Lunchtime Live

Apparently, the cost of summer camps is going to be even higher this year than normal. 

There’s a warning out today that the cost of summer camps and childcare combined could cost parents about €1,500. And this is before including the cost of a family holiday. 

So, are summer camps getting too expensive? Are they even easy to get into?

Andrea is joined by listeners, including those who run camps, to get their takes.

This week, Newstalk has been partnering with Make-A-Wish Ireland for Wish Week. 

It’s World Wish Day! So, let's come together and show the power of our community. Go to www.makeawish.ie/donate. Every euro counts, and together, we can bring so much joy.  

Andrea is joined by Orla Carolan, who has personal experience of the impact this charity can make, as her son, Quinn - who was able to become a train driver for a day! Imelda Noone, Head of Wishgranting at Make-A-Wish Ireland also joins to talk about the process and how important Wish Day is. 

AI Week on Lunchtime Live. Andrea takes a dive deep into the world of artificial intelligence, exploring how AI is shaping our lives, from the apps on our phones to the way we work and interact with the world around us.  

We look at what the rise in AI means for the world of music, for the law, for truth and reporting and for the arts sector.

Every Friday, as part of our ‘Ask Me Anything’ series, we put your questions to people from interesting backgrounds or working in different jobs.  

Today, Andrea Gilligan was joined by Niall Tier, who is an Advanced Paramedic / Firefighter in Dublin.

Electric Picnic celebrates its 20-year anniversary with a new date in August plus acts like Calvin Harris and Kylie Minogue announced to be headlining. Are you going? And what do you make of this year's headliners?

Andrea is joined by 98fm’s Ciaran O’Connor to go through the announcement. She’s also joined by Brian Warfield of the Wolfe Tones, as they are part of the new line-up on the main stage.

Do you want to see Super Mario having a lightsaber fight with Joan of Arc? 

Maybe you would like to see what your friends and family would look like if they were cartoon characters?  

The capabilities of AI, as we have been learning all this week, is already astounding and it is only improving over time. But, what does this mean for the arts sector? And how will creative people working in this area be affected?

Joining Andrea to discuss is Dublin artist, poet & cartoonist Caoimhe Lavelle and Aisling Murray, Director and Founder of Beta Festival; a festival of art and technology critically engaging with the impact of emerging technologies on society.

Every day we scour the newspapers but often, many great stories from the regional papers don’t make the headlines.

Newstalk's Breakfast Briefing presenter Shane Beatty has rounded up some of the best stories that you might have missed…

Violent scenes erupted in Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow last night. 

Six people were arrested outside an area that had been earmarked to accommodate international protection applicants. 

Gardaí came under attack after workers were brought onto the site. Three Garda cars were damaged, Gardaí had rocks and other missiles thrown at them while fires were lit at the scene. An axe was also recovered.  

Gardaí deployed shields and incapacitant spray, with some locals apparently saying Gardaí used excessive force…

Andrea is joined by Newstalk Reporter Josh Crosbie, journalist Valerie Cox and listeners to give their takes on the protest as well as the Garda response.

How can you do your own tiling at home, and how easy is it? Hardware Expert Alan Grant and Róisín Lafferty, Founder and Creative Director of Kingston Lafferty Design join Andrea to give their top tips.

Irish scientist Rosemary Coogan has graduated from space training as a new European Space Agency astronaut. That means she’s eligible for spaceflight.

She joins Andrea to discuss why she became an astronaut in the first place, and what the experience has been like. 

Image: European Space Agency