Lunchtime Live

The Rewind 1986 with Henry McKean 12pm Bank Holiday Monday the 2nd of February on Newstalk. It was the year of Top Gun. Crocodile Dundee and The Mission. Maradona and the Hand of God. The Challenger Space Shuttle disaster. Chernobyl. And the biggest hit of the year, Chris De Burgh’s Lady in Red. Chris De Burgh talks about his friend Diana loving the song, how Pat Kenny influenced him to write it. And the song going to number 1 in 28 countries. It’s the 40th anniversary

For this week’s Ask Me Anything, Andrea was joined in the studio by her new colleague here at Newstalk, Claire Byrne.

Children’s book author, Julia Donaldson, is under fire for the language used in her book, The Highway Rat.  In it she writes ‘The highway rat grew horribly fat from eating up everyone’s dinner.’ This has been highlighted online by body image speaker Alex Light who says she won’t be reading that line to her son, even though she loves the author.  I want to know what you think. Should children’s authors be more mindful about the language they use? Should we be combing through our best-loved fairy tales to make sure they’re not insulting or insensitive? Or is that all a bit OTT? They are only stories after all.  Andrea was joiend by Children's book author, Benji Bennett, Entertainment journalist, Sarina Bellissimo, Katie Makk Host of The Opinions Matter Podcast, Aideen Finnegan, Presenter of Early Edition from the Irish times and Rebecca Horan, parenting podcaster and mother of 2.

Move over Matt Damon, there’s a new Hollywood mega star in town....It’s been reported that 62-year-old Brad Pitt is in Dalkey in South County Dublin for the next two weeks to film scenes for his upcoming A24 production, The Riders.  We all remember the famous picture of Matt Damon there in 2020 with the Supervalu bag, will Brad be more of a Dunne's Store man?Joining Andrea to fill us all in was Kendra Becker – Editor Goss.ie and Katie Gallagher from Spin.  

BlurbMany people plan their year around the number of weddings they have to go to. Whether your flying abroad to celebrate someone’s special day or you are going somewhere local, weddings can often come with lot of expenses. The likes of hotels, hair and makeup and an outfit for the big day can all add up.  With all of these costs, broadcaster, Roz Purcell has expressed that she is not a fan of wedding gifts from guests and feels that people going to a wedding is a gift in itself.  Do you agree with Roz? Should a person’s presence at your wedding be enough, or should you give a wedding gift to commemorate a couple's big day? We want to hear your thoughts.  To discuss, Andrea was joined by Freelance journalist Edaein O' Connell, Wedding planner, Lyndsey Moynagh aswell as well as listeners to give their opinion.

Roisin Tansey was just three years old when she fell from the back of an armchair and injured her neck, an injury which has left her paralysed from the neck down.Last week, Roisin settled a High Court action against Children’s Health Ireland at Temple Street for €4million over her care after the accident.  Roisin and her Solicitor David O’Connor from Callan Tansey solicitors  joined Andrea to reflect on her journey to justice  

Breakfast Briefing Presenter Shane Beatty joined Andrea with plenty of stories from around the country this week!

Margaret Murphy from Tallaght lost her son Seán in the summer of 2023 when he collided with a pillar on a driveway. Following the loss of another young person on our roads last week. Margaret spoke to Andrea of the pain of losing her son, his legacy and called for stricter legislation regarding the use of scramblers on public roads.

Claire Byrne explores the big stories through the lens of real life.This podcast brings context, consequences and clarity to the issues shaping Ireland today.Covering politics and current affairs alongside the human stories behind them, Claire asks the questions people are thinking, but don’t always hear answered.From housing and health to work, family life, well-being and culture, you’ll hear smart, engaging discussion and moments of light relief - connecting the dots between what’s happening and what it means for you. And it all kicks off on February 3rd.Follow The Claire Byrne Show on the GoLoud app, or wherever you get your podcasts.

You spend a lot of your life on one, so how do you know if you’re sleeping on the right mattress for you?This week, the Home Squad are here to discuss all things mattresses!Joining Andrea to discuss is  Jenny Sheahan -Home Squad Regular and ‘workers cottage’ on instagram  and Painter Oisin Butler from oisinbutler.ie