Lunchtime Live

President Michael D Higgins says Ursula von der Leyen is ‘not speaking for Ireland’ following comments she made on the Palestine / Israel conflict last Friday. He criticised the head of the European Commission for a failure to call for Israel's retaliation to conform with international law.Is President Higgins right to speak out on this? Andrea was joined by listeners to discuss...

Director and Writer Richard Curtis has promised never to make “fat” jokes in his work again. He’s famous for films like Love Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill and says he feels bad about lines in his films that are no longer funny. Andrea was joined by listeners to discuss...

As the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite across the country, Newstalk is here to help with a new online series highlighting the best ways to save on your bills.Cut-the-Cost will offer tips and advice on how to save on everything from energy and the weekly shop to modern essentials like broadband and phone contracts.Aoife Kearns, from our news team has done the hard work and sourced the best deals for your groceries...

Halloween is right around the corner. If you have children in school you’ll probably be bombarded with costume parties. We want to talk about whether children’s costumes are another way for parents to get competitive?  Andrea was joined by parents to discuss...

Thousands of Polish nationals queued outside the Polish embassy in Dublin over the weekend to cast their votes in their country’s election. Would you like to see Irish citizens overseas be given the right to vote in our elections? Andrea Gilligan was joined by listeners to discuss...

‘Ask Me Anything’ is a new series every Friday on Lunchtime Live. Over the next number of weeks we will be chatting to people from different backgrounds, people who have weird or wonderful occupations or people who have had incredible experiences.  And, we want you to ask the questions. You can put whatever questions you like to our guest and we will put it to them.  Kicking off our series Former Prisoner Wayne Hart joined Andrea in studio.In his life Wayne has spent almost 17 years in prison. He has since turned his life around having left prison for the final time in 2005 and has helped young prisoners reform...

12 year old Sarah Griffin was put into an induced coma after being rushed to hospital with difficulty breathing from vaping. In support of Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke’s new vaping awareness campaign, Sarah’s mother Mary joined Andrea on Lunchtime Live to discuss...

On 12th January 2015, Anne Marie’s son Max was stillborn at almost 42 weeks. To mark Baby Loss Awareness Week, Anne Marie joined Andrea to tell her story to increase awareness around baby loss. Andrea was also joined on Lunchtime Live by Kinga and Professor Keelin O'Donoghue is a consultant obstetrician at Cork University Maternity Hospital...

We are counting down to the Rugby World Cup Quarter Finals between Ireland and New Zealand tomorrow night at 8pm in Paris. This could be our moment to push beyond the quarter final stages for the first time ever. Has rugby overtaken football as the game that can lift a nation? Has this World Cup turned us into a rugby nation? Andrea was joined by listeners to discuss...

Family farms are being put at risk by drugs debts racked up by young farmers.  An Irish Country Living investigation has found people in rural areas are buying cocaine on social media- leading to an increase in young farmers seeking help with their addiction. Drugs counsellors say it's those aged 18 to 30 who are most affected.  Andrea was joined by listeners to discuss...

Endo is experienced by one in 10 women in Ireland and it is a lifelong condition. Lunchtime Live has been hearing from women across Ireland over the past number of weeks who are living with Endometriosis.  In a special, hour-long panel, Andrea chats to endometriosis sufferers, medical specialists and ask politicians – what can they do?

A listener emailed into Lunchtime Live to express her frustration with the Budget which she feels is leaving down Foster parents: 'I am writing to you tonight as I am so upset about today's budget. I'm a foster carer and I was so hopeful that this year we would finally get the long overdue increase to our allowance that carers have been begging for for many years now.'

Kevin, a listener got in touch with Lunchtime Live about an issue he is having. Kevin's wife was diagnosed with dementia five years ago and is now a resident in a private nursing home. His wife has a medical card, however, she is not entitled to any equipment to make life easier and more comfortable for her...

