Highlights From Lunchtime Live

South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has been released from prison on parole, more than a decade after murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in in 2013.  He served nearly nine years of his 13 years and five months murder sentence for the shotting but will live under strict conditions until the remainder of his sentence expires in December 2029 Some of Pistorius’ parole conditions include restrictions on when he can leave his home, not being able to leave the district he is living in, a ban on consuming alcohol and being subjected to unannounced visits by authorities among others. What do you think about this approach to the justice system? Andrea was joined by Saoirse Brady, Executive Director, Irish Penal Reform Trust , Niall Spelman former prison Governor and John Cuffe, Criminologist, Former Prison Officer & Author...

If you’re feeling broke in January you’ll be glad to hear that there are some changes to wages and benefits that could make this year a little easier. Andrea was joined by Founder of Money Whizz Frank Conway to chat through the changes...

Every day we scour the newspapers but often, many great stories from the regional papers don’t make the headlines. Newstalk's Breakfast Briefing presenter Shane Beatty has rounded up some of the best stories that you might have missed... 

Agriculture Minister, Charlie McConalogue, has said restaurants and food outlets need to cut down on the amount of food they put on consumers’ plates to reduce waste. According to the EPA food waste costs the average Irish household about €60 a month or €700 a year!  Are our restaurant portion sizes causing too much waste? Andrea was joined by chef and author, JP McMahon, Orla McAndrew Zero Waste Wedding and Event Caterer, Sarah Keogh, Dietician and more to discuss...

Shops like Lidl and Aldi are set to slash their prices over the coming weeks. Aldi said prices had dropped across a range of its products, with the price of a typical trolley set to fall by about a fifth. Lidl will lower the price of 100 products this week, having already reduced the cost of more than 600 since October. Stefanie Preissner was joined by Tim Cullinan IFA President, Damian O’Reilly, a Lecturer in retail management at TU Dublin, Louise Crowley, Full Time Dairy Farmer and Siobhan O'Neill White from Mams.ie to discuss...

We hear a lot in January about getting fit and exercising, but how easy is it really? It can be quite intimidating to go into a gym when you haven’t been in a few months and you don’t feel confident in what you’re doing. So what are the best ways around it? Paul Byrne, Director of Body Byrne Training joined Stefanie Preissner on the show today...

It's time for Throwback Thursday, where we look back on things that happened this week in history. Ciaran O’Connor from 98fm joined Stefanie Preissner on Lunchtime Live... 

Is the NCT fit for purpose? Figures show that nearly half of the 1.5 million cars failed the full NCT test in Ireland last year. What has your experience been with NCT tests? Stefanie Preissner was joined by Joey Donnelly, owner of Crofton Motors in Dublin and other listeners to discuss...

Introducing a new slot for Lunchtime Live – The Pod Squad. We’ll review podcasts every Tuesday so you’ll have something new to listen to. Andrea was joined by Laura Mullet, Journalist and Podcast Enthusiast and Shelly Grey Presenter for Today FM and 98 FM to talk about the podcast The Pact, a courtroom drama... 

From the most popular names in Ireland to the amount of EVs sold – the Central statistic office figures for 2023 were released today.Alex Rowley from the Newstalk news team joined Andrea to break down some of the main statistics...

Luke Littler, the 16-year-old who has enjoyed a historic run to the final of the World Darts Championship He is now just one win away from becoming the youngest-ever champion.   Andrea was joined by Sports Journalist Conan Doherty and other listeners to discuss...

Yesterday the Minster for Environment Eamonn Ryan stated that disinformation is being accepted as gospel.  With the new year upon, the growth of social media and the tectonic rise of AI. Disinformation has never been as prevalent as it is today, so how can we spot disinformation in the new year?  Andrea was joined by Razan Ibraheem, a journalist specialising in content verification...

We have made a new year’s resolution on the show this year to look on the brighter side of life.  Our new item Lunchtime Live's Reasons to be Happy, will look at some of the news stories that you might have missed that will leave you feeling more optimistic.  This week in particular – its January, its grey outside, its cold – now more than ever we need a reason to be happy!   Newstalk’s own Cathal O’Sullivan joined Andrea in studio to put a smile on your faces.... 

Should all Irish primary schools be Gaelscoils? Estonia has announced a new law to ensure that over the next 10 years all primary schools that still teach primarily through Russian will have to switch to Estonian.  Could something like that work here? Would it help or hinder the language and our children’s education? Andrea was joined by Chris McCaffrey, Irish Language Speaker and former teacher based in Fermanagh and others to discuss...

From today, tolls on ten routes across the country will increase. Most road users will the charge increase by 20c, with heavy good vehicles increasing by 30-50c Andrea was joined by Shane O’Donoghue, Editor with completecar.ie and others to discuss...

Do you make new year’s resolutions? According to a new survey - 7 in 10 of under 29's think resolutions are outdated. What do you think? Have you every stuck to them? Siobhan Murray, psychotherapist, life-coach and author joined Andrea on the show today...

Coming back after January, Andrea Gilligan is determined to make some changes and become that bit healthier! Over the next few weeks Andrea will be joined by a number of different people to find out how they live well.Laughter Yoga instructor Marie Angeline Lascaux joined Andrea on Lunchtime Live today...

'If you would not eat it yourself, then don’t serve it up’  That is the message from health campaigner Jillian McNulty to hospital catering staff.  Jillian, who has cystic ­fibrosis, has been a patient multiple times and says that nine times out of ten the food comes cold or barely warm. Andrea was joined on Lunchtime Live by Jillian, Frances, Jason and JP McMahon - Chef, Author & Restauranteur to discuss...

Prepare for Christmas with ease as our cheese expert is here to show us how to whip up the perfect board for the day! Kevin Sheridan, owner of Sheridan's Cheese Mongers joined Andrea in studio today...

For some families, there’s extra celebrations this Christmas as they’ve welcomed babies in the past few months.  However it’s been a long road, as both babies were born through surrogacy. Andrea was joined bu Kyle and Grainne to discuss their experiences...