Living with Covid 19

Louise lives in homeless accommodation in Bray - she has made it a home for her kids. Her youngest child has contracted Covid 19 and the HSE insists they move to isolate. A number of callers to the show tell Joe of their difficulty in applying for work as contract tracers.

Separated by Covid 19

Jane is living in the UK, her Mum is in a nursing home in Tipperary and receiving pallative care. Jane says she is fearful that time and Covid 19 will keep them apart. 91 year old Aileen Neilan tells Joe about her husband Jim. David wants the concept of 'social bubbles' to include couples separated by geography

Nursing Home Crisis

22 out of 24 residents at the Nightingale Nursing Home in Ballinasloe have tested positive for Coronavirus. One resident has died. Director of Nursing Patricia MacGabhann, who's also tested positive, says they are struggling to cope.

Bubble Trouble

Callers to Liveline living on their own want more clarity on how they form social bubbles during lockdown.

Widget Shortage

Callers to Liveline have discovered an important change to the production of their favourite cans of Guinness.

Gym Closures

Callers to Liveline want gyms to be allowed to operate under the latest Level 5 restrictions.

Level 5 Restrictions

As we head into Level 5 restrictions not everyone is happy that the GAA will continue to field matches. Mark is a bus driver and explains to Joe why he wants the schools to close. Anne is a primary school Principal who wants the schools to remain open. Sean and Monica express their concerns about older people dealing with Covid 19 restrictions.

Good Deeds

Francis is offering his taxi service for people in Dublin who are visually impaired. Val says two workmen fitted a door for her, free of charge.

Where is the Medal Gone ?

Assumpta McGill did a virtual tour of the Camino. But her medal was sent to the wrong address.

Misscarriage on Your Own

Sarah rushed to the hospital when she realised she was experiencing a miscarriage. But her partner was not allowed to accompany her inside.

Is suicide a sin?

Is suicide a sin? The debate continues.

Good Deeds

Celine's business is currently online only but will leave 5 flower bouquets outside her business for people to take BUT re gift. She hopes to lift spirits through random kindness. She will do this every Friday up to Christmas

Irish Bar Needs Help

Piri Bradshaw called Liveline from Germany about her family pub in beautiful Bavaria Germany who need Irish staff to stay open. They are called Irish Pub Grafenwöhr. #liveline

'Sinfulness' and Suicide

Columnist Brendan O'Regan talks to Joe and asks if you define sin as an action that offends God, then surely suicide is a sin? Anne who lost her son to suicide, disagrees with Brendan. Anne was horrified that suicide would be deemed a sin.

TRAVELLING FOR A FUNERAL DURING THE PANDEMIC

Seamus O'Rourke from Co Meath wants help finding out whether he can travel to London for the funeral of his brother who has died of pancreatic cancer.

SKERRIES SERENDIPITY

Sr Anne O'Sullivan rings Joe to put a call out on the airwaves, can she find the kind stranger who she connected with on Skerries Beach over their shared loved of a book called The Gift?

KEVIN BARRY

Kevin Barry, an 18 year old medical student at UCD, was hanged for his part in an ambush which resulted in the death of three British Army officers. Listeners discuss whether his death should be commemorated next month. Callers include Barry's grandniece Siofra O'Donovan, historians Lorcan Collins and Paul O'Brien and Sinn Fein TD Pa Daly.

Teenage Script Reading

Jen Kimmel raises concerns about a script reading her teenage daughter attended run by Youth Theatre Ireland. Jen said the script was explicit and not appropriate. Eoghan Doyle, Director of the Irish Youth Theatre responds.

Isolation During The Pandemic

Nuala and Susan called Liveline to talk about the reality of social isolation during the Pandemic.

Covid Test Results

Sandra called Liveline about her grandson's five day wait for his Covid Test results.

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Colm is getting important emails for a different man with the same name.

