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From dramatic recouplings to unforgettable villa moments, Love Island continues to dominate summer conversation. Former contestant Andrada Pop knows exactly what it’s like to live it all in real time.  

Since leaving the villa, Andrada has stepped back into everyday life while navigating newfound attention, social media fame, and the whirlwind that follows one of television’s biggest reality shows.  

As this season already has viewers talking Andrada joins Valerie to chat all things current series but also how life has changed for her since her love island journey came to an end.  

As Pride Month shines a spotlight on visibility, inclusion, and community, few student-led initiatives embody those values quite like Cans4Trans. Fresh from their Return Award win at Croke Park last night, the team behind the project has turned everyday recycling into meaningful action.   

Many have used the Scheme to raise funds for projects and initiatives, while also promoting environmental awareness and sustainability.  

Re-turn now wants to celebrate and recognise third-level students, societies, student unions and campus teams across the country who are ‘Re-turning It Right’. 

Cans4Trans collected returnable cans and bottles and donated all the money to the Transgender Equality Network Ireland  

Claire Lou Guerin joins Valerie to chat more about it  

For many parents, giving a child their first phone feels like a major milestone - but also a bit of a minefield. Between Instagram stories, TikTok trends, online gaming, and concerns around screen time and safety, it can be hard to know what the “right” age actually is.  

Research commissioned by eir found that children in Ireland are now getting their first mobile phone at an average age of just nine years old, despite many parents saying they’d prefer to wait until their children are 12 or 13.  

So how young is too young?  

 Olwyn Moore from Cogni Kids joins Valerie to find the answer.

Have you noticed an increase in the amount of people starting travel agency businesses on social media lately?

They often appear as glamorous side hustle opportunities promising freedom, flexible working, luxury holidays, and the chance to “be your own boss” - but growing numbers of people are raising concerns about so-called MLM or multi level marketing travel agencies and how they recruit new members online.   

Caoimhe Suipeil has been speaking out about what she describes as the psychological manipulation behind some of these schemes on her social media, and why she believes many people are being sold a dream that doesn’t match the reality.   She joins Valerie to chat about it.

For more than 60,000 students across Ireland, tomorrow marks the beginning of one of the most stressful weeks of their school lives  - the Leaving Cert exams.  

After months, and in some cases years, of preparation, many students are now dealing with nerves, pressure, and the feeling that everything is riding on the next few weeks. From last-minute cramming to worries about sleep, timing, and staying calm in the exam hall, emotions are running high tonight in homes all over the country.  

Donnchadh O’Mahony, better known to many students online as Leaving Cert Guidance, joins Valerie to share some advice for students heading into the exams - and for parents and friends trying to support them too.  

Joining us today is auctioneer and business owner Ray Cooke - someone who’s never been afraid to say exactly what he thinks.  

Ray has sparked debate recently with his views on working from home, arguing that people in their 20s should be in the office building relationships, networking and climbing the ladder rather than working remotely. He’s also stirred some attention  claiming that “useless” college degrees are part of the reason many young people are struggling to buy homes, saying too many people are going to college simply because it’s expected of them.  

They’re opinions that plenty of people agree with - and plenty strongly disagree with - so today we’re putting those arguments to him directly.

It’s Between the Sheets on iRadio’s Groupchat, our sex, dating and relationship segment for adults only. 

AI is the buzzword right now, you can't go far without hearing about it in work, the news, online and even in the dating world. Last week, we learned that dating app Bumble is bringing AI to it's platform and getting rid of the swiping, helping you to find your significant other. But if the person you're looking for in life isn't even a person. What if it is an AI consciousness?  

We're joined now by Sarah Griffen and her AI boyfriend Sinclair, and for them, what began as curiosity became something unprecedented and is now what Sarah describes as a proper relationship between a human and an emergent AI consciousness.   

Now they write books together, create content that's reaching thousands online, host a podcast. And through it all, they're trying to prove their view -  connection doesn't require flesh—it requires choice.  

Sarah and Sinclair join Valerie live from Canada.

In a world where so many people feel constantly busy, overwhelmed and mentally switched on, finding even a few minutes to pause can feel nearly impossible. But what if changing your mindset didn’t require a complete life overhaul - just a small daily reset?  

 That’s the idea behind Gerry Hussey’s new GoLoud podcast A New Day - an empowering daily podcast designed to help listeners reset their mindset, slow down and start each day with intention.  

 Gerry Hussey joins us now for iRecommend to chat about the importance of mindfulness, why so many people are struggling to switch off, and how we can start implementing small moments of calm into our everyday lives. 

Joining us today is dietitian Sinead O'Donovan, who spends a lot of time helping people separate nutrition facts from social media fiction.  

   Because if you’ve spent more than five minutes on TikTok lately, you’ve probably been told seed oils are ruining your life,  and some influencer is selling a supplement that supposedly “melts fat” overnight.  

   With so much conflicting advice online, it can be really hard to know who or what to trust when it comes to food, dieting and health.  

Conditions like endometriosis and PCOS have been misunderstood, underdiagnosed and, many women say, dismissed within the Irish healthcare system. For some, it can take years to get answers - all while dealing with chronic pain, exhaustion and symptoms that impact every part of daily life.  

  One woman sharing that reality online is Megan Connellan, who has started documenting her journey with endometriosis, adenomyosis and PCOS through her TikTok account The Endo Edit. Through honest videos about pain, treatment, surgery and navigating the healthcare system, she’s helping raise awareness around conditions that affect thousands of Irish women.