Highlights From Lunchtime Live

A new report from the Garda Síochána Inspectorate recommends that gangland informants who provide valuable intelligence on organised crime should be permitted to commit criminal offences in certain circumstances.What do you think about this approach?Should informants be allowed to get away with some crime if they are feeding information to the police?Joining Andrea to discuss is Nicola Tallant, Host of the Crime World Podcast & Investigations Editor with the Sunday World, Kathleen Chada, Founder of SAVE Action Group, Niall Spelman, former Assistant Governor of Wheatfield Prison and more.

Last week, Peter McElroy from myUKpension was on the show to discuss how you might be eligible to claim a UK pension. So many people sent in questions, that he joins Andrea again for this week’s Ask the Expert!

Can you make yourself into a morning person?Sleep Expert Tom Coleman has tips on how to make those early mornings a little brighter, and joins Andrea to discuss.

With the required 270 Electoral College votes passed, it is all but confirmed that Donal Trump will be returning to the White House as President of the United States.So, what are your reactions, did you stay up late for coverage, and is it anything you expected?Andrea is joined by Americans living in Ireland and Irish living in America to discuss reactions, as well as Newstalk Reporter Ellen Butler.Image: Reuters

Dinner party ‘do’s and don’ts’ have been revealed in a new survey.About a quarter of us taste food directly from a spoon we’re cooking with, while only a third have wiped down a bread knife and put it back in the rack!Joining Andrea to discuss more of these is Andrew Rudd, Chef and Director of Medley Restaurant and Tara O'Connor from The Designed Table.

Lunchtime Live's Reasons to be Happy looks at some of the news stories that you might have missed that will leave you feeling more optimistic.Today FM’s Cathal O’Sullivan joined Andrea in the studio to put a smile on your faces…

Welcome to The Pod Squad!We review podcasts every Tuesday so you always have something new to listen to.Sarah-Jayne Tobin, Editor of rollercoaster.ie and Laura Donnelly from Newstalk’s Newsroom joined Andrea to review ‘Against All Odds: Chilean Mine Collapse’!

Haughton’s Pub in Kilmeaden in Waterford closed its doors 14 months ago, but thanks to a group of regulars, the bar has reopened, much to the delight of the local community!Sean Lyons from Haughton’s Pub joins Andrea to discuss what happened.Image: Daft.ie

Election day voting has begun in the United States, with Donald Trump and Kamala Harris vying to become the next President.Harris has advocated for abortion rights and pledged to lower food and housing costs for working families, while Trump has vowed to seal the border and has proposed tax cuts worth trillions.So, who will win? And when will we know?Joining Andrea to discuss is Simon Marks, Chief Correspondent for Feature Story News in Washington DC. Newstalk Reporter Josh Crosbie and Chief Newstalk Reporter Barry Whyte also report from Mar-a-Lago in Florida and the University of California in Berkeley. Image: Reuters

Do you know how much Christmas is going to set you back?Irish Times Consumer Journalist, Conor Pope has calculated just how much Christmas will cost for a family of five in Ireland, and joins Andrea 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 Conor Mc Donnell, President GAA Handball to learn all about the sport!

Farmers in north Mayo are calling for a deer cull in the area.There are worries that the growing number of deer will wreak havoc on local roads, animal and public safety as well as concerns about the spread of TB and with the animals eating and trampling on land prepared for silage…Joining Andrea to discuss is Martin McAndrew, a farmer in the area, Seamus Cosgrove, INHFA (Irish Natura & Hill Farmers Association Head Office) Mayo Chair, John Tierney from the Association of Hunt Saboteurs, Gerry Loftus, founder of the Rural Ireland Organisation and more.

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

The US music titan Quincy Jones has died.Most Famous for producing albums like Michael Jackson’s Thriller and collaborating with artists like Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles, he’ll be massively missed by the music world.Singer RuthAnne, who knew him as well as Arts Journalist and Broadcaster Pat Carty join Andrea to reflect on his legacy.

22 year old Hannah Leonard was training for the Dublin Marathon while in Sicily when she was struck by a car. Hannah suffered “devastating” brain injuries, and is currently in a coma in Italy. Her family are by her bedside, but have had to issue a warning after scammers set up a bogus fundraising page.Hannah’s father Kevin joins Andrea to discuss.If you would like to support the real fundraiser, you can go here:https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-hannah-leonard-and-her-family-while-they-navigate-he

Broadcaster Ruth Scott posted something on her social media recently about her experience with psoriasis, and it got Andrea’s attention.She joins the show to discuss that experience, along with Professor Brian Kirby, Consultant Dermatologist at St Vincent’s University Hospital Dublin.

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!With winter officially here, this week, Andrea is joined by Chef and Director of Conbini Condiments, Holly Dalton to learn more about hearty and warm soup and broth!Follow the hashtag #LLBigBatch for all our recipes.

Americans are voting for their next president in a general election that culminates on Tuesday, November 5th.Democrat Kamala Harris, the current Vice-President, and Republican Donald Trump, the former President, have been running neck-and-neck for weeks.How long will we have to wait to know who the next US president will be?Joining Andrea to discuss and learn more is Lorcan Nyhan, Communications Clinic and Columnist at the Sunday Independent, Gina London, former White House Correspondent for CNN and Sunday Independent Columnist, Stephen O'Leary, Founder of social media analytics firm Olytico and Alexandra Ryan, CEO of Goss.ie.Image: Reuters

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 Maria McNamara, Professor of Paleontology at UCC to answer all of your fossil-related questions!

You’ve heard the expression ‘Everyone has a book in them’, but have you ever thought about actually writing yours?And if you did, have you thought about what might go into getting it published?Just how tough is it to be an independent author? And how do you go about it?To discuss, Andrea is joined by Yvonne Reddin, Author of ‘TLC, Talk Learn Connect’ and Jane Buckley, writing a book based on 'Project Children'.