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 China, Irish mammies and, of course, Irish Water.

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

The 5 most popular comments this week

1. When Enda Kenny said last weekend it was a 4% tax rise or water charges, Eamonn Hughes got 4,084 thumbs up for stating…

I thought this was about water conservation and not a revenue generating operation? Because that’s exactly what he has admitted tonight.

2. An Irish woman got knocked back after applying for a job in South Korea due to the “alcoholism nature” of her “kind”. Henry Fleming got 3,051 green thumbs for his response.

 I nearly choked on my pint reading the headline

3. And back to Irish Water, Joan Donnellan isn’t impressed with Fine Gael councillor Laura McGonigle, who apologised for her remarks to protesters to collect rainwater. At least 3,029 of you agree with her.

No need to apologise …Ye will all be irrelevant in the next election anyway …

4. And another one. Brian Madden got 2,575 thumbs up for expanding on the point made in this week’s top comment. 

This charge has nothing to do with conservation, It’s a revenue generating exercise and if consumption decreases then the unit price will be increased.

5. Back to Laura McGonigle and Paddy Mac gets 2,277 thumbs up for saying:

Just another nail in the Fine Gael coffin, thanks Laura!!

The top 5 articles which received the most comments this week

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1. Enda Kenny: It’s either water charges, or a 4% tax increase, or ‘boiling water for decades’ (717 comments)

2. As it happened: Tens of thousands protest against water charges (464 comments)

3. Leo Varadkar: There’s a ‘sinister fringe’ of violent Irish Water protesters (446 comments)

4. Irish Water: We’re sorry (405 comments)

5. Anger outside Coolock Garda Station after water charge protesters are arrested (398 comments)

Laugh of the week

From Kevin Doyle on a piece about bad traffic in Dublin.

I’m on a 29a because the darts were delayed and it’s tough going. I think I’ve been on it for about 11 months now. There’s been three babies born so we’ve decided to set up a school. I’ll keep you posted.

Yesterday, Mrs Shalakalananaka had some concerns when she saw both TheJournal.ie and DailyEdge.ie cover a story.

Ah Paul, the Daily Edge beat you with this story.Just wondering- there a big rivalry between the Journal and the Daily Edge? Like you have street fights a few times a week? And will you kill the person who wrote this story on the Daily Edge? And in the Journal offices yous have to be separated so yous don’t have these vicious dance offs? Can you date each other? Jesus, it’s like West Side Story.

We just wanted to assure her that all is fine here in HQ and we’re all still friends. Look:

TheJournal.ie TheJournal.ie

Some other standout comments

There was an interesting discussion about the right to die following Alan Rossiter‘s incredibly thoughtful piece on Thursday. The veterinary surgeon responded to a query about using the phrase ‘being put to sleep’.

We all know somebody who has emigrated. Maybe you’re even reading this from London, Australia or Canada? Or somewhere even more exotic. If you are, spare a thought for the mammies of Ireland who are now more susceptible to depression because their kids are moving away. Mary Walshe admits:

And don’t I know it! Three of mine emigrated since 2008, although one back now. I don’t have high hopes for the other two to come back though, and still have two teenagers at school. Who’s to say they won’t go too? Sometimes I wake in the middle of the night and lie there wondering what they are doing on the other side of the world. It’s truly heartbreaking.

I know my husband misses them too but not as much as I do. He is more pragmatic about it but all I can think of is my grandchildren ( if and when they arrive) growing up not knowing me beyond a face on a computer screen.

Here’s a random fact for you from Gar O’Mhaolmonaigh.

I live in North China. The government controls when the heating comes on. 15th November (and goes off 15th March). NO MATTER WHAT. Indian summer? Don’t care; heating’s going on. -10C in october? It’s not time yet. It’s just like being in boarding school.

See any good comments? Send them on to sinead@thejournal.ie