Lunchtime Live

Welcome to The Pod Squad!We review podcasts every week so you always have something new to listen to.Host of the ‘What’s Trending in F1?’ podcast Elaine Power and Newstalk’s Ciaran Bradley  join Andrea to review ‘Elis James and John Robins’!Image: BBC

Many aspiring homeowners have been facing multiple challenges. The lack of housing and high costs have left people with no other choice but to look for more affordable housing in different areas across the country. This, however, also has its challenges. One of the major factors limiting potential homeowners are ‘Local Needs’.‘Local Needs’ are where a person cannot build a property if they do not have a local need in that area. Should this be the case, or should it be scrapped to tackle the housing crisis?To discuss, Andrea is joined by Laura Nolan, Professional Dancer from Dancing with the Stars, her partner Matthew McNabb, Town Planner Derek Whyte, Clement Herron from Clement Herron Real Estate and former IFA Deputy, Brian Rushe.

For this week’s Ask Me Anything, Pitch Manager of Croke Park, Stuart Wilson, joins Andrea to answer any of your pitch managing questions!

In some very positive news to bring us into the weekend, Westlife have announced they will be touring across Ireland next year to celebrate the band’s 25th anniversary.The first string of five consecutive concerts will take place next September in Dublin’s 3Arena, followed by another three day run in Belfast’s SSE Arena.Shane Filan joins Andrea to discuss!

Ireland ranks as the best country in Europe for ‘work-life balance’.Ireland tops the European index for the second year, thanks to its generous minimum wage and shorter working week compared to 2024 - beating countries like Iceland, Spain and Denmark by a generous margin.But, how accurate is this really. Do you think we have the best work life balance in Europe?Joining Andrea to discuss is Damien McCarthy, Managing Director of HR Buddy, as well as listeners.

A new plan for the treatment of endometriosis in Ireland is set to be announced over the weekend by the HSE.As it’s been discussed before on this show, endometriosis is a disease that affects women, where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows instead in other parts of the body.This can lead to patients suffering from chronic, debilitating pain.The Health Minister has previously acknowledged that endometriosis care in Ireland has been underfunded, under-researched, and is not widely understood.This new plan is set to address these new issues, but what provisions does it need to include?Joining Andrea to discuss is Cate O’Connor, Co-Founder of MISE, an educational programme for Irish schools, as well as listeners.

From broken ankles to safe family places, Breakfast Briefing Presenter Shane Beatty joins Andrea Gilligan with plenty of stories from around the country this week!

A third of children say that they can use screens “whenever they want”. This comes after new research carried out by CyberSafeKids asked children aged between eight and twelve years of age about their screentime habits.With children having access to screens, be it laptops, tablets, phones and TV: do we try to minimise their usage ,or is it an easy life just to leave them to their own devices (literally)?So, do you minimise your child’s screen time?Lecturer in Psychology and author of ’Perfectly Imperfect Parenting: Connection Not Perfection’, Dr Mary O’Kane and listeners join Andrea to discuss.

You have to start somewhere, and when you’re thinking about doing the floor in your home, what is the right way to go about it?Well, the Home Squad are here to discuss rugs and flooring!Joining Andrea to discuss is Jenny Sheehan, Irish Examiner Columnist and former winner of ‘Home of the Year’ (@workerscottage on Instagram) and Kate O’Driscoll, @victorianrathmines on Instagram.

We’re only in October, but if you think about it, Christmas is only 10 weeks away! And with Christmas comes the Christmas expenses…To get ahead of the panic buying and the overall stress of spending, Andrea is joined by Michelle O’Hara, National Spokesperson for MABS to give a step-by-step guide on budgeting for Christmas.