Highlights From Lunchtime Live

Inflation across groceries and household items is resulting in an increased spend of nearly €400 from the same shopping basket as last year, but how is it impacting Irish consumers and particularly families, and what are the ways in which the cost of living crisis has affected and changed the ways in which you shop?Joining guest host Anna Daly to discuss is Sinead Ryan, Consumer Columnist with the Irish Independent and Presenter of the Home Show on Newstalk, as well as listeners…

Are you superstitious? Do you believe in fairies? Maybe not, but would you interfere with a fairy fort or a hawthorn tree, and what do we believe about these ancient sites?Folklorist Shane Lehane advises that perhaps we'd better leave them alone when it comes to the fairies, and that there’s a long-standing tradition that decrees we should not touch these ancient sites.He joins guest host Anna Daly to discuss, as well as listeners.

Every Wednesday afternoon, we’ll be talking about Making Babies.Guest host Anna Daly is joined by Professor Shane Higgins, Master of the National Maternity Hospital to cover every area of trying to have a baby. From the very start of knowing how to prepare, right up to pregnancy – and all the bumps in the road in between.This week, Shane joins Anna to talk about different models of care?

In a major shake-up in France’s digital landscape - Pornhub, YouPorn, and RedTube have gone dark nationwide.The move comes after their parent company, Aylo, suspended access in protest of new French laws requiring strict age verification to block minors from adult content.Critics say it raises privacy concerns; the government insists it's protecting children.But, should porn sites in Ireland require user verification?Guest host Anna Daly is joined by listeners to discuss.

For this week’s Ask the Expert, guest host Anna Daly is joined by Roisin Sullivan, Lactation Consultant with the HSE to discuss and answer any questions regarding lactation!

The Irish language has exploded on TikTok, with a 600% growth in people using the platform through the language, according to reporting by the Herald.Guest host Anna Daly is joined by just a few of the online content creators that are contributing to this growth!Máire na Greine and Kayleigh Trappe join to discuss.

There’s a discussion happening in the Irish Times today about the need for more CCTV cameras to help Gardaí track down criminals, and also to generally act as a deterrent. At the moment, there is one Garda CCTV camera for every 6,000 people in our capital city. But, would more cameras help to tackle crime or infringe on our civil liberties and abilities to freely roam around and enjoy life?Guest host Anna Daly is joined by listeners to discuss.

Anna Daly’s guest today is Daire Fitzpatrick. His wife Anne-Marie became seriously ill in 2022, and was later diagnosed with Lyme disease through private testing. Daire is now her full-time carer, and they’re preparing for treatment abroad.Daire joins Anna 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 Jonathan O’Brien, the owner of City Kayaking to discuss kayaking through the heart of Dublin!

For this week’s Ask Me Anything, Katherine McGillicuddy, Practicing Barrister with an emphasis on criminal law, joins Andrea to answer any of your criminal trial questions!

The Women’s Mini Marathon is this weekend.Women from all over the country will be in Dublin this weekend to run the 10k around the city.Will you be taking part? Andrea is joined by two people who are to discuss!

Irish peacekeeping troops in Lebanon came under fire yesterday from Israeli forces.Tánaiste and Defence Minister Simon Harris described the incident as “utterly reckless” while on The Pat Kenny Show earlier today…The incident happened as he announced the renewal of Ireland’s UNIFIL Mandate for another 12 months – but is the region still safe for our troops?Joining Andrea to discuss is Gerard Craughwell, Independent Senator and former member of the Defence Forces, Mark Keeley, former Defence Forces, Tom Barry, retired Commandant with the Defence Force and Raymond Murphy, Professor at the Irish Centre For Human Rights in NUI Galway and former UN Peacekeeper.

With the bank holiday ahead of us, and hopefully a lovely summer ahead – we wanted to give you some much needed holiday inspiration!What are some of the more quirky or unique places to stay around the country?Joining Andrea to talk through them is Roie McCann from Clare Island Lighthouse, Derval Haughey from Teapot Lane, Lorna Williams from River Valley Holiday Park and Orla Conroy from Barrow Barge Hire.

From Cork culinary wins to rural social woes, Breakfast Briefing Presenter Shane Beatty joins Andrea with plenty of stories from around the country this week!

France is introducing a bold new smoking ban, extending to parks, beaches, and near schools - aiming for a tobacco-free generation by 2032.But, should Ireland do the same?Joining Andrea to discuss is Professor Luke Clancy, Director General of the Tobacco Free Research Institute Ireland, Ian O Doherty, Columnist with the Irish Independent, Green Party Councillor for Wicklow Erika Doyle and more.

t’s fair to say the weather hasn’t kept up its end of the bargain lately, we’ve had one too many summer showers and cloudy days!So, how do we make our indoors feel like outdoors, when that’s where we want to be?The Home Squad is here to talk about it!Jenny Sheehan, former winner of ‘Home of the Year’ who you’ll know on Instagram as @workerscottage & Róisín Lafferty, Founder & Creative Director of Róisín Lafferty Design House join Andrea.

What does it take to become an Irish citizen?Last year, over 5,000 took part in the citizenship ceremony that’s coming up in a few weeks.But, what does it involve?Joining Andrea to discuss is two people who know the process: Gina London and Maria Dickenson.

A listener contacted the show recently detailing how they have been plagued by poor customer service in recent years.How big of a problem is bad customer service, and should it be a consumer right?Joining Andrea to discuss is Conor Pope, Consumer Affair Correspondent at the Irish Times.

Are dickie-bows and ties a thing of the past, should children have the option to wear tracksuits, or should we stick to tradition and discipline?Joining Andrea to discuss is Rachel Harper, Principal of St. Patrick’s National School in Greystones, Barbara Ennis, Principal, Alexandra College Dublin and more.

We’ve decided to do a deep dive on some of our favourite albums to explore the stories behind them.What did the band really think of each other? Where did the inspirations from the songs come from?Joining Andrea to discuss is Newstalk’s Showbiz Reporter Emily Keegan, who’s going to talk us through the latest Taylor Swift project: ‘The Tortured Poets Department’...