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 teaching of religion in schools, RTÉ paying compensation over the Panti/Iona/Saturday Night Show affair and a story from 30 years ago that continues to shock the nation.
So here, in no particular order, are the standout comments from the week that was.
The 5 most popular comments this week
1. The top comment of the week came on one of the most-read (and most-commented on) pieces of the past seven days. Jeremy Usbourne got 2,277 green thumbs for showing his support to a Dublin man who has stopped Irish Water workers installing a meter at his home TWELVE times. He wrote:
No shouting.
No shoving.Just honest, polite resistance.
Its this resistance governments fear the most because on a massive scale it renders their might powerless.
Well done sir.
2. Like many, Fiona Behan had a ‘gardaí and nurses’ quip ready to go following news of a crush at Copper Face Jacks on Tuesday morning. Luckily, everyone involved in the incident is now safe. And luckily for Fiona, she was the first in with the joke so got 2,151 thumbs up for this:
Luckily there were plenty of nurses at the scene!
3. It was a good week for thumbs for Jeremy Usbourne who managed to get into the top five twice this week. An unprecedented feat. He received 1,732 virtual pats on the back for this offering about the Brian O’Driscoll, Paul Kimmage split.
[Bizarre] Indeed.
& somewhat childish on Kimmage’s part.
He agrees to the ghost writing gig… fine.
He chooses to be offended by Drico having an interview with another paper?
A bit odd?If BOD does an interview with the Sunday Times, Playboy or The Beijing Peoples Gazette, its none of Kimnages beeswax.
4. On the same article, Eoin Tighe kept it simple for 1,356 thumbs up.
Bizarre
5. David Keogh employed, em, a very Irish phrase, *cough*, to tell everyone what he thought about UL having the most sign ups to a Sugar Daddy dating site. It seems 1,308 people agreed.
“A lot of the Sugar Daddies actually want to be mentors. They take great satisfaction in moulding these young ladies and preparing them for the real world.”…..Me hole!
The top 5 articles which received the most comments this week
1. Open Letter to RTE: Explain why you censored gay rights advocate Rory O’Neill (469 comments)
2. Dublin man stops Irish Water workers installing meter at home 12 different times (395 comments)
3. Poll: Should religion be taught at home and not in schools? (309 comments)
4. Government begin bid to allow same-sex couples to adopt (284 comments)
5. Martin: “Insensitive” Quinn should “lay off” schools over religion (243 comments)
Some of the best comments left on the site this week
This week 30 years ago, Ann Lovett was found in a distressed state in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary in the Longford town of Granard. She had just given birth to her son. Both mother and baby passed away that day. As we recalled the shocking events, readers shared their memories.
Denise Houlihan wrote:
And a local, vociferously Catholic doctor went into Anne’s school the following week to give a talk to her classmates and told them all to use it as a warning and that she was burning in hell and her baby in limbo.
It’s hard to believe it was only 30 years ago. I’m so glad, especially for my daughter and nieces that we have moved on and shook off the repression and disrespect of the church. We have a lot more to do I know but when you look back at the case of Anne and her baby, you realise how far we have come.
Will think of and pray for Anne, her baby boy and her sister. Every woman in Ireland owes them a debt of gratitude.
With, Michelle McLoughney responding with a personal story:
Denise. That story of the doctor brings back a memory of mine.I was born to a 15 year old in the early 70′s and adopted out. In the days before I made my holy communion, I was told to stand at the top of the class by the nun. She said that we could forgive the sinner but not the sin. And she pointed at me and said I was the sin. She then ask the class to come up one by one and say sin into my ear. Which they all dutifully did.
The nun still lives in my home town. Years later I went to her house knocked on the door to confront her and tell her how great my life was for a ‘sin.’ I knocked on the door, promptly wet myself and left. Children are easily damaged and very often not repairable.
Earlier this week, Jonny Benjamin was reunited with the man he gives credit for saving his life before he attempted to take his own life. Commenter OU812 urged us all to look out for one another:
I know several people who’ve been on the brink of suicide one who attempted it.
All have one thing in common “if someone asks me am I ok, I won’t do it”.
Make time to look out for people. The strongest faces sometimes hide the most fragile people.
In yesterday’s poll, we asked readers whether the neknomination craze was dangerous, plain stupid or a bit of craic. We loved Morgan Freeman‘s no nonsense response.
I nominate everyone to read a book #booknominations
(And, yes, we imagine that being said in Morgan Freeman’s voice)
Commenter Jayniemac called it a ‘sickener’ and we kind of have to agree with her…the last of the six winners of the €3.5 million lotto collected their winnings this week. And the syndicate had to split the €588k another SIX ways. Sickener is right. Chief made us laugh pretty hard with this summary:
My stepsister’s aunt’s dog made that same amount of money right from her computer just afer she got laid off from work for robbing a pen. That’s right, you too can also make serious money like this. Just head over too ……… http://www.baySomething-its-a-scam.com
There were some great contributions to the DailyEdge.ie‘s article on the most infuriating crimes committed by the ‘other half’. This, from Scaldychops, was a favourite:
My wife does nothing wrong. In fact, she is perfect in every way.
(She also reads the Journal).
People were not impressed with Michael Flatley’s rhino horn this week. And, White Fang, summed up why:
Three of the five extant species of rhinoceros are critically endangered. There was six species, but the West African black rhino was declared extinct in 2011. The world needs to take a stand against the horn market, and now, or these amazing creatures could soon be no more.
The west needs to start putting pressure on East Asian countries, which fuel the demand for rhino horn. Rhino horn can go for more than it’s weight in gold in Vietnam, for example. And it’s all for use in ‘traditional medicine’, that doesn’t even do anything. Certain Gulf states use horn in dagger hilts. That needs to stop too.
You may recognise her avatar…former TheJournal.ie reporter, Amy Croffey, made a welcome return from her pad in Australia to tell us what she thought about the seized counterfeit designer boots in Cork.
No one even wears Uggs anymore!
Indeed, Amy.
Finally, we think Darren Turner summed up an ad urging Australian kids to stay in school perfectly.
Christ that elevated quickly
Spot any good comments? Send them through to us by email at sinead@thejournal.ie.
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