Lunchtime Live

Dr. Afif El Khuffash joined Andrea on the show who posted a painting of a breastfeeding mother and her baby on Instagram recently that was promptly flagged as inappropriate. ‘Fighting the Breastfeeding Stigma’ Opening Night takes place on July 28th from 7 pm to 10 pm with a complimentary Drinks Reception and Canapes at Copper House Gallery.

Listener Paddy joined Andrea Gilligan on the show to talk about how he was taken off a waiting list because he didn’t reply to a letter- which he says he didn’t get.

Listeners joined Andrea Gilligan on the show to discuss their travel woes which included everything from car rental costs to hotel prices to missing luggage.

Newstalk has teamed up with Ronseal for Fix it Fortnight, two weeks of top DIY tips from the best experts in the field. This week on the Ask The Expert, Andrea was joined by Jimmy Englezos from Ronseal to answer your woodcare questions. It’s all with thanks to Ronseal, get your garden Summer Ready.

Listener Davey was in touch with Lunchtime Live to discuss the state of the city streets. He told Andrea that he has been shocked by the waste in the city center and the length of time it seems to be taking to collecting the bin bags.

Long gone are the days of just a plain, simple burger, between fancy toppings, brioche buns and being stacked up high,it’s nearly a two man job to eat a burger now. Chef Edward Hayden joined Andrea and Kevin O’Regan ,whose O’Reilly’s Foodtruck in Cork took the Munster title, about the evolution of the humble burger.

The ‘Leave our Leave’ our campaign launched outside Leinster House today, with the goal of changing legislation to allow women to defer maternity leave following a cancer diagnosis. Approximately 60 women per year face a cancer diagnosis during pregnancy, including Erica Tierney , who joinsed Andrea to share her own experience.

Childcare providers, parents are protesting outside the Dail today over funding issues. Andrea was joined by providers and parent's who are out protesting today about what impacts high costs are having on the sector.

Mary, was in touch with the show to discuss the ongoing issues she has faced trying to get a vaccine booster. She told Andrea although she has been able to book an appointment, she finds she has been turned away when she shows up to attend the appointment.

Public servants including medical consultants, CEOs of State bodies, certain members of the judiciary and senior civil servants are to have their pay restored to pre-austerity levels from July. Andrea spoke to listeners who had mixed reactions to the news.

Kerry Councillors are at odds over the county's Rewilding Programme, designed to boost biodiversity in towns and villages by reducing the need to cut grass and hedging. Cllr Donal Grady is concerned that rats are ‘Playing Polka in the long grass and he joined Andrea and Eanna Ni Lamhna, Biologist and Environmental consultant, to debate the pros and cons of rewilding.

Car thefts are rife at the minute, they’re at the highest levels in 7 years. Urufa Abedin, spoke to Andrea and Joey Donnelly from Crofton Motors, about his first hand experience of having his car stole.

A campaign is underway to fund West Cork’s first special needs school. Ray O’Mahony is among those involved in fronting the initiative alongside wife Laura, and he joined Andrea to explain how challenging it has been not having access to resources near by.

With temperatures for 2022 potentially set to peak this week, Dr Catherine Norton, Performance nutritionist and registered dietitian at the University of Limerick, joined Andrea to discuss how much water we should be drinking and what issues can arise if we are not drinking enough.

An email came in from a Lunchtime Live listener, who feels punished in work for being pregnant. Richard Grogan is an employment solicitor and he joined us to talk about your employee rights if you’re pregnant.

Its that time of year again where students begin the hunt for accommodation. Andrea was joined by students who were in touch with the show from various parts of the country to describe how a lack of accommodation and high prices is leaving many of them without a place to live.

A Kerry grandmother, Fiona Griffin, is fulfilling her dreams after heading off on a J1 to America at the age of 66. She spoke to Andrea from America about her trip and decision to head over to the US.

Office workers want to ban telephone calls in the workplace because they find them ‘confrontational’ and ‘aggressive’. That is according to a survey which found that 75% of people would rather communicate by email or social media instead of answering their phone. Andrea was joined by listeners to discuss if it is time to ban phone calls all together.

Famous travel bible The Lonely Plane, has featured a list of problems with the city of Dublin in their latest guidebook. It warns potential visitors about some of the issues they might encounter, including high prices, difficultly finding seats in pubs and airport baggage chaos. Andrea was joined by Joan Scales from travel2ireland.ie and others who work in tourism to discuss if tourists have good reason to dodge Dublin.

