Lunchtime Live

While it is no doubt one of the most famous and beloved musicals of all time, ‘Grease’ has been getting a critical re-evaluation from modern audiences. Younger viewers are calling the 1978 movie problematic and sexist with “a gross culture of toxic masculinity and rape culture”   What do you think? Is Grease a problematic movie musical?   Andrea was joined by listeners to discuss...

Tonight the first of a three part interview series with Notorious Dublin drug dealer John Gilligan will air on Virgin Media. ‘Confessions of a Crime Boss’ sees Gilligan lifting the lid on his dubious career and his trial for the murder of crime journalist Veronica Guerin, an atrocity for which he was found not guilty, though he was jailed for importing drugs.The decision to air the programme has been met with much criticism, so today we are asking should John Gilligan and criminals similar to him be given the opportunity to speak? Andrea was joined by listeners to discuss...

Andrea Gilligan was joined by Dr. Sumi Dunne, a GP and Lecturer to answer any questions you might have for a doctor. 

Our summer memories series returns where we chat with some well-known faces and reminisce over those long summer days!  Broadcaster Pat Kenny joined Andrea on his 10 year Newstalk anniversary to discuss...

New research by One Fab Day found that a third of women admit to making excuses to avoid hen parties. Jessica O’Sullivan – Editor of One Fab Day along with callers joined Andrea to discuss.

Today it was announced that Donald Trump's impending trial will be live streamed online, this lead us to ask should court cases be broadcasted and turned into entertainment?

Following on from a discussion last week with Irish Only Fans star Megan O’Neill, a mum earning around 10k a month on the site, a listener got in touch to recount her experiences in the sex work trade.

Tommy Sheehan an ex-Defence Forces member got in touch with the show following the passing of his friend of Denis Barry last week because he was not allowed to have his coffin draped in the tricolour at his funeral mass.

Andrea was joined on Lunchtime Live by a listener to the programme, Andrea Clarke. Andrea you got in touch because she is dealing with a stage 4 cancer diagnosis and is struggling to find somewhere to live...

Mary McCarthy, writing in the Irish Independent today says we should lose the lippy and set a good example to teenage girls. She argues, we don’t need all the makeup people are wearing nowadays. Should we ditch makeup? And, does our reliance on it set a bad example to young people?  Andrea was joined by make-up artist Sandra Gillen and other listeners to discuss...

An exclusive poll carried out by Newstalk shows that the idea of whether or not gender identity should be taught in schools seems to be split almost right down the middle. 40% say it should be taught and 42% say it shouldn’t.  It’s an issue that comes up time and time again, do you think gender identity should be taught in schools? Andrea was joined by listeners to discuss...

Imagine being on a child free zone on a flight – no children screaming, no stressed parents. No babies crying for 8 hours. Sounds like bliss right? How much would you be willing to pay for it?  Or for parents – how freeing would it be to know that the people that might get worked up about your upset or noisy child are all seated in a different area. A guilt free flight!  Turkish-owned Corendon Airlines has come to the rescue. The company has just announced it is introducing child-free zones on one of its routes. The so-called ‘Only Adult’ zone will be accessible to passengers over the age of 16. At a cost of €45. Andrea was joined by listeners to discuss...

The deaths of three members of one family, including a three year old boy, in a car crash near Cashel has caused huge shock in the home community.  The crash happened at around 9pm last night. All five people in the car suffered serious injuries. They were all members of the one family from the area.   Andrea was joined by local Sinn Féin TD, Martin Browne, Fr Enda Brady and local businessman Tommy Grogan to discuss...

The Electoral Commission published its constituency review this morning  It recommends an increase of 14 TDs to 174 seats in the next Dáil and increasing the number of constituencies from 39 to 43  What do you think? Do we need more TDs in Ireland? #Andrea Gilligan was joined by listeners to discuss... 

The Spanish football federation’s regional presidents have demanded that Luis Rubiales “immediately resign” from his role following his conduct in the aftermath of the Women’s World Cup final.   Rubiales, the president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), is under fire after he grabbed forward Jenni Hermoso by the head and planted a kiss on her lips.   Prosecutors in Spain said that they have launched a sexual assault investigation into the allegations.  Should Luis Rubiales resign? Clare McKenna was joined by listeners to discuss...

Would you ever rock up to a wedding without a gift? Or do you feel there’s pressure to give them? Kirsty Blake Knox, Columnist with the Irish Independent writes today that she wants us to do away with wedding gifts. Clare McKenna was joined by Kirsty Blake Knox and other listeners to discuss... 

Hundreds of people’s travel plans have been disrupted following air traffic faults in the UK. The travel disruption could last for days as further departures and arrivals were affected this morning, in addition to the 115 flights cancelled yesterday. Clare McKenna was joined by Will Dalton, Virgin Media Sports Reporter, who is stuck in Budapest following the World Athletics Championships and other stranded passengers to discuss...

How much do you pay in Voluntary Contribution in your child’s school? An exclusive Newstalk poll carried out by Amárach shows that 42% of parents are spending between €50-€100 per year on Voluntary contribution.  Clare McKenna was joined by Jen Hogan, Columnist with the Irish Times and other parents to discuss...

