Highlights From Lunchtime Live

From UFOs in Athlone to business booming in Coppers - Newstalk’s Eamonn Torsney has the stories from around the country that you might have missed this week.

Should LED headlights on cars be banned?Keith Fay has written that he has sent a complaint to the RSA, believing that they are too dangerous.Keith, Dave Humphreys, Motoring Journalist with CompleteCar.ie, Nadia Adan, owner of Ashford Motors and more join Andrea to discuss.

Should it stay or should it go?What trends should we carry over to 2025 and what should be binned?Well, The Home Squad: Jenny Sheahan, Irish Examiner Columnist and former winner of ‘Home of the Year' and Emma Delaney, Senior Interior Designer from April & the Bear join Andrea to discuss.

It’s the time of giving and receiving... But it can also result in so much clutter! So, how can you avoid your home becoming a hoarder’s paradise and maintain your living spaces during the festivities?Kim and Lynn, founders of ‘A Sorted Affair’ met on the set of a home renovations show and quickly discovered they shared a passion for organising and decluttering  - now they’re offering advice on keeping your home a happy functioning space throughout Christmas…Kim joins Andrea to discuss!

Figures today show that school attendance is down below pandemic levels... What is this down to? What are your thoughts – are we doing enough to encourage young kids to attend school and to teach them a necessary discipline in the process?Andrea is joined by listeners to discuss.

There seems to be certain careers where you see a higher percentage of women over men or vice versa. One to buck the trend is Seán Dowling, who is among few men serving in the maternity ward at the Rotunda Hospital. And while keen to share that this is a profession men can consider, he’s acutely aware that it is a female-dominated world.He joins Andrea to discuss his experience.

A night-time welfare area, designed to support safe and enjoyable nights out over Christmas, will open this weekend near College Green in Dublin. Is this a good move? Do you think it’ll make a difference?Andrea is joined by Ray O’Donoghue, Dublin’s Night-time Economy Advisor, Jessica Woodlock, Newstalk Reporter and more to discuss.

For this week’s Ask the Expert, Andrea is joined by Grame McQueen, Media Relations with the Dublin Airport Authority, to answer any of your travelling questions!

Board games are back – and they’re not just for Christmas – apparently, Gen Z have turned to the old fashioned games to entertain them!But why? And what are the best ones to play?Board games expert Ruth Roberts from Cogs The Brain Shop joins Andrea to answer your questions.

It’s often seen as something we need to shed in order to be seen as forward-thinking and cosmopolitan: our accents… But, are we in danger of losing an essential part of who we are? Are rural and regional accents on the decline in 21st Century Ireland?Well, it’s the title of a theatre piece by actor and writer Emmet Kirwan, who takes his show on a new nationwide tour early next year and says: Accents should be celebrated, not corrected’.Andrea is joined by Senator Lynn Ruane, Josh Crosbie, Newstalk Reporter, Aisling Goodwin, Actor and Dialect Coach as well as listeners to discuss.

Lucy from Crookstown in Co. Cork joins Andrea to share her harrowing story of a potential theft at her parents’ graves…Colm Kieran, Funeral Director with Kieran Bros. Funeral Care and from My Fair Well Wishes, a funeral pre-planning company, also joins to discuss what could have happened.

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…

President Michael D Higgins reacted yesterday to the claims that Ireland is anti-semetic.Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, accused Ireland of delegitimizing and dehumanising Israel…In his speech, Michael D said, “To say that the Irish people are antisemitic is a deep slander…”What are your thoughts?To discuss, Andrea is joined by Columnist with the Irish Independent, Ian O’Doherty,  Political Commentator & Irish Examiner Columnist, Fergus Finlay and Daniel O’Dowd-Epstein.

Welcome to The Pod Squad!We review podcasts every Tuesday so you always have something new to listen to.This week, Off the Ball’s Cameron Hill and Journalist and Stylist Laura Mullet join Andrea to review ‘The Good Whale’!Image: New York Times

Andrea’s guests: Clare woman Laura O’Connell and Hanna Celsie from Dublin are just back from Dubai where they competed in the first-ever Formula Woman Nations Cup qualifiers.They were among a group of 50 women from around the world taking part in the event...They join to discuss the experience.

We’re officially in the week leading up to Christmas – and it's the final festive sprint. The dinner prep, the last-minute shopping and the social gatherings are in full swing. But is this week the BEST part of the festive period? Even more so than Christmas Day itself?  Irish Independent Journalist Kirsty Blake Knox believes it is, she joins Andrea to make her case for what she’s calling "Prixmas": the best part of Christmas. Photo by ROMAN ODINTSOV

Over the next few weeks Andrea will be talking to Irish producers across the country about the wonderful things they have on offer, and why it’s important to buy Irish for Christmas!Today we are talking to some of the incredible Irish food producers including Sian McCann from Wild Fuschia Bakehouse, Birgitta Hedin of Burren Smokehouse, Georgia Quealy of Bon Chocolatiers & Martina from Richmount CorialPhoto by picjumbo.com

It’s How I Live Well time: where we learn how to live a little better from someone who has mastered it!Paul Norton, Participation Manager for Cycling Ireland, joins Andrea to tell her about the world of Cyclocross

The website, which was bought by the Irish Times earlier this year, is  introducing a fee of €100 per notice. What do you think of Rip.ie introducing this charge?  Photo by Pavel Danilyuk

Dr Afif El Khuffash, Consultant Neonatologist and Paediatrician, joins Andrea for a special segment of 'Ask the GP' - with the focus on newborns