Death is never an easy topic to discuss with your loved ones. Baz Ashmawy and his mum Nancy, of 50 ways to kill your mammy fame, have set out to open up the conversation in their new documentary ‘Baz and Nancy’s Last Orders’. Baz joined Andrea and Colm Kieran, Funeral director and former spokesperson for the Irish Association of Funeral Directors to discuss the documentary and the difficulties people face when talking about the end of a loved ones life.

Every Friday, we search for the definitive answer to some of the most burning questions in The Big Debate. Today on our Big Debate, we want to finally get the answer to the question- ‘Should ‘Chuggers’ be banned?’ That’s right – Chuggers, the name given to those people who approach you in the street asking for subscriptions or donations to a particular charity. Should they be banned?

Practicing Catholics here would like to see priests allowed to marry, women ordained, and more respect for the LGBTQI plus community. They also want to see shorter sermons and the removal of 'bloodthirsty' readings from the Old Testament. A survey - carried out among Mass-goers in 26 Irish dioceses - will be reviewed by a national assembly in Athlone this weekend. What do you think?

They may have ended their engagement 25 years ago, but Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Pitt say they still love each other … at least as friends! But how common is it for former partners to maintain a platonic bond? Is it a good idea? Stephanie Regan, Clinical Psychotherapist & author of Relationships on the Edge joined Andrea to discuss some of the considerations around it.

Today is Take Back The Lunch Break Day, an initiative first pioneered in 2018 to tackle the 24/7 culture of the modern workplace. Of course, the rise in remote/hybrid working has obviously had a further impact on this dynamic. Have the lines become too blurred? Are you very particular about taking breaks? Or do you end up at your desk more often than not? Caroline Reidy, Managing Director of The HR Suite and HR and Employment Law Expert joined Andrea on the show.

Should the drinking age in Ireland be lowered to 16 to try combat teenagers drinking in local parks? Speaking on the Breakfast show today- Cork Cllr Shane O'Callaghan said that it should be considered. Andrea spoke to listeners who got in touch on the issue.

Every week, we give you the chance to get access to an expert- this week, we put your motoring questions to Motoring Journalist Geraldine Herbert.

Ireland’s health service is a topic we covered in depth on Tuesday’s programme, with junior doctors and nursing staff among those affected by stretched infrastructure in this country. It has of course had a knock-on effect on patients, including Breda O’Gorman, whose wait for potentially life-saving appointment in Cork University Hospital (CUH) has gone on over a year, her husband joined Andrea to issue an urgent plea on her behalf.

Fiann O'Nuallain The Holistic Gardener joined Andrea to discuss some holistic remedies to protect yourself against summer ailments.

Customer based reviews on sites like Trip Advisor , have been criticized by some for being potentially harmful to local businesses. Andrea was joined by chefs, restaurateurs and food writers to debate if these kinds of review systems, leaves restaurants open to abuse that could have serious consequences for businesses.

Many people have a book in them but don't know how to go about getting it published. Author Frances Flannery from Leopold Bloom Press joined Andrea to offer advice on getting your writing career up and running.

Last week, we spoke about the increase in numbers of young people looking for help dealing with cocaine addiction. Andrea spoke to Sally who told her about her son’s struggles with addiction and living with an addict. Today Jackie McKenna, Family support specialist Family Addiction Support Network, joined Andrea to discuss about the complexities of sharing a home with an addict.

Previously on the show Andrea spoke to listeners who were having problems retrieving lost luggage after travelling through Dublin Airport. On todays Lunchtime Live she followed up with them to see if they had managed to locate their lost bags.

Jurassic Park actor Jeff Goldblum recently spoke about how goal setting and positive reinforcement transformed his life and helped him achieve Hollywood stardom. Life Coach and Motivational Speaker, Mark Fennell, joined Andrea to discuss how to get started on manifesting the life of your dreams.

President’s Michael D Higgins comments on Ireland’s housing crisis continue to make waves across the social and political spectrum. The President said housing in the country is a "great, great failure" at the opening of a supported residence facility for young homeless adults outside Naas in County Kildare. Andrea was joined by listeners who had mixed reactions to his comments, some feeling they overstepped his presidential position.

Adrian Weckler, Tech editor with the Irish & Sunday Independent, joined Andrea to explain how he was surprised to see A tech conference’s opening night dinner in Dublin is requesting ‘no jeans or sneakers’. They were also joined by Maria Macklin, Image Consultant with House of Colour, to discuss how dress codes have changed since covid and if a more casual approach to work dress has been adopted.