Schools return this week, but there’s added stress for some families after being told this week that there are no buses available to take the children to school. Andrea was joined by parents to discuss the difficulties they are facing...

Last week tragedy struck at the Cork Ironman with the death of two competitors- Brendan Wall and Ivan Chittenden. Lisa Bentley is a close friend and Ivan’s Coach and she joined Andrea on the show this afternoon...

Kristen Bell has revealed she allows her children to drink non-alcoholic beer. The actress, who starred in Frozen and Veronica Mars, has two daughters - an eight and a nine-year-old. What do you think? Has she got a point? Why do we continue to treat alcohol-free drinks the same as those that contain alcohol? And, would you be comfortable letting your child drink an alcohol-free beer? Andrea was joined by callers on the show to discuss... 

The community of Clonmel continues to grieve today after the deaths of four young people from a car crash on Friday night. The four victims are Nicole Murphy, Zoey Coffey, Grace McSweeney and her brother Luke McSweeney.   Nicole, Zoey and Grace had received their Leaving Cert results earlier on Friday and were being driven by Luke to meet friends in Clonmel for a planned trip to Carlow and a celebration event. Up to 2,000 people are estimated to have attended a vigil in Kickham Plaza near the centre of the town last night to remember the four victims. Councillor Máirín McGrath and Joe Leahy of C-Saw joined Andrea Gilligan on the show.

Should disposable vapes be banned? Electric Picnic have announced they're banning single-use vapes from this year's festival. Have you noticed an increase in disposable vapes? Do you agree with EP banning them?Andrea Gilligan was joined by callers to discuss banning disposable vapes... 

Our summer memories series returns where we chat with some well-known faces and reminisce over those long summer days! Wolfe Tones Singer Brian Warfield joined Andrea to discuss...

All this week we’ve been talking about the Cost of Being Single. We’re highlighting the things single people deal with, that those in couples don’t. Today we’re talking about retiring as a single person.Andrea was joined by Paul Merriman Financial Adviser along with callers to discuss the financial and personal realities of retiring alone.

A controversial mural depicting Irish revolutionary Michael Collins on the front of a packet of Chickatees is dividing opinions online. The striking artwork titled ‘Mickatees’ by Liam Robinson is located on Glasnevin Avenue. Some have dubbed it the ‘misappropriation of an extremely important Irish historical figure’ Andrea was joined by listeners to discuss...

Would you like to see more local Irish beers at festivals? Heineken seems to be the main beer in a lot of them, but would you prefer to see some craft Irish beers?  One brewery from Stradbally is calling for their local festival Electric Picnic to stock their beer. They say that if the festival claims to be sustainable, that supporting local should be an important element of that.  David Walsh-Kemmis from Ballykilcavan brewery, Craig Hughes, Co-founder & Head of Communications for Night and Day Festival, Joe Donnelly from Rascals Brewery and Peter Breen from Drink Irish to discuss...

Yesterday Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said that violent attacks in Dublin have not increased, despite the public narrative to the contrary, and Dublin city centre is safer than other European cities. However, with constant stories of people being attacked in the city centre and videos being shared on social media showcasing threatening behaviour in some of the cities key areas many would disagree with Mr. Harris’ assertion. Is it just perception, or is Dublin less safe? Andrea was joined by listeners to discuss...

All this week we’re going to be talking about the Cost of Being Single. We’re highlighting the things single people deal with, that those in couples don’t. Today we’re talking about socialising alone.Andrea was joined by singletons to discuss the trials and tribulations of socialising alone...

Do Irish stereotypes bother you or are they just a bit of craic? American football team Notre Dame, known as ‘The Fighting Irish’ are visiting Dublin this weekend, complete with their leprechaun mascot, to face Navy in the Aviva stadium.   Notre Dame insisted that the leprechaun was regarded with “respect, loyalty and affection”, and that he was supposed to represent “the determination of the Irish people and, symbolically, the university’s athletes”.  Andrea was joined by listeners to discuss...

All this week we’re going to be talking about the Cost of Being Single. We’re highlighting the things single people deal with, that those in couples don’t. Today we’re talking about parenting alone. Andrea was joined by solo parents to discuss the trials and tribulations of being a lone parent...

Newstalk Breakfast presenter Ciara Kelly was writing in the Irish Independent about the importance of saying no. Her piece reads: 'Just say ‘no’ to those weddings you can’t afford, nights out you don’t want or any unpaid work..' Do you find it hard to say 'no' to things? Andrea was joined by Newstalk's Sean Reidy, Life Coach Mark Fennell and author and blogger Natalie Lue to discuss...

A new report from the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland has revealed there has been almost 2,000 pubs closures across Ireland since 2005.  108 pubs closed their doors in 2022 alone. Is this the end of the rural pub? Andrea was joined by publicans to discuss...

