers are the best performers in reading literacy in the EU, but has there been a drop in reading books? Andrea chats to Newstalk's Tech Correspondent Jess Kelly, author Sheila Flanagan and Sinéad Cuddihy from Tired Mammy Book Club.Photo by Vincenzo Malagoli

Is it normal to feel downhearted when you find out your baby’s gender? Andrea chats to parents who have experienced gender disappointmentPhoto by Lazaro Rodriguez Jr

Last week on Lunchtime Live, Adrian Kennedy spoke to the owner of Ballykilcavan Brewery in Stradbally about his desire to have his craft beers sold in Electric Picnic.Well the promoter Melvin Benn has responded, and says the reason it’s not being sold at the festival, is because he simply doesn’t like craft beer.Andrea is by David Walsh-Kemmis, owner of Ballykilcavan Brewery in Stradbally, 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: Universal Pictures

Should unhealthy food be in plain packaging like cigarettes? Professor Donal O’Shea spoke to Newstalk Breakfast this morning and certainly believes so. Would this work?Andrea is joined by listeners, as well as Lorraine Carter from Persona Branding & Design to discuss.

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 the Newsroom’s Ellen Butler and Dave Hanratty, the Host of the No Encore Music Podcast, to review 'Dangerous Memories'Image: Tortoise Investigates

Andrea caught up with our reporter Laura Donnelly who in down in Stradbally ahead of Electric Picnic this weekend. Andrea also chatted to Kellie Anne Byrne – DJ & Radio Presenter - about which acts to look out for at EP.  

Retailer Brown Thomas have defended their decision to charge 60 cent for paper bags in their stores.  The charge, introduced last week, applies to the instantly recognisable Brown Thomas grey and white bags and Arnott's blue branded carriers and applies irrespective of the size of the bag a customer is given.  They say that all profits from the sale of paper carrier bags will be used to support Crann – Trees for Ireland with the aim of planting 100,000 trees in Ireland over the next 10 years.  What do you think about being charged for using a paper bag?  People carrying a Brown Thomas bag in Dublin city centre | Image: RollingNews.ie

This year, Andrea Gilligan is determined to make some changes and become that bit healthier! Andrea will be joined by a number of different people to find out how they live well.This week she was joined by High Performance Coach Gerry Hussey.

Efforts to get people living in rural areas to buy Electric cars are failing. The Government target of having one million EVs on the road by 2030 now feels less likely. So what would get you to buy an EV? Andrea chats to Tom Spencer, editor of IrishEVs . com and hears from listeners

Dr Niall Breen from the Portmarnock GP Clinic joined Andrea to tackle your medical questions!

Last weekend, Andrea Gilligan decided to go on a boating trip for the first time, hiring a boat in Carrick-On-Shannon in Leitrim and setting sail.She reports on the experience!

Would a €750 tax credit stop young people leaving Ireland?Enterprise Minister Peter Burke has suggested that people under 25 should get the credit which may help to stop them from emigrating as soon as they graduate. It would cost around 100 million euro a year.Would this help to keep young, skilled people in Ireland?Andrea is joined by Cllr Peter Melrose and listeners to discuss.

This is Lunchtime Live’s newest segment, Gilligan’s Island! Every Monday, we're going to explore this gorgeous island of ours and all that it has to offer.This week, we are looking at if you should be taking a boating trip around Ireland. Andrea was joined by content creator Joshua Nueva to discuss Ireland’s exciting water opportunities!

Could Ireland host an Olympic games? Senator Malcolm Byrne thinks so; he wants us to aim to bid for the 2072 Summer Olympics. Is this a bit mad, or could it really happen?Andrea Gilligan is joined by Senator Byrne, Barry Kenny from Irish Rail, Brian Caufield from Trinity College Dublin and more to discuss.

Former Olympic boxer (and gold medal winner at the 1992 Olympics!) Michael Carruth joined guest host Adrian Kennedy to share some of his favourite summer memories!

Should festivals work more with local communities and stock local products? Ballykilcavan Brewery in Stradbally is calling for Electric Picnic to stock their beer. They say that if the festival claims to be sustainable, supporting local should be an important element of that. David Walsh-Kemmis, owner of Ballykilcavan Brewery joins Adrian Kennedy to discuss.

So far, Team Ireland has won seven medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics, making it their most successful Olympics result ever. So, how does the team build on this success to do even better next time?Listeners, including former Tennis Professional Jenny Claffey, join guest host Adrian Kennedy to discuss.

Two NASA astronauts have been stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) for more than two months and could be forced to stay there until February next year!They originally only went up for 8 days, but concerns over the safety of the spacecraft that brought them there have meant they can’t leave.Joining Adrian Kennedy to tell more and discuss is Space Commentator Leo Enright and Rory Fitzpatrick, CEO of the National Space Centre.

From the hunt for black pudding in Mayo to finding love in a forest in Kilkenny. Breakfast briefing Presenter Shane Beatty joins Adrian Kennedy with his look at the stories from across the country this week.

A partner at a UK law firm has been banned from drinking alcohol at work events after he was accused of inappropriate behaviour during a business trip to Vienna. Is consuming alcohol with your colleagues appropriate? Should work events be alcohol free?To discuss, guest host Adrian Kennedy is joined by online personality Kayleigh Trappe, Padraig Wilson McCarthy, Content Creator and Ian O’Doherty, Columnist with the Irish Independent.

A lick of paint can be the cheapest and easiest ways to give a room a whole new look – but there’s more to it than just lashing in to it. From picking colours to the tools you need, our home squad are here with the tips and tricks of the trade. Andrea is joined by Roisin Lafferty, Founder and Creative Director of Roisin Lafferty along with Oisin Butler from Oisin Butler Ltd, Painting and Decorating Specialist.

Andrea Gilligan is joined by Laura Donnelly from the Newsroom; she went down to a FAI Cadbury Kick Fit. But, what exactly is it? She explains all, and speaks with those attending!(With thanks to Cadbury, supporter and a half of the women’s national team).Image: FAI

Andrea Gilligan has been trying a plant-based diet for over a week, and still finds that she’s spending the same amount of money as she would buying meat. A listener texted in on Tuesday saying that the government should subsidise vegan meals to tackle climate change. Should this be the case?Andrea is joined by listeners to discuss.

We’re sure you’ve all been glued to the Olympics, but one thing has stood out for listener Claire, who got in touch with the show.She joins Andrea to discuss whether or not the Olympic outfits for women are too skimpy. Stylist Laura Mullet and former Olympic Race Walker Perri Williams also join.