Who would have thought if Kanye West was looking for the lastest fashion accessory he would have found it on the corridors of St Mary's Christian Brothers Grammar School in Belfast   Principal of St Mary's Christian Brothers Grammar School in Belfast, Siobhan Kelly joined Andrea to discuss...

More than a third of people have felt the need to hide aspects of who they are at work for fear of judgement.  Almost half have felt their chances of career progression have been limited because of their background. Others felt they were held back because of factors such as age, ethnicity, nationality, gender or gender identity.  Do you feel comfortable being yourself at work? Andrea was joined by Eoghan Tomas McDermott, Managing Director of The Communications Clinic and listeners to discuss...

Andrea spoke to Fatin Al Tamimi, a Palestinian living in Ireland, about watching the attacks from Ireland and trying to contact her sister who is currently in Gaza.

When it comes to Sex Education – how young is too young to talk to your children about sex?  One UK couple – Clio Wood and her husband Bryn told a UK paper that they don’t believe in lying to their children, who are two and nine, even when it comes to sex.  Andrea spoke to listeners about when they think it is appropriate to begin conversations about sex.

From TV to music – how much are you spending on streaming services? As part of Lunchtime Live's Cut the Cost series Newstalk reporter, Aoife Kearns has found the best deals on the market.

Israel attacked the Gaza Strip overnight last night as fighting raged with Hamas. The death toll from the war against the Palestinian militants surged above 1,100. It came two days after Hamas attacked Israel with rockets and fighters. The Hamas attack has so far killed more than 700 Israelis. Andrea spoke to Michael Kelly, editor of the Irish Catholic who is currently in Israel and Osi, an Israeli living in Ireland.

Andrea Gilligan was joined on Lunchtime Live by Kildare GP, Dr Siobhan Chidley to answer listeners health queries and questions...

Kiera Dignam spoke to Andrea about the loss of her father Christy Dignam, dealing with grief and the upcoming release of her new album, 'Nepo Baby'.

Big Brother returns this weekend after a five-year hiatus. The reboot will see a new cast of carefully selected housemates from all walks of life living together for 6 weeks. Apparently, eviction nights will be different, though we haven’t been told how.  The reboot will have a special emphasis on the mental health of contestants.But what is it like to be on Big Brother and what made it so special?Joining Andrea on the show were former contestants Ray Shah housemate from Big Brother 4 (2003),  and Noirin Kelly housemate from Big Brother 10 (2009).

Some school children have to wait until secondary school for their first dental check due to backlogs for public routine dental services. Many parents are thus being forced to go private for their children's dental care needs, causing significant financial pressure.To discuss the crisis and its implications, Andrea was joined by parents Sarah and Shona and owner of Redmond Dental Care in Sutton, Dublin Keith Redmond.

The entire Irish Radio industry is getting suited and booted tonight for the IMRO awards. With it being a Black Tie event, Andrea was joined by Stylist Mandy Maher and Louis Copeland, owner of Louis Copeland & Sons to discuss the requirements for a black tie event and whether the dress code is as popular as it once was.

With the rise of social media, many parents are sharing images and videos of their children leading to the phenomenon known as “sharington”. But in the French Parliament, a proposed bill that would make parents responsible for the privacy rights of their children who cannot consent to their images being shared is being debated. The bill also outlines how parents who look to financial benefit from sharington could face prosecution.To dicuss whether parents should face tougher restrictions when posting images of their children online, Andrea was joined by Today FM Presenter Alison Curtis, Author and writer Stefanie Preissner and listeners of the show.

Members of the public who witness shoplifters stealing from supermarkets should arrest them, even if they have to use force. That is according to Chris Philp, the UK Minister for Policing who claims that the police ‘can’t be everywhere’.  He urged people in the UK to make citizen’s arrests to snare thieves and called on retailers to use security guards to step in where it is safe to do so.   Andrea was joined by Shane Gleeson, Finbarr Filan, Law lecturer in University of Galway and Columnist with TheJournal.ie Larry Donnelly to discuss...

