Highlights From Lunchtime Live

A campaign is underway to fund West Cork’s first special needs school. Ray O’Mahony is among those involved in fronting the initiative alongside wife Laura, and he joined Andrea to explain how challenging it has been not having access to resources near by.

With temperatures for 2022 potentially set to peak this week, Dr Catherine Norton, Performance nutritionist and registered dietitian at the University of Limerick, joined Andrea to discuss how much water we should be drinking and what issues can arise if we are not drinking enough.

An email came in from a Lunchtime Live listener, who feels punished in work for being pregnant. Richard Grogan is an employment solicitor and he joined us to talk about your employee rights if you’re pregnant.

Its that time of year again where students begin the hunt for accommodation. Andrea was joined by students who were in touch with the show from various parts of the country to describe how a lack of accommodation and high prices is leaving many of them without a place to live.

A Kerry grandmother, Fiona Griffin, is fulfilling her dreams after heading off on a J1 to America at the age of 66. She spoke to Andrea from America about her trip and decision to head over to the US.

Office workers want to ban telephone calls in the workplace because they find them ‘confrontational’ and ‘aggressive’. That is according to a survey which found that 75% of people would rather communicate by email or social media instead of answering their phone. Andrea was joined by listeners to discuss if it is time to ban phone calls all together.

Famous travel bible The Lonely Plane, has featured a list of problems with the city of Dublin in their latest guidebook. It warns potential visitors about some of the issues they might encounter, including high prices, difficultly finding seats in pubs and airport baggage chaos. Andrea was joined by Joan Scales from travel2ireland.ie and others who work in tourism to discuss if tourists have good reason to dodge Dublin.

Death is never an easy topic to discuss with your loved ones. Baz Ashmawy and his mum Nancy, of 50 ways to kill your mammy fame, have set out to open up the conversation in their new documentary ‘Baz and Nancy’s Last Orders’. Baz joined Andrea and Colm Kieran, Funeral director and former spokesperson for the Irish Association of Funeral Directors to discuss the documentary and the difficulties people face when talking about the end of a loved ones life.

Every Friday, we search for the definitive answer to some of the most burning questions in The Big Debate. Today on our Big Debate, we want to finally get the answer to the question- ‘Should ‘Chuggers’ be banned?’ That’s right – Chuggers, the name given to those people who approach you in the street asking for subscriptions or donations to a particular charity. Should they be banned?

Practicing Catholics here would like to see priests allowed to marry, women ordained, and more respect for the LGBTQI plus community. They also want to see shorter sermons and the removal of 'bloodthirsty' readings from the Old Testament. A survey - carried out among Mass-goers in 26 Irish dioceses - will be reviewed by a national assembly in Athlone this weekend. What do you think?

They may have ended their engagement 25 years ago, but Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Pitt say they still love each other … at least as friends! But how common is it for former partners to maintain a platonic bond? Is it a good idea? Stephanie Regan, Clinical Psychotherapist & author of Relationships on the Edge joined Andrea to discuss some of the considerations around it.

Today is Take Back The Lunch Break Day, an initiative first pioneered in 2018 to tackle the 24/7 culture of the modern workplace. Of course, the rise in remote/hybrid working has obviously had a further impact on this dynamic. Have the lines become too blurred? Are you very particular about taking breaks? Or do you end up at your desk more often than not? Caroline Reidy, Managing Director of The HR Suite and HR and Employment Law Expert joined Andrea on the show.

Should the drinking age in Ireland be lowered to 16 to try combat teenagers drinking in local parks? Speaking on the Breakfast show today- Cork Cllr Shane O'Callaghan said that it should be considered. Andrea spoke to listeners who got in touch on the issue.

Every week, we give you the chance to get access to an expert- this week, we put your motoring questions to Motoring Journalist Geraldine Herbert.

Ireland’s health service is a topic we covered in depth on Tuesday’s programme, with junior doctors and nursing staff among those affected by stretched infrastructure in this country. It has of course had a knock-on effect on patients, including Breda O’Gorman, whose wait for potentially life-saving appointment in Cork University Hospital (CUH) has gone on over a year, her husband joined Andrea to issue an urgent plea on her behalf.

Fiann O'Nuallain The Holistic Gardener joined Andrea to discuss some holistic remedies to protect yourself against summer ailments.

Customer based reviews on sites like Trip Advisor , have been criticized by some for being potentially harmful to local businesses. Andrea was joined by chefs, restaurateurs and food writers to debate if these kinds of review systems, leaves restaurants open to abuse that could have serious consequences for businesses.

Many people have a book in them but don't know how to go about getting it published. Author Frances Flannery from Leopold Bloom Press joined Andrea to offer advice on getting your writing career up and running.

Last week, we spoke about the increase in numbers of young people looking for help dealing with cocaine addiction. Andrea spoke to Sally who told her about her son’s struggles with addiction and living with an addict. Today Jackie McKenna, Family support specialist Family Addiction Support Network, joined Andrea to discuss about the complexities of sharing a home with an addict.

Previously on the show Andrea spoke to listeners who were having problems retrieving lost luggage after travelling through Dublin Airport. On todays Lunchtime Live she followed up with them to see if they had managed to locate their lost bags.