Lunchtime Live

Christmas is a busy enough time for many, so why add extra stress?

Denise O’Donoghue from the Irish Examiner joins Andrea with hacks to make your life easier around this period!

Trains across the country operate later than usual during the Christmas period, with the service being in big demand. Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien has said that he is in talks with Iarnród Éireann about expanding late night rail services beyond the Christmas and New Year festive period…

So, would you like to see trains run later into the night?

Andrea is joined by listeners to discuss.

Why do we eat turkey and ham at Christmas, and what is behind some of the other common goodies we have?

Food Writer Dee Laffan and TV Chef & Lecturer from South East Technological University Edward Hayden join Andrea to discuss the history of Christmas dinner!

How do you dodge the family feuds at Christmas? Sometimes, when you’re all bunched up for that amount of time, it can feel inevitable…

There’s no need to worry! Andrea is joined by Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin and author of ‘The Science of Happiness’ Brendan Kelly to discuss how you can survive around this time of year!

Nearly 2 million people are travelling through Dublin Airport over Christmas.

Henry McKean is live from Dublin Airport in Terminal 2, and joins Andrea to share what he’s seeing!

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

From banging pots and pans at midnight to sweeping the old year out the door - what are some of the weird and wonderful New Years traditions here in Ireland?

Author and content creator of Weird Ireland, Brinsley McNamara, joins Andrea to discuss!

Sarah Ryan’s former partner Nathan Grant McNulty has been jailed for eight years for the rape and coercive control of Sarah.

Sarah wanted to share her story, and joins Andrea to discuss…

If any of these issues discussed impacted you, you can reach Women’s Aid 24 hours a day on: 1800 341 900.

2025 was another great year for entertainment. We have had celebrities going to space, TikTok trends going to new levels, and one of the world's most famous galleries robbed.

As we come to the end of the year, we will be looking back at some of 2025’s most iconic entertainment moments. Are there any that stand out to you?

Joining Andrea to discuss it all is Entertainment Journalist Brian Lloyd and Pop Culture and Entertainment Expert, Dee Molumby.

Welcome to The Pod Squad!

We review podcasts every week so you always have something new to listen to.

Newstalk’s Ellen Butler and Rory Galvin join Andrea Gilligan to review ‘The Rest is Science’!

Image: Goalhanger