A tweet from News Editor of the Irish Examiner Deirdre O’Shaughnessy has sparked off great conversation with the team here. She tweeted: “My husband has brought our two kids to a removal this evening and our Ukrainian friends are aghast” Is it just a very Irish thing, to bring children to a wake? Or is it a good thing? It’s one of the things us Irish pride ourselves on, doing death well. Andrea was joined by listeners to discuss...

One listener, Jerry, emailed Lunchtime Live about something he wanted to raise following an item on the show.Jerry writes: “However, the main point of this e-mail is to emphasize the hard truth that men don't want to date women over 30. Men very picky on age preference because men of nearly all ages prefer women in their early 20's (and scientific evidence has recently confirmed this). Women are valued for their beauty which usually goes rapidly downhill after Age 25. So a man looking for children will look to date a woman 5+ years younger than 30. A lot of men refuse to date a woman over Age 30 because women approaching Age 30 are looked on as "damaged goods". I believe there is a phrase "hitting the wall at 30" to describe this. A woman aged 30 has a lower fertility because by the time she turns 30, she has lost 90% of her egg reserve and her fertility is already in decline. On the other hand, men don't really have a biological clock so they have plenty of time on their side to find younger, more attractive women…Jerry goes on to touch on other ideas, and Andrea discussed the email with listeners…

The mother of murder victim Rachel Callaly says she fears for the first time in her life that killer Joe O’Reilly could soon be released. Rachel's 19th anniversary took place yesterday, October 4. She said that the prospect of her daughter’s killer being released seems more possible now than ever before. Rose Callaly joined Andrea on Lunchtime Live to discuss...

Over the past week, women across Ireland have shared their experiences of living with endometriosis on Lunchtime Live. Do we need an awareness campaign? How can it be that people are only gaining understanding of a condition from listening to us? Andrea was joined by Fianna Fáil Senator and Health Spokesperson Lorraine Clifford Lee and Doireann Barrett, who suffers from endometriosis to discuss…Image: Doireann Barrett

The Road Safety Authority will hold their annual conference today – with the issue of e-scooters hitting the agenda. Do we need more regulation around them? Andrea Gilligan was joined by Fianna Fáil Councillor in Dundalk, Conor Keelan, Maria Diviney, co-founder of Luna Systems, a company that provides technology to make scooters safer, and other listeners to discuss...

When was the last time you tried to park at the airport? Some people are saying the cost of parking is prohibitive and is an enormous extra cost to going away for a weekend. So have you tried it recently? What was your experience? Andrea was joined by listeners to discuss...

Love them or loath them, there’s no getting away from Whatsapp groups. Are you a fan? Or are you a mute and leave type of person? Writing in the Irish Independent today, Kirsty Blake Knox has rules for how to navigate the dreaded groups. Andrea Gilligan was joined by Kirsty Blake Knox and Stephanie Rohan from our newsroom to chat about this...

Last week singer songwriter RuthAnne spoke about her experience with endometriosis. Niamh, who heard RuthAnne, got in touch about her own experience...

Jason, a listener, got in touch with Lunchtime Live about an issue he wanted to raise. He is calling for a reduction in speed limits in school zones after an incident involving his own children. Andrea was joined by Jason, Rachel Harper, Principal of St Patrick's National School in Greystones and other listeners to discuss...

Andrea Gilligan was joined on Lunchtime Live by GP and lecturer, Dr Sumi Dunne to answer listeners health queries and questions...

A man whose one-car family cycles as much as possible to minimise emissions in a city that aims to be carbon neutral by 2030 has been refused planning for a bike storage bin in front of his house — with planners saying it could set an “undesirable precedent” for similar development in the area. This also happened to Siobhan Kelly recently, and she joined Adrian Kennedy on Lunchtime Live to discuss...

We get a lot of letters and emails into the show with people outlining experiences that they’re living with. Frances, a listener, sent a Whatsapp about her situation she has found herself in living with chronic pain following a spinal chord injury.Frances joined Andrea on Lunchtime Live to discuss...

