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 MH17 , the bombing in Gaza and (sorry) Garth Brooks.

So here are the standout comments from the week that was.

The 5 most popular comments this week

1. Much to many people’s annoyance, the Garth Brooks saga has dragged on and on. On Monday, the man himself stuck the final nail in the coffin. Daryl Kevin summed up the mood for 4,732 thumbs:

 Please God let that be the end of that.

2. Although Garthgate was tiresome, the 400,000 ticketholders had a vested interest. Some even took to the streets. N had a theory and 4,479 thumbs:

Garth Brook$

3. We saw some enormous bonfires constructed for Twelfth of July commemorations in Northern Ireland, one contained a hanging effigy of Gerry Adams. Hank told those who did it what he thought of them, 2,889 people agreed:

Classy as ever boys.

4. The broadcasting icon that is Bill O’Herlihy made his final appearance on the RTÉ soccer panel. Some man according to Derek Byrne and 2,753 others:

Legend.
Very best of luck in your retirement

5. More thoughts from Jamie McCormack on the Gerry Adams effigy. 2,427 green thumbs:

How can this be considered culture. It’s pure hatred.

The top 5 articles which received the most comments this week

1. Malaysian passenger plane shot down by surface-to-air missile over Ukraine (479 comments)

2. It’s over: Garth Brooks confirms all five concerts are cancelled (429 comments)

3. ‘We want justice’ chants at Dublin Gaza rally, as conflict death toll tops 125 (372 comments)

4. Israel launches ground operation in Gaza (359 comments)

5. Condemnation after lynched figure depicting Gerry Adams placed on loyalist bonfire (338 comments)

The big issue this week

AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

Pun of the week

A aggro seagull called Jonathan was apparently terrorising the people of Waterford during the week but fergal ohagan thinks Jonathan might have actually be Josephine.

Gulls just wanna have fun, that’s all they really want!

Some of our favourite comments

The awful story of a woman who travelled to Austria for a termination for medical reasons received a lot of support in the comments section. Here’s one from Sinead Doyle.

I want to thank this lady. Her article word for word was what I went through… Except I never got to see my baby. Or asked if it was a boy or girl as my partner didn’t want to know. We had to leave our country. Our home. Our family. Our support network. To go through what I can only describe as the worst nightmare I will ever experience. Our government fights tooth and nail to have a singer preform for five nights… And ignores women men and families going through these horrific times.
***FIGHT FOR TFMR!!! ***

An another from Sinead Hanley.

That’s a heartbreaking story.. As someone who is pro life i do think we should legislate for TMFR. No woman should have to travel to another country to bring a doomed much wanted pregnancy to an end. I’d fear for the emotional well being for any woman who has to travel.. Its too much and its not fair and we need it sorted asap.

This article need more Garth, thanks Dillon:

I’m devastated. I even bought the official Garth Brooks USB memory stick from Amazon. It was supposed to be 5 gigs but when I plugged it in, turns out it was only 3 gigs. Now it’s not working at all. I want a refund.

Any comment that transtitons from erudite commentary on NAMA to pulling in Coppers if top notch commenting. Fair dues Patrick Morgan:

I’m all for NAMA making a bomb for the state however it does it under the condition that all citizens reap a benefit. What concerns me is that effective oversight and control over its activities is lacking. I am deducing this from the statement that the staff in NAMA are highly skilled and specialised. Isn’t that what created the now 7 year old global crisis in the first place ? “Clever” bankers making tons of money selling false promises that were dolled up to look like the best catch in Coppers. Unfortunately it’s not until next morning you wake up and see what you really got. And then ….

Last week’s top comments