Lunchtime Live

Welcome to The Pod Squad!We review podcasts every week so you always have something new to listen to.Laura Mullet Journalist and Stylist and Tom Douglas from the Newstalk Newsroom join Andrea to review ‘Jane Austen Stories’!Image: Noiser

A new report from environmental law and policy group Opportunity Green has said that The Government should scrap Irish aviation’s “free pass” on climate by introducing an air travel tax. By doing this it will ensure the sector pays its fair share for pollution.Many people in Ireland only fly once a year, while others are frequent flyers. Should people be expected to pay this levy and how would it impact the price of our flight?Would you be less inclined to travel abroad if you had to pay a frequent flyer levy?Joining Andrea to discuss is Independent Climate and Environment Researcher and Contributor to the Irish times, Sadhbh O’Neill, as well as listeners.

For this week’s Ask Me Anything, former Meteorologist Evelyn Cusack joins Andrea to answer any of your weather-related questions!

By this time tomorrow, a €5 bottle of e-liquid will cost over €10 thanks to a tax that was introduced as part of last year's budget…A flat rate of 50c per millilitre of e-liquid will be applied, so for some, their vape fix will more than double. We’re told this is causing a rush to vape shops today so people can get in ahead of the increase.Do you have any sympathy, and is the price hike too much?Andrea is joined by listeners to discuss.

You may have been listening to our piece about the Kildare Ladies Camogie and Football Finals on Wednesday.It got such a huge response, that we decided to come back to it today…Joining Andrea to discuss is Pat Mc Dowell, Manager and Chairman of Muckalee Ladies Gaelic Football Club in Kilkenny and Rachel Sheehan from Off The Ball.

Tourism Ireland has been marketing Ireland around the world as the ‘Home of Halloween’, and it seems like it’s been a pretty big success: it's generated €50 million!So, was it the right move?Joining Andrea to discuss is Tom Lawlor, Co-Director of Dublin City Council’s Bram Stoker Festival, Head of Culture for Derry City and Strabane District Council, Aeidin McCarter and Historian and Journalist Rob Buachanan.

Breakfast Briefing Presenter Shane Beatty joins Andrea Gilligan with plenty of stories from around the country this week!

New figures from The Central Bank of Ireland have shown that motor insurance premiums rose by an average of 9% to €623 last year.Despite a drop-off of 1,000 in the number of private motor claims last year, the total cost of settlements rose by €42 million to a record €896 million, up 38% on the pre-Covid average…If there are less claims, why is car insurance on the rise and how can we tackle these rising costs?Joining Andrea to discuss is Brian Hanley, Director of the Alliance for Insurance Reform, Editor with Completecar.ie, Shane O’Donoghue, Moyagh Murdoch, CEO of Insurance Ireland, as well as listeners.

When you make changes to your home’s interior, there are some mistakes you can make that even a professional can fall into.This week, the Home Squad are here to discuss those mistakes, and how you can avoid them!Joining Andrea to discuss is Jenny Sheehan, Irish Examiner Columnist and former winner of ‘Home of the Year’ (@workerscottage on Instagram) and Tanya Neufeld Flanagan, Interior Designer and podcast host.

Parents who have children in hospital have enough worries to deal with than to think of what they should have for lunch. With catering in hospitals, staff would have no problem but to help ease the burden by providing something as simple as tea and toast to parents. However, if you are not breastfeeding your child, you must fend for yourselves.Joining Andrea to discuss is Consultant in Pediatric Intensive Care at Crumlin Children’s Hospital, Suzanne Crowe, Certified lactation consultant and member of Association for Improvements in Maternity Services in Ireland, Maria O’Sullivan and Irish Times Journalist and host of the Conversations with Parents Podcast, Jen Hogan and more.