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 the passing of Maya Angelou, Eamon Gilmore’s resignation and some of those Irish election rides.
So here are the standout comments from the week that was.
The 5 most popular comments this week
1. Jarlath Murphy – and 2,596 readers – had this message for our newly-elected local representatives and MEPs.
Candidates please take note.You have been elected to represent your electorate.
You have not been elected to line your pockets, accept backhanders, brown envelopes or employ family members or your cronies.
You have not been elected to be a party hack or robot. You are expected to demonstrate leadership, integrity and fairness. Your expected to uphold the law and protect the integrity of justice, not to indulge in semantics about the finer points of illicit versus illegal.
Please do yourself proud and deliver a fair and just service to your electorate. I wish you well in all your future endeavours regardless of your party affiliations.
2. VinHeffer89 made a point about Michaella McCollum Connolly and Melissa Reid which 1,688 of you agreed with.
Here, can we stop referring to them as the “Peru 2″. I think it really sends out the wrong message, like this was a miscarriage of justice like the Birmingham Six or the Guildford Four. The fact is these two clowns rolled the dice and it didn’t work out for them. They got caught and now they’ll pay the price for their stupidity. That’s all, end of story. I fail to see the point in quasi-glorifying the actions of two drug mules.
3. Sammy Sausages isn’t the only one it seems as 1,590 people gave him a green thumb.
Am I the only one who finds public expressions of grief for dead people on FB a bit much/weird/personal/attention-seeking?
4. Clever TOP CAT got 1,492 up votes on this article about the most expensive houses for sale in Ireland right now.
Maxwell House €3.75 ,
Priceless….
5. Kieran Timmons does not have much time for Eamon Gilmore. He got 1,443 thumbs up for this opinion.
History will judge him as a man who abandoned his principles in the pursuit of power.
The top 5 articles which received the most comments this week
1. Eamon Gilmore resigns as Labour Party leader (354 comments)
2. Who is your new local councillor? Here’s a list of everyone elected so far (249 comments)
3. McDonald: ‘You are not regarded as competent. Have you got that message Taoiseach?’ (241 comments)
4. 11 powerful images used to illustrate the #YesAllWomen hashtag (204 comments)
5. Confirmed: The Socialist Party takes a second Dáil seat in Dublin West (201 comments)
Some of the best comments left on the site this week
The world lost one of its leading lights this week with the passing of author and poet Maya Angelou. myownboss reminded us of some of the quotes to be treasured – and passed on:
Some of her quotes that I treasure.
1. Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.
2. If someone shows you who they are – believe them the first time!
3. You might not always remember what someone said or even what they said, but you will always remember how they made you feel.
4. Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.
Thank you for this comment, Cathal O’Neill.
Communication is the key to combating depression. There are a lot of options for treatment, but nothing can be done until the sufferer takes the first step and turns to someone and says “I need help”. That was the situation I was in 4 years ago when I sat down in front of my GP and for the first time aired my problems to another person. I was in a bad place and could see where it could have led. My younger brother also suffered from depression. Though he family knew he was having issues, he never opened up about the full extent of it. He thought he could beat it himself and I have no doubt he tried. Last September he committed suicide. There was so much that could have been done but he never gave anyone a real chance to help.For those of you that are having problems, you don’t need to bare your soul to the first person you talk to. A simple “help” will be enough to get the ball rolling. All I said to my GP the first time was “I am in a low mood and can’t shake it off”. That has made all the difference for me.Everyone needs to be open to talking about these issues. We need to create an society where the is no stigma attached to mental health. And when you greet someone you know with a “how’s it going”, really mean it and be prepared for whatever the answer might be. Educate yourself about the signs of depression and what steps should be taken. This is a problem for all of us and we can all make a difference.
A piece by Louise Hall created much debate on Tuesday evening, with particular focus on one sentence: “Children with special needs are what we as human beings have always aspired to be; they are selfless, non-judgemental, inspiring, and kind.” Shannon McGraynor argued:
It makes it out as if people with Down’s Syndrome aren’t essentially human. Children with special needs can be selfish, they can be judgemental, they can be mean at times – like every single child in the world. People with special needs aren’t missing something or have something that makes them so much better than us, because they ARE us.
Making them out to be something magical is taking away the fact that they are just like us – we are all people. We should be aspire to be anyone but ourselves.
Last Saturday, we brought you back to the Ballymun flats – before they were demolished. Former resident Ann Reddin had this to say.
Kerrie for those of us who moved into Ballymun when everything was new back in the late 60s early 70s, it was the best place in the world. We had wildlife on our doorstep, there was a playground within 50 yards of every ones home. Our parents only had to look out the window to see where we were. There was an abundance of wide open green spaces. I lived there from 1967 – 1992.These are some images of the Ballymun I grew up in and remember.
And Trisha Brennan agreed, somewhat:
Videos like this leave me conflicted. I’ve lived in Ballymun on and off for 39 years. I’ve raised my family out here. And while I’m glad the flats as they are now are gone, I miss the Ballymun of my childhood. Contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t(and still isn’t) the worst place to grow up in. The majority of my neighbours, both then and now, are lovely people. However, BRL/DCC have made a balls of the regeneration. We have no shopping centre. They don’t seen to give a crap about those of us who live here. Now, as then, it looks like we have to fight for anything the area needs. Let’s not get started on the perceptions of people who have never set foot in the place.
By the way, there was good news on that front later in the week.
We’ve still been caught up in election buzz this week but, for some, it was just another reminder of what (or who) they are missing. This is from Thomas Cooke:
The sad thing for me was my son’s polling card still sitting on the shelf this morning, unused because he’s in Western Australia like thousands of other mid 20′s.
As we tried to come to terms with Tuesday last week (was it just us, or did this week draaaaaaag?), DailyEdge.ie got us through with 13 small events to make us feel better. You lot joined in with some of your own, which made us giggle.
First up, a sweet one from Bob McDermott:
I found two stickers on my Granny Smith apple this morn! Score, one for the little guy!
Then Daniel Curran popped up with this genius:
Seeing the odometer in the car go from 179999 to 180000 the other day
Then Shane Kearney had us nodding profusely:
“Oh, you only have one thing, you can go ahead of me”
While, Fran Heavey finished us off with this:
Wake up to realise you’re gonna get 15 extra mins in bed because you showered after 5-a-side the previous night……
We’ve all been there, Fran.
You will enjoy this bit of Irish mammy-ing. From Gillian Gorman to Kate Middleton after her skirt/underwear malfunction.
Does this girl not know where to buy a slip?? May seem old fashioned but it works!
Do you overshare on Facebook? Stephen gave us a side-splitting example of it on Thursday.
Have you ever wondered why Italian chippers became a thing in Ireland? Steve Tracey gave us a comprehensive answer, complete with quirky fact.
Italians who came to Ireland in Victorian times selling ice cream in Summer, no business in Winter so following the lead of family members and friends over in a England and Scotland opened up businesses selling fish and chips. Number of the original families still in the business.
We didn’t pick Marie O’Neill‘s comment out as an excuse to use a picture of Hugh Lewis. Swear.
Has Hugh Lewis taken all his campaign posters down yet, does anyone know?And on a completely unrelated note, does anyone have a lend of a ladder? And maybe something to cut cable ties with…?
But here’s a photo anyway, just in case you don’t know who we’re talking about.
Spot any good comments? Send them through to us by email at sinead@thejournal.ie.
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