MASS

Callers discuss reopening churches for Mass during the Level 3 Covid restrictions.

BUREAUCRACY AFTER DEATH

Callers tell Joe the trouble they've had dealing with utility companies after their loved ones have passed away. Marie faked her late husband's voice while Rita wrote a letter in her late husband's name.

BITCOIN SCAM

Gavin Duffy is NOT dead. The 2018 Presidential Candidate and Dragons' Den star tells Joe that his image is being used in fake Facebook ads which suggest he's died. It's all part of a sophisticated Bitcoin scam.

Wrong Details For Love Ones

Paul told how his beloved wife died a year ago this week and when her post-mortem results were returned, they had the wrong name attached. Kay told how she found her wonderful husband Ciaran dead last year but when she rang a telecoms company to change the name on the bill, they wouldn't believe that he was dead until they checked RIP.ie. Mary said that her brother's post-mortem results showed he had a large amount of drugs in his system and when they checked with DNA samples taken from Mary and her sister, they were found to be the results of another person.

Maternity Care During Covid

Ruth and Marie both spoke about their recent miscarriages and how they were left alone, without the support of their partners. Ruth said that the experience has left its scars.

No Mask No Entry

Joe spoke to Michelle who had been visited by a door-to-door salesperson who wanted to enter her house and yet wasn't wearing any PPE. She wondered if this was appropriate for the times we are in.

Vandalised Graves

Carol Hoey baby granddaughter’s grave and her mother’s grave were vandalised. They are buried in a graveyard on the hill of Tulla. Her daughter Edel lost her baby ‘Cienna’last May. She had a beautiful window box and a little angel with a rose on the baby’s grave. The thieves dug the angel out of the grave

Attacker Has Been Released

Luke O'Brien told Liveline about being stabbed in what the judge called a 'vicious and potentially lethal assault'. His attacker has been released from prison after serving eight months of his two year sentence. #Liveline

Apology from The HSE

'She is the glue that keeps our house together,' Damien Carrick spoke to Liveline about his wife Trish who yesterday got an apology from the HSE and a medical lab for misreading her smear test. Trish has terminal cervical cancer.

The St Monica’s Mystery continues...

The St Monica’s Mystery continues. Jimmy’s 94 year old mother-in-law is owed over €6,500 from St Monica’s Nursing Home Ltd after the home went into liquidation during the summer.

The Nation in Level 3

Callers react to the government's decision to impost Level 3 Covid-19 restrictions on the whole country.

Closure of St Monica's Nursing Home

Eileen's mother was a long-time resident of St Monica's, the beloved nursing home in Dublin's inner city. She told Joe about her mother's upset at being moved out of the home and nurse Jacintha remembers the dreadful time when their residents were moved out and driven to new places by mini-bus.

Living with Covid

Shane Curran stepped aside as a manager of an Offally club team at the weekend as he didn't feel it was safe to go ahead with the game. He told Joe why. Jillian McNulty told her story about living with Cystic Fibrosis and how her life is fought for and that we must adhere to any regulations. Jim is a manager of a convenience store and he told how one customer reacted aggressively when asked to wear a mask. Sarah Jane described how her family of six children are all isolating in separate parts of the house. Vincent, a taxi driver in the West of Ireland, said that many of his customers are going from house party to house party and says that he is not surprised that we may be heading towards Level Five.

Late Husbands Covid Results

Aisling who emailed Liveline on the morning of her son's 12th birthday. Just a month ago, her 42 year old husband Neal died suddenly. But as with all deceased persons, he was given a Covid test. And this morning, a letter with his results arrived, addressed to Neal. Aisling told Joe about her distress.

ACCESS TO DRUG REHABILITATION

Abbey is looking for help for her partner Patrick. Patrick is addicted to heroin. He is on methadone and cannot access a rehabilitation programme.

