Lunchtime Live

For this week’s Ask the Expert, Barry Kenny, Communications Manager with Irish Rail joins Andrea to answer any of your train-related questions!

Does Ireland value its elderly enough?It’s the question posed by Actress Mary McEvoy.She joins Andrea, along with Valerie Cox Journalist and author and more to discuss.

Scoliosis waiting lists have been covered many, many times on the show, and there has finally been some good news for one family.Eight-year-old Harvey Sherratt is due to get his long awaited spinal surgery on Friday.Harvey’s mum, Gillian, joins Andrea to discuss.

The chapel in Mountjoy Prison has been closed by the prison to be used for other purposes due to overcrowding.The chapel is being repurposed into a video room - so that prisoners can appear remotely for court hearings. There’s also talk it could be used for videoing family members.The closure of the Catholic chapel was done without any consultation with the prison chaplaincy, and temporarily ends the saying of mass for any prisoners who wish to avail of it.So, is it right to take away a spiritual resource like this?Andrea is joined by Saoirse Brady Executive Director of the Irish Penal Reform Trust, Niall Spelman, former Assistant Prison Governor of Wheatfield Prison, Michele Kerrigan, Executive Director, Care After Prison and former prisoners to discuss.

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.Today FM’s Cathal O’Sullivan joined Andrea in the studio to put a smile on your faces…Image: BBC

“My local swimming pool says boys aged 8 and over need to use the men’s changing rooms – I think it’s lunacy…” So writes Niamh O’Reilly in the Irish Independent. Is she right?Andrea is joined by Niamh and more to discuss.

Welcome to The Pod Squad!We review podcasts every Tuesday so you always have something new to listen to.This week, Tom Douglas from Newstalk’s Newsroom and Elaine Burke, host of the ‘For Tech’s Sake’ Podcast join Andrea to review ‘If Books Could Kill’!

Last night, the ROSA Socialist Feminist Movement organised a march against gender violence outside Dublin City Hall following the conclusion of the civil sexual assault case between Nikita Hand and Conor McGregor.Andrea was there to get the thoughts of attendees, including Natasha O’Brien.

“Everything flipped and I thought from this point on, my life was never going to be the same…” Broadcaster Sean Defoe shared his reaction to receiving a cancer diagnosis on Lunchtime Live last year, and today, he joins Andrea again to discuss his health and how Seán feels about the diagnosis one year on.Andrea is also joined by some listeners who similarly got a diagnosis and how it impacted them and their families.

Christmas has well and truly started; people have put up trees and present shopping is well underway…So, when you’re buying these festive gifts, how important is it to support local, Irish businesses?Over the next few weeks, Andrea will be speaking with Irish producers across the country about the wonderful things they have on offer.Today, Andrea is joined by Niamh Devereux, Editor of Irish Country Magazine and Dee Laffan, Editor-in-Chief of Scoop Food Magazine to discuss.