Lunchtime Live

For many, renewing your passport can be a handful at the best of times. For widows who have lost their partners, it can be an extremely difficult process and reminder of what they have lost.

Members of Widowed and Bereaved Partners Ireland are calling for changes to be made to the process, in which they should not have to constantly prove that their spouse or partner has passed away every time they have to renew their child’s passport.

Andrea is joined by some of these members to discuss.

Are you determined to finally get on top of your finances once and for all?

For many, looking at your bank account is something you dread, but how should we best manage what’s coming in and what’s coming out?

For this edition of Finance Matters, Andrea is joined by Paul Merriman of Ask Paul to discuss everything you need to know about retirement planning and inheritance tax.

A listener got in touch with the show to share her negative experience of a flight from Dublin to Ibiza with Ryanair.

She joins Andrea to discuss…

Updated statement from Ryanair:

“Crew on this flight from Dublin to Ibiza called ahead for police assistance after two passengers became disruptive inflight. Due to their misbehaviour, crew refrained from serving these passengers alcohol from the bar, however, despite several warnings from crew, they continued to drink their own alcohol purchased pre-flight. Police met the aircraft upon landing at Ibiza Airport and these two disruptive passengers were removed.
Ryanair has a strict zero tolerance policy towards passenger misconduct and will continue to take decisive action to combat unruly passenger behaviour, ensuring that all passengers and crew travel in a respectful and stress-free environment, without unnecessary disruption.”

We continue a county-by-county journey across Ireland, exploring all 32 counties that make up this remarkable island. Have you been to some of these places and hidden gems?

Today, Shane Beatty is joined by Travel Content Creator Kevin Penrose to find out what the best things to see and do are in County Cork!

The World Cup draws to an end this weekend after 102 matches, with 2 still to go, as England face France in the third place play off and then the big one on Sunday night: Spain v Argentina.

But, how has the World Cup been for you?

Irish Independent Journalist Tanya Sweeny joins Shane Beatty to discuss, along with Phil Egan from Off the Ball.

This story will strike fear into any brides-to-be. Maggie joins Shane to tell her story about losing her engagement ring at a hen party in Cork…

Would you like to see phones banned altogether in the cinema, theatre and at concerts?

Moviegoers were asked to use phone pouches this week at the premier of the Odyssey, so should this move be followed?

Joining guest host Shane Beatty to discuss is TikToker Adam Smyth, Dave from the ‘Cinemile’ podcast, Eoin Glackin, Journalist at the Dublin Inquirer and Tina Koumarianos, agony aunt for Evoke.ie.

Shane’s guest says she and her brother were left humiliated after being forced off a Ryanair flight as they travelled home from Dublin to Poland.

Dorota Marah and her brother Jaroslaw "Jarek" Kula had already boarded their flight when cabin crew were unable to load Jarek's wheelchair into the aircraft's hold. Despite having travelled with the exact same wheelchair on a Ryanair flight earlier this year, they were told it did not meet the airline's size requirements and were given no option but to leave the plane…

Dorota says the ordeal became even more distressing when her brother was carried off the aircraft "like a sack of potatoes" in front of fellow passengers.

She joins to discuss the experience.

Laura Donnelly from the Newstalk Newsroom joined Shane Beatty with a roundup of some of the stories from across the country this week!

Figures provided to Aontú Leader Peadar Tóibín reveal that 6,329 people have been claiming Jobseeker's payments for 10 years or more.

The figures come despite Ireland's unemployment rate standing at just 5%, with around 145,000 people currently out of work, while employers across many sectors continue to report labour shortages and thousands of vacancies remain unfilled.

With a strong economy and jobs available, why do so many people remain on long-term unemployment? Are persistent barriers such as health, skills, age or caring responsibilities preventing people from returning to work, or does the welfare system need reform to better encourage and support people back into employment?

Joining guest host Shane Beatty to discuss is Head of Social Justice and Policy at Saint Vincent de Paul, Louise Bayless, Director of the INOU, Brid O’Brien and listeners.