Highlights From Lunchtime Live

The Irish language seems to be having a moment right now. Irish language movie ‘Cailin Ciuin’ has received an Oscar nomination and Paul Mescal made headlines for giving the Cupla Focail a go during a red carpet interview. Is the Irish language cool again? Andrea was joined by Professor Pragya Agarwal, Councillor Hazel de Nortuin, Gerard and Fiachra to discuss using the cúpla focail…

Journalist Mary MacCarthy has a piece in the Irish Independent and in it, she talks about her struggles trying to find age appropriate clothes for her twelve year old daughter. Andrea was joined by Mary to explain what prompted her to write the piece. Sarina Bellissimo, presenter of The Bellissimo Files podcast and listeners Keren, Nicki and Maria joined Andrea too on Lunchtime Live to discuss…

There is absolutely no ‘academic advantage’ to going to a single sex school in Ireland, according to research carried out by the University of Limerick. What is the value in going to a single sex school? Is there one? Or is it all just about choice? Should parents always have the right to choose what kind of school their children go to? Andrea was joined by listeners to discuss…

Students in the UK's Cambridge University have voted to push for a completely vegan menu across its catering services. The Cambridge Student Union voted to remove all animal products from its cafes and canteens, creating a “sustainable and 100 per cent plant-based” menu. Andrea was joined by Nathan McGovern, Plant-Based Universities Co-Founder and Press Coordinator, Kaley Nolan from UCC Vegan Society and others to discuss…

Is it time that we starting building high rise housing to help ease the accommodation crisis? Andrea was joined on Lunchtime Live by Independent Dublin City Councillor, Mannix Flynn, Tom Phillips, Managing Director of Tom Phillips and Associates, Adjunct Associate Professor of Architecture and Planning at UCD, Róisín Murphy, Architect and others to discuss...

Carers will receive a €200 lump sum as part of a cost-of-living package unveiled by the Government today but carers say that this isn’t enough, and that the Government needs to pay them a living wage. Andrea was joined by Róisín and Tracy to discuss...

Is it ever too late to take up a hobby? As we get older some people can find it difficult to meet new people and start completely from scratch. Andrea wanted to give listeners some inspiration for trying something new later in life. Listeners Jenny, Eddie and Édaein joined Andrea on Lunchtime Live to discuss...

Gardaí in Ballyfermot were attacked by what some people are describing as a lawless mob. The Guards were there as part of a policing plan around the funeral of a young man. The plan had been put in place because Guards had been warned that a large number of scramblers would be at the funeral. One guard was struck in the face by a bottle after trying to help an elderly woman when she was nearly hit by one of the scrambler bikes. One video shows a crowd of young people gathering around two guards, shouting and lunging at them. Andrea was joined by Tara McManus, Assistant General Secretary of the Garda Representative Association and Vincent Jackson, Independent Councillor in Ballyfermot and other listeners to discuss… Image: Screenshot of the event taking place in Ballyfermot, Dublin Twitter/@dubslife1

Early hair loss and alopecia is something that is becoming more commonplace nowadays in both women and men. Are hair transplants becoming more normalised? How common is early hair loss in Ireland? And if it happened to you - How much does losing your hair affect your confidence? And your daily life? Andrea was joined by Saoirse, Craig, Chloe and Caroline to discuss..

Should the eviction ban be extended? People Before Profit is set to launch a bill today which calls for the eviction ban to be extended and strengthened. The existing ban is due to come to an end on March 31st. But what do you think? Is it a relief for renters? Or putting more pressure on landlords? Andrea was joined by James O’Toole who is facing eviction from Tahony House and listeners Tom, Rich, Michelle and James to discuss…

38 official complaints of bullying were made to the HSE last year. That’s according to figures released to Newstalk through a Freedom of Information request. Records show the HSE’s HR National Investigations Unit was notified of 29 complaints in 2021. That's up from 17 in 2020. However, 46 claims were made in 2019 with 41 in 2018. Andrea was joined by Dr Matthew Sadlier from the IMO Consultant Committee to discuss…

The latest editions of Roald Dahl's children's books have been edited to remove language which the publishers believe could be considered offensive. References in the classic children's books relating to weight, mental health, violence, gender and race have been cut and rewritten. What do you think about the changes? Andrea was joined by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett, a publisher with Little Island Books, Marie, Pat and Adina to discuss...

Journalist, Chrissie Russell’s four-year-old son has been diagnosed as having a ‘severe learning disability’. Because of it, he’s non-verbal. Chrissie joined Andrea to talk about dealing with this as a parent, and the difficulties navigating ‘the system’...

Would you plan out your funeral? Jenny Curran wants to put the FUN in funeral and is currently planning what she wants people to do when she dies. Jenny joined Andrea on Lunchtime Live to discuss her plans…

Yesterday, Dublin Commuter Coalition met with Minister Jack Chambers about the Road Safety Action Plan. They are calling for urgent progress on default 30kph speed limits in urban areas. Would you support a default 30kph speed limit? Andrea was joined by Lauren Tuite, Michael, Noel Horgan from the Drogheda Cycling group and other listeners to discuss…

Do we respect our defense forces enough? Irish Defence Forces’ charity has today unveiled QR-coded camouflage streetwear to raise vital funds for homeless veterans. Andrea was joined on Lunchtime Live by Martin and Brendan, former members of the Defence Forces, others who served and family members to discuss...

A local Drogheda football club is heartbroken today to find their container with all their equipment was set on fire overnight. The container which houses dressing rooms, as well as nets, balls, pitch marker and their training equipment are all ruined. Andrea was joined by Brian O’Reilly is the Manager of Abbey Celtic Football Club in Drogheda and Robbie Martin from Leixlip United football club to discuss... Image: Twitter - Abbey Celtic Fc Drogheda @fc_abbey

There have been 200 complaints to the National Transport Authority about taxis not accepting card payments, despite rules that came in to place in September that said that every taxi in Ireland must accept credit and debit card payments as well as cash. Andrea was joined by listeners and taxi drivers to discuss…

Irish cancer survivors say they are left unable to access insurance or mortgages years after recovery. They say that having to disclose their diagnosis, even if they’re in remission, prevents them from getting things like life insurance or a mortgage. They say it’s discriminatory and the ‘Right to Be Forgotten’ must be adopted into Irish Law. However, the insurance industry is pushing back. Andrea was joined by Ciarán, Erica, Paul Merriman, Financial Adviser from askpaul.ie and other listeners to discuss…

An interesting article in today’s Irish Independent - ‘One and done: Why is there still stigma around being an only child?’ - the article explores the old myth that apparently still persists about the ‘lonely’ only child. What do you think? Is there still a stigma around single child families? Barbara Neeson, who wrote the article, joined Andrea on Lunchtime Live today to discuss. Listeners Jo, Rosemary and Mark also joined the show…