THE MYSTERY OF ST MONICA'S SAFE

Paul bought an old safe only to discover documents and belongings pertaining to residents of St Monica's Nursing Home in Dublin's Belvedere Place. The nursing home went into liquidation over the summer.

The Importance of Community

Therese spoke to Liveline about the photo by Fintan McTiernan. Patrick Carroll (12) embraces his dad, Macarten, after their club won the u15 final in Monaghan. It was an emotional moment for both just days after the burial of Patrick’s godmother & aunt Sonia.

Leaving Cert 2020 Error

Leaving Cert 2020 students across the country continue to react to the revelation that the Department of Education has found two errors in the calculated grades system.

Stalked and Harrassed

Eamon Byrne of Beechwood Drive, Marley's Lane in Drogheda who stalked and harassed Amy-Maria Dunne was convicted and given a four-month suspended sentence this week. Amy-Maria is the woman known as 'Miss D' in the 2007 landmark court case. She is told her story to Liveline today.

Leaving Cert Predictive Grade Error

With the breaking news that there was yet another problem regarding the Leaving Cert class of 2020, we spoke to students and parents of those affected. Many had missed out on their chosen courses, despite working hard and achieving the grades they needed and were predicted. Ryan, Alan, Aimee and Dylan all spoke passionately on what this has meant to their lives. Aaron spoke about how he and his identical twin brother were neck and neck every step of their lives – both wanting to do medicine and both being predicted the top grades. Except Aaron was downgraded by the algorithm. His mother Denise spoke to Joe about her boys. Sharon rang to talk about her daughter who had missed out on midwifery and Trish rang to talk about her wonderful son Alan who nursed her in his final school year after she had a stroke.

Organ Transplants

Dr John Byrne is currently waiting on a liver transplant. Last May, John was thrilled when he was told a liver was available but at the last minute his hopes were dashed due to complications. Owing to Covid-19 restrictions, his wife Maria, could not accompany him when he got this devastating news. John spoke about the importance of organ donation. Rachel told Joe that she has left her body to medical department in UCC for two years after her death.

Large Public Gatherings

Liveline callers react to large gatherings of young people in Galway city centre last night. Footage shared widely on social media platforms showed large numbers of young people at the Claddagh Basin, across the river from the Spanish Arch.

CAT KILLED

Sophie tells Joe about her beloved cat Jackie who was found dead and mutilated on Saturday morning.

HOSPITAL VISITING RESTRICTIONS

Gemma talks about getting the news that she'd miscarried while on her own. Tomorrow she will undergo a D&C procedure alone. She says discretion isn't being shown under Covid-19 visiting restrictions. Other callers talk about their experiences of staying in hospitals during the pandemic. Tracy tells the harrowing story of her aunt's final days without her family by her side

The Arms Trial 50 Years On

Bronagh Mulholland is the only child of John Kelly. One of the men acquitted of importing arms by the Arms Trial of 1970

Trying to Get By

Joanne is caught in a 'Catch 22' of red tape - she needs a Public Services Card to get her American birth cert - but needs a birth cert to acquire the PSC

Covid Testing in Airports

Cathy lives in Portugal and wants Covid 19 tests at Irish airports so she can come home for Christmas

The Danger of Fireworks

17 year old Sean lost the top of his index finger after playing with fireworks. He tells Joe what happened and other callers share their stories.

Old Catalogue Search

Colette is looking for old catalogs, particularly Family Album, as they are a favorite of her aunt with dementia.

Covid Can't Cancel Christmas

We turned then to the myriad ways people are coping with the Covid restrictions. Barbara is desperate to put her tree up and start celebrating Christmas, Treasa has her crib up and Helen has had her tree up for the last seven years and is determined to keep it up. Elizabeth is looking forward to her children returning from the US and having a proper Irish christmas.

The Arms Trial 50 Years on

We returned to stories from the Arms Trial of 1971 and Elizabeth Gibbons, the daughter of Jim Gibbons, the FF chief whip, told her family's story.

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