EVERY SATURDAY MORNING we take a look at all the best comments left on the site by our readers over the past seven days.
This week there was a lot of talk about Conor McGregor, the Luas strike and water charges.
The 5 most popular comments this week
1. Damien McDaid and 1,549 others were unhappy an article about almost topless news readers wasn’t more image-based:
one picture, ONE PICTURE?????
2. After gardaí seized cash and luxury cars in a crackdown targeting the Kinahan cartel, Stephen Todd wrote:
Fair play, hopefully it all passes safely and they make some solid arrests
That one got 1,382 likes.
3. IrishGravyTrain liked Conor McGregor’s message to his rivals after his defeat to Nate Diaz, writing:
I showed up. You showed up on twitter. Lol. Brilliant.
Some 1,346 people agreed.
4. IrishGravyTrain also takes the fourth spot (with 1,313 green thumbs) this week, for this comment under an article about striking Luas drivers:
Sack them all.
Not sure that’s the best approach.
5. Eamonn Boylan claims fifth place for his thoughts about water charges:
Water tax will be abolished..I’ll be delighted if Right2Water get what we all want, a referendum to enshrine ownership of our water supply in public hands, preventing another Irish Water fiasco in future.
That one got 1,177 green thumbs.
The top 5 articles which received the most comments this week
1. Abolishing water charges is a return to the policies that collapsed our economy (320 comments)
2. Half of Irish people think freer abortion access should be priority for next government (254 comments)
3. Conor McGregor beaten for the first time in the UFC as Diaz scores massive shock (247 comments)
4. No Taoiseach, no government: Enda resigns but will stay as a caretaker (236 comments)
5. Hundreds sign petition protesting against fox-hunting internship on JobBridge (231 comments)
Standout comments
My whole heart literally shattered in pieces. I remember nothing more that was said after that. I crumbled to the floor, shaking like a leaf and howled. How I didn’t wake the whole hotel I do not know. I literally lay in a ball on the floor howling. I wouldn’t even call it crying, because there were no tears. I was just screaming.
Michelle Ross wrote a very powerful article during the week about her brother Derek’s suicide.
Afterwards, some of you shared your own experiences of suicide, with Keith Wizzy commenting:
Thinking of you and your family. I’ve lost family, friends and my first love to suicide. The years go by and barely a day goes by without thinking of them. Thank you for using your very personal tragedy to assist Pieta House, a very worthwhile cause. I hope many of the readers will see it in their hearts to donate to this charity. You’re amazing to put your story here to help others.
Thomas Delaney wrote:
Thanks for your story. When I lost my sister to suicide I remember crying and wailing in my mother’s arms for about 3 hours straight at least. It’s indescribable and only those who have gone through it will have any idea. I think if my sister had of been in the right frame of mind and knew the pain she would leave behind, she wouldn’t have done it. That’s the thing about suicidal people though, they aren’t in the right frame of mind.
While Deborah Behan added:
What a brave article. I’m in tears here. 500 suicides a year is outrageous and we need to highlight this horrendous problem more. Imagine 500 road deaths a year? The new government really needs to prioritise this problem. Suicide is never the answer. RIP.
Stewart Lambert recently took to the streets of Dublin to ask passersby a simple question: “What has been the biggest change in your life and how did you deal with it?”
The resulting video is really lovely and you can watch it below.
It prompted a commenter called Rusty Balls to write:
People are amazing, everyone you pass may look like they have everything but they all have their own personal struggles.
Under a story about the murders of three Irish people living in Melbourne between 2012 and 2013, Eugene Tyson – one of the victim’s nephew – commented:
RIP Uncle Dermot! Was looking forward to meeting you again at my sisters wedding in Melbourne the following year. He was a funny man full of life. A fantastic jeweler. Wonderful husband to Aunty Bridgette. He is missed terribly!
An interesting conversation took place about an article on a Bus Éireann campaign to highlight the role of women in the easter Rising. liam kicked things off with this comment:
Historically, it was always considered notable how common it was for Irish women to fight alongside men. This can likely be traced back to Brehon Law attitudes that tended to hold women in equal regard to men in Ireland since time immemorial. Then the Catholic Church entered the frame and 3,500 years of equality unravelled in a matter of months, but Irish attitudes often remained.
Others weren’t happy that he spoke about the Catholic Church, with Louis Jacob writing:
I’m actually with Oran on this one. It was the industrial revolution that fixed the ideas on women that we have. The Church only provided a mechanism, as it did everywhere, Catholic or not.
Readers were impressed by 12-year-old Cork student Mia Buckley’s winning Google Doodle design to commemorate the 1916 centenary.
Elma Phudd wrote:
Excellent. And not a pint to be seen.
While Gerry Ryan deG noted:
No Spuds either
And Del Haven added:
Or leprechauns
Although, HenryHorkan did make a good point:
That cow should have two ear tags
A great video of Cork Harbour as the Fort2Fort charity cycle passed through made some people appreciate where they live, with Padraig writing:
Beautiful.We don’t know how lucky we are.That castle at 0:42 is going cheap if anyone wants to buy it.
*Googles the going rate for a castle*
Meanwhile, Niall Sheridan had this to say after a young couple set up a GoFundMe page to re-unite them across the Atlantic:
Good luck to them both! Nice to see love getting a chance! I’m 61, widowed, and in love again!
Finally, after two people in their 80s and 60s were arrested on suspicion of stealing thousands of religious items from churches in France, Strong silent type wrote:
Can you just imagine what the cross examination will be like?
While FlopFlipU added:
Holy shite
See any good comments? Email them to orla@thejournal.ie.
Suicide helplines:
Samaritans 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org
Console 1800 247 247 – (suicide prevention, self-harm, bereavement)
Aware 1890 303 302 (depression, anxiety)
Pieta House 01 601 0000 or email mary@pieta.ie - (suicide, self-harm)
Teen-Line Ireland 1800 833 634 (for ages 13 to 19)
Childline 1800 66 66 66 (for under 18s)
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