This Friday over 60,000 students will receive their much-anticipated Leaving Certificate results. It’s a seminal moment in Irish life and one most of us remember with at least a tinge of stress or anxiety. Is the leaving cert cruel? Andrea was joined by listeners and teachers to discuss...

All this week we’re going to be talking about the Cost of Being Single. We’re highlighting the things single people deal with, that those in couples don’t. Today we’re talking about Holidaying Alone! Have you every gone on holidays by yourself? According to a recent survey, over half of us consider travelling solo. If you haven’t tried it, would you? This could be your inspiration. Andrea was joined by Janet Newenham, Melanie May and many other solo travellers to discuss…

An Irish mum is in the top 1% of earners on the site OnlyFans. OnlyFans is a site where people can pay for content like photos, videos and live streams through a monthly subscription. A lot of the content is porn but it can also be YouTubers or people like fitness trainers. Meghan O’Neill, also known as Skye Fox, is an Irish mum who only joined Only Fans in February but is already in the top 1% of earners…

The NCT has said goodbye to cash! NCT Ireland have announced that going forward payment must be made in advance of attending you appointment. They have said it’s a matter of ‘safety and convienience’. Is this the right move, is society becoming cashless? Andrea was joined by Paul Treyvaud, Owner of Treyvaud's Restaurant, Eric Nelligan, Aontú spokesperson and others to discuss...

All this week we’re going to be talking about the Cost of Being Single. We’re highlighting the things single people deal with, that those in couples don’t. Some are great – like the thrill of a solo holiday or the joy of getting a bed all to yourself, but others, like paying ever increasing electricity bills are a lot harder. The cost of living crisis hasn’t been getting any easier. Families, parents and couples are all struggling, but what about single people? Andrea was joined by singletons to discuss...

Queen’s 1978 hit ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ has been dropped from a greatest hits compilation targeted at younger listeners. The new greatest hits album has been made available on Yoto, an audio platform specifically aimed at children. This track praising women with more fuller figures has been left behind – and wokeness has been given the blame by the wider public. Andrea was joined by listeners to discuss...

Geraldine Burke, who runs Letterkenny Community Childcare got in touch with Lunchtime Live about the problems her creche is facing due to mica. Geraldine Burke and Michelle Kavanagh joined Andrea on Lunchtime Live to discuss...

Tragedy unfolded at the Cork Ironman race yesterday as two men passed away during the race. Post-mortems are due to be carried out on the bodies. Many people have questioned whether the conditions were suitable for the race to go ahead and why it continued despite the tragedies. Andrea was joined by Michael Farrell from Farrells Pub in Youghal, Keith who participated in the competition yesterday and other listeners to discuss...

Our summer memories series returns where we chat with some well-known faces and reminisce over those long summer days! Actress Mary McEvoy joined Andrea to discuss...

Yesterday on Lunchtime Live, we heard from a few of our callers about their experience of miscarriage and coping with life after it. There were also calls for paid leave for early miscarriage. As a result, many other listeners got in touch with their experiences and Andrea was joined by some of those on the show today...

Jamil Ghafoor, a Dublin taxi driver was assaulted while walking on O’Connell Street back in May. The attack has left him bedridden for months and unable to work. Jamil joined Andrea to discuss...

The Director General of RTE Kevin Backhurst announced last night that negotiations for Ryan Tubridy’s return to his Radio One show had ended as 'trust between the parties has broken down'. He insists that the presenter is not being scapegoated for the payments scandal at the broadcaster. Andrea was joined by listeners to discuss...

Are we any closer to getting paid miscarriage leave in the workplace? Women who have suffered a miscarriage are still only entitled to sick leave, however it is hopefully going to change soon as The Reproductive Health Bill is currently pending before the Seanad. Do work places do enough for women going through miscarriage? Andrea was joined by Sinead, Siobhan, Linda and Emma Walker is from the Miscarriage Association of Ireland and more to discuss...

Levi Amarillo, a Brazilian student was conned out of €6000 by someone renting out a property in Dublin. Levi and his partner woke one night to find a dozen people had moved in to their apartment. Levi joined Andrea on Lunchtime Live to discuss...

A Young Fine Gael justice document is calling on Government to introduce tougher sentencing for criminal offenders. The document titled ‘Building a Just Republic’ is calling for life sentences to mean life in prison. Andrea was joined by Eli Byrne, member of Young Fine Gael, John Lonergan, former Govenor of Mountjoy Prison, victim's advocate Ruth Maxwell and other listener to discuss...

More than 180 creches have closed in the last two years. The rate at which providers are shutting down has apparently slowed dramatically since the launch of the €287m “core funding scheme”. Core funding is a Government payment to providers to make it cheaper for parents. But with this many closing, it must still be having a massive impact on parents. Andrea was joined by childcare providers and parents to discuss...

There are very few of us in this country who haven’t been touched by cancer. Westlife’s Shane Filan sadly lost both his parents within 10 months of each other to the disease. He is now getting involved with the Irish Cancer Society ‘Celebrate & Remember’ event in the Aviva Stadium on September 29th. Shane and Gillian Filan joined Andrea in studio to discuss…