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 Irish Water, the Oscars and Madonna’s fall.
So here, in no particular order, are the standout comments from the week that was.
The 5 most popular comments this week
1. Sleep expert Powerful Sayings had a novel suggestion for people trying to nod off. 2284 of you agreed.
I knock one out. Sleep like a baby after.
Almost poetic, isn’t it?
2. Surely an indication of just how powerful his sayings are, he also nabbed the second most popular comment of the week, with 2209 likes, for his reply to Charles McDonald’s question: “Single? ?”
I am Charles, but I am not looking for anything serious at the moment. Maybe some other time?
You guys.
3. Paolo martino‘s observation about masked water protesters got 2159 green thumbs.
I’m convinced these patriotic masked young men clad in tracksuits and hoodies have nothing but our nations best interests at heart.
4. Ben Dawkin‘s comment on our story about a woman being jailed for not paying her TV licence struck a chord with 2,070 of you.
Jail someone for not paying a TV license, yet in Drogheda a drug dealer get a community service sentence.
5. 1774 readers approved of Ian moylan‘s take on the London schoolgirls who went to Syria to join Islamic State.
Handy having their faces blurred out
They will definitely catch them using that tactic
The top 5 articles which received the most comments this week
1. Date for same-sex marriage referendum set for 22 May (474 comments)
2. Poll: Do we still need anti-water charge protests? (418 comments)
3. Dublin anti-water charge rally hears two jailed protesters are on hunger strike (347 comments)
4. Fine Gael TD speaks to gardaí after woman alleges ‘hit-and-run’ at protest (344 comments)
5. Some people were very unhappy about Ryan Tubridy’s interview with Paul Murphy (307 comments)
Debate of the week
On Enda Kenny’s salary, which he believes he’s worth, John O’Leary says:
Running the country is no doubt a stressful job and should come with a reasonable/comfortable wage to ease any personal strain on the taoiseach. This figure of 185k however is way over the top. 80k (2.5 x the average) i feel would be a good balanced figure to pay an taoiseach to make sure he and his family are comfortable.
This guy keeps telling us the country is in the worst financial condition since the creation of the state….and the whole time a salary of 200,000 plus expenses was finding it’s way to his personal bank account. We needed strong leadership over the last 8 years or so and we still haven’t seen it.
Whereas Shane Flynn and David Higgins say:
How many CEOs work for 185k? That’s not a lot for running a large organisation never mind a country.
The comments section will explode over this one.Before it does, let me point out that running a country, ANY county, is no more difficult because of its population. It’s a special kind of dribble to imply that running the UK is over ten times “harder” than running Ireland.
Joke of the week
https://vine.co/v/O2KaJA9QMW5
We know we shouldn’t laugh at Madge but… then poisonivy came up with this.
Have you had an accident at work and it wasn’t your fault?…
And another from Cora Murphy.
#toomuchmaterialgirl
Other standout comments of the week
Norma Kealy was happy after Eddie Redmayne’s Oscar-acceptance speech.
My Dad has MND and I can’t bring myself to watch this film but it was brilliant to see Redmayne win .Was a lovely gesture to dedicate his Oscar to all those affected by MND……
This, from Conor Conneally, is kind of deep.
I wonder what the Gerry Adams of 1975 would make of the Gerry Adams of 2015?
Tiarnán Byrne was really affected by the above story about the police dog who received his final salute.
This one got me. I brought my dog to be put to sleep yesterday after he suffered a stroke. I had him for 16 years, my best friend since I was 8 years old. Now I find myself listening for his paws on the wood floor or his nose on at my hand as I snooze. Dogs, the price you pay for having them, is having to let them go.
Following the finale of Operation Transformation, we asked you about your dieting and health kick experiences.
wellyd had a really positive message:
I’m slimming world’s number one fan. Best thing I’ve ever done. 3 stone down in 5 months. I’m always full and make healthy meals from scratch everyday. I can even have treats! It’s not a diet to me, it’s a complete lifestyle change. I actually can’t even explain how great it is!
Frederick Constant made some good points on the same-sex marriage debate, following on from Dustin Lance Black’s moving speech at UCD:
Great guy and great story. It is tragic that the religious background he came from was so narrow-minded and damaging. That should never be the case. Kudos for coming through and for being able to be the person he is.But the discussion should be also be more inclusive, and question the role of marriage on society. And I don’t mean from a religious perspective, but from the perspective of how society treats marriage as a social institution as opposed to a legally-defined one. If the whole thing were such a simplistic notion of letting everyone marry whomever they chose, there would be no issue whatsoever. But it does run a bit deeper, and a mature society should be able to discuss in a meaningful fashion, and not shout down anyone who asks the question.So, here’s to a meaningful, open, inclusive, mature, and reasoned debate. Let’s leave the narrow-minded bigotry for those who cannot entertain an opposing thought, and cannot think for themselves.
The Dress
We would like to assure John O’Neill that, sadly, none of TheJournal.ie staff were in the pub at the time of publication:
This article is a perfect example of what happens if you’re left alone in the office as a punishment while everyone else goes to the pub.
Finally, Cathal McDonald said:
With the unmerciful slaying of the pink snack, I fancy my chances of losing 2 stone.
If you’re not sure what he’s talking about, let the Daily Edge fill you in.
With contribution by Órla Ryan
See any good comments? Send them on to sinead@thejournal.ie or orla@thejournal.ie
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