Lunchtime Live

According to a HSE National Ambulance Service report, bystander CPR in cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest increased by 25% between 2012 and 2023.Around 70% of people will do CPR to someone they know, whilst 60% of CPR instances will happen in the home.Owner of First Aid for Everyone, Siobhan Butler, joins Andrea to discuss the do’s and don’ts when carrying out CPR.

This year on Lunchtime Live we’ve been looking at things that we can do in order to make ourselves that bit happier and healthier.This week, Andrea is joined by Brigid O’Hora, author of ‘The Home Sommelier’ to discuss how you can pick out the perfect bottle of wine in a supermarket!

Unemployed people who refuse to engage with social welfare ­employment services will see their Jobseeker’s Benefit cut by €90 under a plan quietly signed off by the Government after the Budget.At the moment,  people who refused to engage with department officials or ­return-to-work schemes would see their payments cut €44 a week.If a person re-engages with welfare services, their full jobseeker payment is restored.This would see that fine doubled. Is that fair?Andrea is joined by People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith and listeners to discuss.

Dr Nina Byrnes, GP at Generation Health Medical Clinic joined Andrea to tackle your medical queries…

Do you have any ‘vampire friends’? The friends that absolutely suck the life out of you, maybe with negativity, or they just leave you feeling drained after a catch up?How do you spot them, and more importantly, how do you deal with them?Mark Fennell, Life Coach, Speaker and Author joins Andrea to discuss.

Listener Tina Koumarianos got in touch with the show to share her issue. She has about 50 rats currently in her garden, and the problem doesn’t seem to be getting better.Trevor Hayden from Complete Pest Control as well as Tina and more join Andrea to discuss what should be done in this situation.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has accused RTÉ of “electoral interference” over a satirical joke aired on the Late Late Show.During the opening monologue, Late Late host Patrick Kielty spoke of “the Sinn Féin traitors, the show we all want to see” when joking about a new Irish version of the hit reality TV show, Traitors.Did he push it too far? Where is the line when it comes to political satire?To discuss, Andrea is joined by Paddy Prendiville, Editor of The Phoenix and John Lee, Executive Editor of the Daily Mail.

This is Lunchtime Live’s Big Batch. Every Monday we’ll be learning new easy to cook batch recipes to keep you eating well. No more staring into an open fridge looking for inspiration!This week, Andrea is joined by Food Creator Sinéad Delahunty, to look at how you can get the most out of oats!Follow the hashtag #LLBigBatch for all our recipes.

A new survey reveals almost 1,000 teaching vacancies nationwide in primary and special schools as principals struggle to fill posts.The survey carried out by the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO), Irish Primary Principals’ Network and the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association, says principals have become increasingly reliant on personnel who are not registered with the Teaching Council to cover short-term absences.So, why are primary and special schools across the country struggling to find staff?To discuss, Andrea is joined by Siobhan O’Neill White from Mams.ie, Rachel Harper, Principal of St. Patrick’s National School and Padraig Wilson McCarthy, teacher on a career break.

Every Friday, as part of our ‘Ask Me Anything’ series, we put your questions to people from interesting backgrounds or working in different careers.This week, Andrea was joined by Ann Grimes, Duty Control Supervisor in the National Emergency Operations Centre in Tallaght to answer any of your dispatch questions!