Highlights From Lunchtime Live

Tech companies are using the same techniques as dog trainers to keep children hooked onto their apps…That’s a claim from Dog Trainer, Behaviourist, and science graduate, Deirdre Ryan, who joins Andrea to discuss. Also joining to discuss is Lecturer in Cyberpsychology, Dean McDonald.

With the rise in popularity of larger vehicles like SUVs, many are questioning whether car parking spaces are becoming too small to accommodate them.Traditional parking spaces, designed for smaller cars, may no longer be adequate for today’s larger vehicles.So, are cars becoming too big to park?Andrea is joined by Dave Humphreys, Motoring Journalist at CompleteCar.ie, as well as listeners, to discuss.

“After not speaking Irish for 10 years, Kneecap inspired me to take up the teanga…”So writes journalist Ciara O’Loughlin in the Irish Mirror. What impact has the group had on use of the language?Ciara joins Andrea to discuss, along with Chris McCaffrey, Irish Language Activist and Hazel De Nortuin, People Before Profit Councillor in Dublin.

Today is the International Day of Happiness!The sun is shining, it’s a glorious Thursday – so today, absolutely everyone must do one thing, even one simple thing, to make themselves happy.To discuss the day, Doctor, Author and Well-being Expert, Dr Mark Rowe, joins Andrea.

Gardaí fear using force to manage protests due to fears that incidents will be posted on social media, according to a new report by the Policing Authority in the wake of the Dublin riots in November of 2023.It is now common, the review found, for any use of force to be recorded and shared widely across social media platforms almost immediately.Gardaí say social media clips are edited out of context to make any use of force appear disproportionate, and expressed concern for their family members, where information regarding their name, address and family details are published online in the comments.What do you think about this issue?Andrea is joined by Mark O’Meara, President of the Garda Representative Association, as well as listeners, to discuss.

For this week’s Ask the Expert, guest host Anna Daly is joined by Dr John McCormick from Vasectomy Ireland to answer any of your vasectomy-related questions!

Could you give up your phone for four days?This question has been posed by Journalist Mary McCarthy in today’s Independent after a forced hiatus, and she joins guest host Anna Daly to discuss.

Private counselling sessions are the new school grinds, that’s according to Anna Daly’s guest…In wanting to comfort our children and ease their burden, are we in danger of depriving them of learning for themselves?Joining to discuss is Dr Clare Finegan, Lecturer in Education, Guidance and Counselling at Maynooth University’s Department of Education, as well as Principal of East Glendalough School Co. Wicklow Craig Petrie and Clinical Psychologist Tara Logan Buckley.

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.98FM’s Cathal O’Sullivan joined guest host Anna Daly in the studio to put a smile on your faces…Image: Netflix

Tourists are being told not to visit Mallorca this year – as locals say they are being overwhelmed by foreign visitors.A letter, signed by signed by seven protest groups in the Balearic Islands, reads:"Mallorca is not the paradise they are selling you. The local population is angry, and we are no longer hospitable because the land we love is being destroyed, and many residents are having to emigrate." It has caused a lot of concern among many Irish people who have booked to visit the island this summer… So, what can be done?Guest host Anna Daly is joined by Graham Keeley, Spain Correspondent for The Independent, Eoghan Corry, Editor travelextra.ie and listeners to discuss.Image: Reuters

Welcome to The Pod Squad!We review podcasts every Tuesday so you always have something new to listen to.Killian Ginnity from Newstalk’s Digital Team and Sarah Jayne Tobin from DMG Media join guest host Anna Daly to review the American Scandal series ‘Waco’!Image: Wondery

Are we all losing the chance to daydream?Apparently, listening to music all the time, or constantly having headphones in is stealing our opportunities to daydream.So, does it matter?Guest host Anna Daly is joined by Psychiatrist Brendan Kelly to discuss.

Yesterday, MMA fighter Conor McGregor visited the White House and accused the Irish government of “abandoning the voices of the people of Ireland." He also hit out at what he described as Ireland's “welcoming” policies towards immigration and support for asylum seekers…What did you make of his visit - and should he have been allowed to go in the first place?Guest host Anna Daly is joined by Rachel Morrogh, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre Chief Executive Officer, Patti Shields from Democrats Abroad as well as listeners to discuss.Image: @POTUS on X/Twitter

The age old question: do blondes have more fun?Anna Daly’s guest thinks they just might, after dappling with her own hair change…Elle Hunt, Freelance Journalist joins, along with Stylist and Journalist Laura Mullet and Journalist Andrea Smith to discuss!

It’s How I Live Well time! Where someone joins to discuss what they do to improve their life…This week, guest host Anna Daly is joined by Sami Corcoran, Instructor at the House of Pole pole dancing studio to discuss, well, pole dancing!

Gardaí are investigating an incident in which two women confronted an Israeli man at a bar in Dún Laoghaire. Palestinian Activist Léna Seale, one of the women involved in the incident, claims that the man is sharing images online of himself in Israeli military gear.Should we be allowing Israelis – specifically those who have served in the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) or those who are Zionists - into the country?Guest host Anna Daly is joined by listeners to discuss.

For this week’s Ask Me Anything, Richard Tierney, St Patrick’s Festival CEO, joins guest host Adrian Kennedy to answer any of your St Patrick’s Day questions!

Today is World Sleep Day!If it’s something you struggle with, it’s something you think about all the time...And one area that impacts a lot of people is the sleep, or lack thereof, of small babies!Sleep Expert Erica Hargaden joins guest host Adrian Kennedy to give her best advice.

A new study has revealed that 42% of adults admit that they have forgotten to have fun! And apparently, the age this happens is at 42, but is this really the case?Joining guest host Adrian Kennedy to discuss is Robbie Fox, former owner of Reynards Nightclub, Ian O’Doherty, Columnist with the Irish Independent and more.

A new poll has found that over 40% of dog owners say they worry about their dogs mental health.Almost three quarters say their pooches suffer ‘bouts of stress and anxiety’...What can you do when your pet is feeling stressed? Is it something that worries you?Guest host Adrian Kennedy is joined by Animal Behaviourist, Suzi Walsh, as well as listeners to discuss.