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 Leo Varadkar, the same-sex marriage referendum and Deirdre from Corrie.
So here are the standout comments from the week that was.
The 5 most popular comments this week
1. Leo Varadkar told Miriam O’Callaghan last weekend that he is gay. There were a lot of warm wishes made in the comments section, with this from Tom Red earning 3,467 green thumbs.
Not your biggest fan Leo ,
But fair play to you for telling the world what really is none of their business. ….
All the best for the future….
2. Ewan Scott-Douglas questioned the State broadcaster’s choice of guest this week during same-sex marriage referendum debates. He got 1,898 thumbs up.
Why do RTÉ constantly go to the so called Iona Institute for anything to do with LGBT rights. Especially after last year.
3. This comment from Stephen Ring got 1,780 thumbs up following a story that immigrants have allegedly been told to “go back home” and that “too many people from — are coming here to take benefits for free” at the social welfare office.
When a situation exists whereby irish people, who have worked, can’t get any financial support, but immigrants who have never contributed can, it is only reasonable to expect disquiet and frustration on the part of those administering this unfair system as well as those subject to it.Aodhan O’Riordhain is a pathetic apologist and a PC joke.
4. Another Leo comment. This time Nigel O’Neill got 1,706 for taking issue with the interview being given top news billing.
Just saw the RTE 1pm news..it was top story…which is absolutely ridiculous. Nobodys sexual orientation should be headline news on the state tv channel
5. Finally, a simple wish to Leo from Will Derbylight and 1,391 thumbs uppers.
Good luck to him!
The top 5 articles which received the most comments this week
1. ‘Should we allow mothers to marry their daughters?’ (461 comments)
2. Poll: How do you intend to vote in the same-sex marriage referendum? (359 comments)
3. “It’s not something that defines me”: Health Minister Leo Varadkar on being gay (343 comments)
4. Here’s the wording you’ll be voting on in same-sex marriage referendum (313 comments)
5. Social welfare officer allegedly told immigrant to “go back home” (291 comments)
Word joke of the week
Phil O’Meara made a good fist of getting a limerick out of Rick O’Shea’s new poetry programme launch.
There once was a man called O’ Shea,
A perfectly happy DJ,
Who came to despise his lot,
And moved to a poetry slot,
Not all limericks end satisfactorily!
Standout comments of the week
We said goodbye to Anne Kirkbride this week, more widely known as Deirdre from Coronation Street. Here’s Matt’s lovely tribute.
May she enjoy endless G&Ts in the Rovers Return up above
Since the recession hit, more and more people have been pushed out of the private health insurance market. Carlow Wexford explains his story.
After 40 years of paying, had to let it go; now I have not a penny to cover me, despite all those years of covering everyone else and hardly ever claiming. If I were to take it up again, ‘existing condition’ (asthma) would not be covered for the first 10 years, so it’s pointless.
We don’t need private companies profiting from insuring Irish citizens’ health; we need a State mutual insurance scheme through tax that covers everyone’s medical care.
But for that to work, the government would have to have the balls to deal honestly with the pharmaceutical companies on the outrageous prices of medicine in Ireland, to support and pay our GPs properly, and to tackle the chaotic mess that has been made of our hospitals.
And while ordinary people worry about bills, the world’s elite were in Davos enjoying €43 sandwiches. Here’s what O Swetenham had to say about that.
The only way I’d pay €43 for a sandwich is if it had unicorn meat in it
And Becky Eaton promised that if she was ever that rich, she’d throw a party for all our commenters. Can we come too, Becky?
So let’s say I am rich and I paid that much to get in I would want a free club sandwich but I guess some people have more money than sense or so much money that paying that much is just a tiny little dent in what money they have I don’t think if I won the lotto I would pay that much but maybe I am wrong? Would you pay 45 for a club sandwich if you had the money? If I win the lotto I will host a party for all of you who comment on the journal and we will party like no tomorrow. Xxx
We all have bad clamping stories. But maybe not as bad as S K’s.
Got clamped while in blanchardstown town hospital. Was waiting 5 hours for my 9 a.m. appointment. After four hours said to the nurse that I had to go top up my parking. I was told that if I left I would lose my place in the queue for my “appointment”. I ended up getting back to my car 8 minutes after my ticket ran out and there was a clamp on it. I was a student at the time, had no more money or anyone to call for help. Was left sitting in a car park crying my eyes out to some clamper. Fantastically humiliating experience.
Following a beautiful article on fatherhood, we got this incredible tearjerker message from Antaine O Duile. Thanks for sharing Antaine.
I took my 4yr old boy for his immunisations a couple of days ago. He had to get one in each arm. The doctor suggested that it might be better to do both jabs at the same time. I agreed and I cuddled him to me with his chin on my chest and he just looked straight into my eyes with complete trust. To be honest it took my breath away. With the doctor on one arm and the nurse on the other he took both jabs and didn’t cry out or flinch. I can’t explain why that moment touched me so much.
We heard this week about the most overused words on CVs and Derek Smalls asked us to try read this one out loud.
The best/worst buzz-phrase combo I ever heard was in an annual staff meeting of a multinational when the vice president said “our competitive ingredient going forward into next year will be… quality enrichment rollout across all our product flavors”. It was an electronics company, by the way, (just in case anyone might think it was a bakery). Oh yeah, the same guy once said that one of the company’s software products was “sexy”.
Finally, gardaí in Finglas found a cat this week.
Tongue firmly in cheek, Robyn Morton replied:
And in the news next week:“Enquiry launched after cat wipes penalty points from pulse system”
See any good comments? Send them on to sinead@thejournal.ie
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