Highlights From Lunchtime Live

Should we be paying for TDs to keep fit?Leinster House have put up a posting for a personal trainer, needed for the next 4 years, to keep TDs and Senators in shape. And, the wage is around €190,000.Joining Andrea to discuss if this is necessary is Senator Mary Seery Kearney, Clinical Psychotherapist, Stephanie Regan, Green Party TD Steven Matthews and more.

For this week’s Ask the Expert, Andrea Gilligan is joined by Andrew Dunne, a Physiotherapist and Founder of Personal Health - Medical Exercise Clinic, to answer any of your physiotherapy questions!

It’s Love Donegal Day! Andrea’s second favourite day of the year after Christmas!What’s not to love? The beautiful beaches, the beautiful scenery, the beautiful people?!Perhaps the most loveable thing is their way of speaking. So, where does some of this Donegal slang come from?Andrea is joined by Grace Shields, owner of Social Scene PR & Marketing and Hotelier Noel Cunningham to discuss.Image: Discover Ireland

Sabrina Carpenter’s new album has raised some eyebrows for its “sexy” nature, with many parents disapproving of the former Disney Channel star’s explicit adult content.But, is it time we stopped expecting young stars to be role models?To discuss, Andrea is joined by Saoirse Hanley from the Irish Independent, Lisa O’Sullivan Shaw from @modernirishmom and Psychiatrist Brendan Kelly.Image: Island Records

Ireland AM Presenter Alan Hughes and his husband Karl were at the receiving end of homophobic slurs as they walked down Grafton Street last week.Alan joins Andrea to discuss what occurred.

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.Rebecca Shekleton, Presenter of 98fm’s Big Breakfast joined Andrea this week to share all the things to make you smile!Image: Heinz

Officials from the Board of the new National Children's Hospital are being questioned by an Oireachtas Health Committee today.It comes as the contractor BAM has moved the completion date for the hospital, originally due to open in 2020, 14 times.The completion cost is now estimated to be over €2.2 billion.How has this been allowed to happen?To discuss, Andrea is joined by Kirsty Blake Knox, Journalist with the Irish Independent, Bernard Mulvany from Access For All Ireland and Anna Gunning, CEO of Children in Hospital Ireland.

Welcome to The Pod Squad!We review podcasts every Tuesday so you always have something new to listen to.This week, Andrea was joined by Ciara O’Brien, Irish Times Business and Technology Correspondent and Broadcaster Padraig Wilson to review Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ ‘Wiser than Me’!Image: Lemonada

The ultimate in comfort TV returns tonight as 12 bakers take to the tent in the Great British Bake Off, but what has made it such a favourite amongst TV viewers?Andrea is joined by former contestant Rebecca Lightbody and Graham Herterich, aka ‘The Cupcake Bloke’, to discuss.Image: Channel 4

The Israeli military has said it hit dozens of Hezbollah targets in several areas of southern Lebanon overnight.Yesterday, Israeli air strikes killed at least 492 people, including 35 children, the health ministry said, marking the deadliest day of cross-border violence since the Gaza war began.A spokesperson for the Defence Forces has confirmed that all Irish soldiers currently deployed in Lebanon are “safe and accounted for”. But, should we be worried for their safety in future?Andrea is joined by Senator Tom Clonan, Security analyst, Retired Army Officer, Independent Senator and Dorcha Lee Retired Army Colonel and Peacekeeper and Raymond Murphy, Professor at the Irish Centre For Human Rights to discuss.

Cork’s water issues are unfortunately continuing - and a listener calls into the show to give their experience.John Howard from the Ballyhooly Community Council as well as Cllr Nelius Cotter join Andrea to discuss the water issues they are having in Ballyhooly in Cork.

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 Liam Irwin from https://thehotboxsauna.ie/ to learn about the benefits of the sauna!

Plans for a crackdown on motorists who have held provisional licences for years, and sometimes decades, have been delayed over fears of a knock-on effect on waiting lists for driving tests.A briefing from the Department of Transport said any dramatic change on how many learner permits a person could hold would lead to “a surge of applications” for driving tests on an ‘already overburdened testing system”.Figures from the Road Safety ­Authority show more than 67,000 drivers are on their third learner permit or later.Is this the right approach by the Department?To discuss, Andrea is joined by Brenda Bolger from the Bolger School of Motoring, as well as listeners.

Dr Nina Byrnes, GP at Generation Health Medical Clinic joined Andrea to tackle your medical queries…

Apparently, Ireland is seeing a rise in bed bugs.And the surge we’re seeing is expected to last until Christmas. So, where has this come from?Andrea is joined by Trevor Hayden from Complete Pest Control to discuss.

Should parking at universities be phased out to help us reach climate targets? Under the State’s Public Sector Climate Action mandate, universities will be required to phase out the use of car parking for most staff and students in areas where there is a range of public transport options.What do you think of this?To discuss, Andrea is joined by Miranda Bauer, President of the UCD Student Union, Fine Gael Cllr Alan Tobin, Brian Caulfield, Professor in Transportation in the Dept of Civil Engineering in Trinity College Dublin and more to discuss.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. It’s something none of us want to think of, but luckily, there are great charities like Childhood Cancer Ireland to help us if this ever darkens our door.One area not covered on the show before is what it’s like for families after treatment.To discuss, Andrea is joined by Dr Mairead Brennan, Principal Clinical Psychologist and Director of Psychosocial Services at Childhood Cancer Ireland as well as parents who have had to bring their children through treatment.

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!This week, Andrea is joined by Siobhan Berry, from @mummycooks on Instagram, to look at some great breakfast ideas, from smoothies to muffins!Follow the hashtag #LLBigBatch for all our recipes.

Are you working from home at the moment?Staff who only want to work from home face the prospect of lower pay and benefits, as employers increasingly favour getting back to pre-Covid work practices.55% of Irish employers have said they were “very likely” to introduce different pay and benefits for people who attended the office regularly compared to those who worked completely remotely.What do you think about this idea?To discuss, Andrea is joined by Larissa Feeney, Founder and CEO of Kinore, Ireland's First Online Remote-First Finance and Business Services Firm, John Evoy, General Manager of Grow Remote, Caroline Reidy from the HR Suite and more.

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 Gilligan was joined by OnlyFans creator Meghan O’Neill to answer your questions.