Lunchtime Live

Are we losing the ability to write legibly?Poor handwriting in Scottish schools is holding pupils back with assessors increasingly deducting marks from “indecipherable” exam papers.Do you think handwriting has gotten worse?Andrea is joined by listeners to discuss.

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 Collette O’Hagan to learn all about marathons - she’s about to do her 1,000th!

Irish people are living in their childhood home until they are 28 on average, according to an analysis from the European Union’s statistic agency Eurostat.The Irish figures are above the EU average of 26.3 years, while people in Finland are living independently at the age of just 21.4 years.What do you think about the younger generation staying at the parental level until so much later in life?Andrea is joined by listeners to discuss and share their experiences.

Dr Niall Breen from the Portmarnock GP Clinic joined Andrea Gilligan to tackle your medical queries.

Did you go to many weddings this summer? If so, how many of them took place in a Church? Odds are, it’s been less than usual.Fewer and fewer Irish couples are opting for traditional Irish weddings, but it still remains the most popular option for those getting wed.So, why are so many of us forgoing faith based ceremonies?Andrea is joined by Broadcaster Ruth Scott, who is a qualified Humanist Celebrant and Lindsey Moynagh, Wedding Planner to discuss.

Sadie entered the foster system before her first birthday and left at the age of 18. She's now working as a special needs assistant. She has found love, and has a family of her own. And works in Wexford.She joins Andrea to talk about her experience of the foster system.If there was anything in this podcast that affected you, The Samaritans can be reached at any time on 116 123.

Manifesting: are you all for it? Or do you think it’s a load of codswallop? “The Queen of Manifestation” Roxie Nafousi attracted big crowds to her live show in Dublin’s Helix Theatre, so there must be something to it - right?Irish Independent Journalist Tessa Ndjonkou was there, and joined Andrea, along with Ruth Allen, Hypnotherapist and Hypno Psychotherapist and Dr Sabina Brennan, Psychologist and Neuroscientist to discuss.

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 Chef and Director of Conbini Condiments, Holly Dalton, to look at how versatile the short rib can be! With multiple recipes sure to make your batch cooking exciting!Follow the hashtag #LLBigBatch for all our recipes.

Councils could stop cars and raid houses under plans for a fresh crackdown on smoky fuel sales.The new measures are contained in a draft Air Pollution Bill currently being finalised, which would grant councils search-and-seize powers to clamp down on the sale and distribution of smoky fuels.What do you think about these proposals? Should councils have the power to raid houses? To stop and detain vehicles?To discuss, Andrea is joined by Roni Hawe, Programme Manager in the EPA / Programme Manager - Office of Radiation Protection and Environmental Monitoring, Cllr Feljin Jose, Green Party Councillor in Dublin, Cllr Padraig Fallon, Sinn Fein Councillor in Leitrim and more.

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 Gilligan was joined by former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to answer your questions!