An expert has advised couples to forego sleeping in the same bed if they want to get a proper night’s sleep, and warned of the damaging effect that sharing a bed can have on long term health. Sleep Expert Tom Coleman joined Adrian to discuss if sleeping in separate beds really is the secrete to a happy relationship.

The All-Ireland Football Quarter-Finals are due to be played in Croke Park the weekend after next. This will involve long journeys from counties like Clare, Mayo Galway, Cork and Kerry. With petrol and diesel prices soaring ,GAA president and MEP Seán Kelly joined Adrian and fans , to discuss if these games should be moved out of Croke Park to smaller provincial grounds.

The Irish health service has come under fire with record numbers of junior doctors opting to leave the country in search of better working conditions. Adrian was joined by health care workers and listeners to discuss what can be done to address working conditions, hospital closures and increasingly long waiting lists.

A new farming survey has found that 87pc of farm owners in Ireland are male. This has indicated an unbalanced approach to inheritance within the agricultural sector. Catherine Gallagher, National President of the Irish Shows Association, joined Adrian and full time farmer Louise Crowley, to discuss what can be done to change attitudes towards gender within farming communities.

The American singer Lizzo has come in for sharp criticism for using an ableist slur. In her new song ‘Grrls’ (pron: girls) she uses the "s" word. While the word is used colloquially in the US to mean "freakout" many disability advocates say the derogatory use of this language shows how much still needs to be done. Bernard Mulvany from Access for All joined Andrea to discuss why lyrics such as these can cause great offense.

25 years since he first launched into superstardom as a solo artist, Robbie Williams has this morning announced a tour to mark the occasion. Andrea was joined by Danny McElhinney Music journalist with the Irish Mail on Sunday to take a look back at some of his biggest career highlights.

A shortage of taxis is causing havoc for those trying to get home from town after dark. Andrea was joined by listeners, night time economy workers and a taxi driver, to discuss the challenges people are facing trying to travel safely late at night.

Every Friday, we search for the definitive answer to some of the most burning questions in The Big Debate. Today, you gave us an answer to the question - ‘Are staycations better than foreign holidays?’

All this week on Lunchtime Live we have been talking about how treatment for cocaine use among young people in Ireland has increased by 171% between 2011 and 2019. The report from the health research board found that Ireland now has the second-highest proportion in Europe of 15- to 24-year-olds who have used cocaine. Adrian Kennedy spoke to listeners who were in touch with the show to discuss their experiences and observations of Ireland's drug culture.

Those of you who are tuning in every week to the latest of Sally Rooney’s novels to be adapted to the small screen will notice one of the lead actors in Conversations with friends has a questionable Dublin accent. Joe Alwyn who plays Nick in the Lenny Abraham-directed TV series is not the first non-native actor to have struggled with the Irish accent. John Fardy, Presenter of Screentime talked us through some of the most memorable Irish accent fopaux.

With Pride Month celebrations already well underway here in June, the strides made around inclusivity in this country are to the forefront. However, there are still certain areas of our society where we still have quite a long way to go. Conor Bredin recently addressed the INTO Congress to relay the challenging experiences faced by openly gay teachers in schools with a Catholic ethos and he joined Adrian Kennedy on the show this afternoon.

The Banking & Payments Federation Ireland's Payments Monitor for the first quarter of 2022 showed that cheque payments were at an all-time low earlier this year. As we move towards a cashless society, what are some of the advantages and drawbacks of waving goodbye to notes and coinage? Is cash dead?! Padraic Kissane, Financial Advisor, Jess Kelly, Tech Correspondent at Newstalk, Amanda Cassidy, Journalist & author and Stephen Deasy, CEO at Bear Market Coffee in Dublin all joined Adrian Kennedy on the show.

With dynamics around remote and hybrid working seemingly set to shift forever in the coming months, Caroline Reidy, Managing Director of The HR Suite joined Adrian to explore your queries around rights in the modern workplace.

As the contentious Saudi-backed LIV Invitational Golf Series gets under way today, Irish Golfer Graeme McDowell has conceded that it is "polarising" but said he's proud to be part of the new event. The controversial event sees 48 players competing for an eye-watering $25m prize pot. Kieran Cunningham, Chief Sports Writer with The Irish Daily joined Adrian to discuss if athletes make a morale stand when the worlds of sport and politics collide.

Madonna has finally chosen the actress who will play her in the upcoming biopic about her life. Julia Garner has been handpicked to play the “Like a Prayer” songstress. Madonna is recognized globally as a pop icon who has built a legacy that transcends music and Bill Hughes, Producer and Director at Mind The Gap Films joined Adrian to discuss the cultural impact she had.