As the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite across the country, Newstalk is here to help with a new online series highlighting the best ways to save on your bills.Cut-the-Cost will offer tips and advice on how to save on everything from energy and the weekly shop to modern essentials like broadband and phone contracts.Aoife Kearns, from our news team has done the hard work and sourced the best deals for your bins and waste costs...

Social media has been full of videos and clips of U2 in Las Vegas over the weekend.The band opened their residency at Sphere in Las Vegas at the weekend, and by all accounts it was an unbelievable show.  But do celebrate U2 enough in Ireland? Andrea was joined by Music journalist with the Mail on Sunday Danny McElhinney and other listeners to discuss...

Thousands of people in Ireland are driving without ever taking a driving test.  Up to 30,000 people are on their 3rd or subsequent provisional licence and have never sat a driving test. In some cases learners have been driving on Irish roads for over 30 years without ever holding a full licence. To get a third or subsequent learner permit, you must show proof that you’ve applied for a test. There is no legal requirement to actually sit a driving test before renewing your learner permit. So you can book the test, get the learner’s permit and then never bother sitting the test. Andrea was joined by Dominic Brophy, Driving instructor and Director of the Professional Driving Instructors Association and listeners to discuss...

72-year-old cancer survivor, Mary O’Regan is watching her house crumble around her due to mica and says she has nowhere to turn. She joined Adrian Kennedy on Lunchtime Live to discuss...

What do you want in a Taoiseach?  According to a new Irish Times/Ipsos poll – Sinn Fein’s Mary Lou McDonald is the most popular choice for Taoiseach – but what makes a good Taoiseach? Adrian Kennedy was joined by listeners to discuss...

It turns out one of Ireland’s most famous newsreader’s Anne Doyle believes in ghosts! She’s written a new book - ‘Tales of the Otherworld: A Frightening Collection of Irish Ghost Stories’. She says she’s had an interest in the paranormal world from a young age and her biggest fear vampires! Adrian Kennedy was joined by Ann Massey McElroy, Paranormal Investigator and hauntings specialist and Kathleen Keane to discuss...

Following the record breaking drug seizure in Cork this week, Tom in Leitrim got in with Lunchtime Live to discuss the legalisation of drugs in Ireland. Do we need to rethink our approach to drugs and legislation?  Adrian Kennedy was joined by listeners to discuss...

Fiona Doyle is a Rape survivor and campaigner. She was abused by her father Patrick O’Brien. Last week he passed away following a long illness. His funeral took place this week. Fiona joined Andrea on Lunchtime Live today...

Sinn Fein TD Louise O’Reilly yesterday told the Dail that workers in her constituency are at risk of being sacked as they cannot get to work on time, because of the famous ‘disappearing buses’. Andrea was joined by listeners to hear about their experiences of phantom buses...

All week Newstalk have teamed up with The Shona Project to bring issues facing young girls in Ireland to light. Today we’re talking about managing social media and the expectations it can put on you. Andrea Gilligan was joined by Sarah Doyle from The Better Life Project and author of ‘Be Your Own Best Friend’ and other listeners to discuss...The Shona Project: Empowering and Inspiring the girls of Ireland

Kylie Minogue says she has a fear of hangers and she’s brought out her own range of coat hangers - £25 for 3! Simple wooden hangers with her name on them. But apparently this phobia is real, it’s called kremastraphobia. Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin Brendan Kelly joined Andrea to discuss...

Frontline Gardaí are to withdraw services and refuse to work overtime on key dates including Halloween and Budget Day as part of the worsening roster row.  Both of these days require significant garda resources, largely reliant on overtime, to ensure there are sufficient numbers to police Dublin. The drastic measures mean the approximate 11,000 members of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) will effectively refuse to acknowledge the pre-pandemic roster that Commissioner Harris intends to revert to.   Andrea was joined by Tara McManus, Assistant General Secretary of the Garda Representative Association and listeners to discuss...