Lunchtime Live

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!