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EVERY SATURDAY MORNING we like to take a look at all the best comments left on the site by you lot over the past week.
The news over the past seven days has been dominated by one thing: Christmas. From the world not ending (despite what the Mayans said) to pointless Christmas gadgets, it has been a festive week. But aside from that, there’s also been Catholic Bishops speaking out against X Case legislation, the ongoing clashes in Northern Ireland over flags, why Barack Obama is Time Person’s of the Year, and
So here, in no particular order, are the standout comments from the week that was.
Ireland is the most charitable country in Europe, apparently. Nuns on Yokes commented that Irish people were getting their due reward:
There is a concert been held in Africa by pop stars dedicated to Ireland this weekend.
Thanks to Paddy Murphy for this disturbing comment about retro Christmas gifts we all wanted as kids:
I shifted my sisters Girls World head.
Moving swiftly on: is it ok to use your mobile in a restaurant? Readers were divided – and none more so than Aindreas Phelan:
I voted for “put the phone away” yet here I am in a restaurant on my phone, commenting on this article. D’oh.
There were a lot of really excellent comments on this article about unanswered questions from last Sunday’s finale of Love/Hate – particularly an in-depth discussion about the symbolism in the programme. Maura Harkin had this great comment about hair, as well as this one about the meaning of birds (WARNING: spoiler alert):
Lets talk Michael! Birds. Budgies; Aido keeps caged birds just like he himself is caged/trapped in his horrible life as a junkie in a disgusting flat. Swans; in the previous series young Luke loved swans. Swans mate for life and live in family groups. Luke was always lonely and isolated and in a fit of rage killed a swan. Racing Pigeons; live in a group and their owner is like their leader. With Git gone Dano had no choice but to destroy the birds as they could no longer function without their leader. It also perhaps says something about how Dano feels leaderless without his Da. Seagulls; when Darren was lying dead the camera panned up to a shot of a seagull flying above the city, symbolic of Darren’s soul flying free. But a seagull is not a dove, no one was trying to say that Darren was an innocent. A seagull, while it is white, is not pure. They feed on rubbish and are a common sight in Urban areas. I suppose they could have used a white pigeon, but that would be taking things too far, and pigeons are too disgusting!! Thats my thoughts anyway. x
We liked this exchange between Ted Power and Stray Mutt beneath an article about what to do before the world ends er, yesterday:
If I knew for sure that the world was ending on Friday, I would definitely kick my boss up the hole, bishop Brennan style, he’s a dick.
Ted?….the world ain’t going to end on friday.
But consider yourself fired next monday.
Sincerely
Your boss
What was Luke Ming Flanagan getting up to on Grafton Street on Wednesday? We ran a caption competition, and Roy Race‘s suggestion got the most thumbs up:
It was at that moment that Ming realised that the request for a photo shoot with someone wearing pink and long hair didn’t mean Mick Wallace.
A group of golden retrievers have been sent to Newtown in Connecticut to comfort survivors of last week’s school shooting. Phyllis Neiman empathised:
Dogs are such great comforters. The other night a neighbor came to call with news her husband’s Cancer is now in it’s last stages. Her sadness was palpable , so our 4 year old Airedale went to her, put his head in her lap and looked up at her. It changed her demeanor and you could see her relax a bit. Hoping this gestures helps to ease the grief in Newtown.
Mary McCarthy got a lot of thumbs up for this comment about what makes Christmas Day special - and why it’s going to be different for her this year:
Christmas Day is always a magical time for me . There is little to beat the joy of watching the wonder and happiness of your child’s face as they see what Santa has brought them . It always brings back memories of my own childhood when life was much more innocent and less complicated in a way that only a child knows .
It’s the feeling you get from having plenty of food on the table and the company of those you love with you . It’s the one day of the year when put your worries about mortgages , politics and money aside . It’s the warm contented feeling that you get from having your family close and squabbles and fights forgotten even if it just for the day .
My daughter emigrated during the year and its the first time in 25 years she will not be with me . I am hoping that the memories of all those past Christmas ‘s will see me through .
This column by an ex-bully about why he did what he did generated a lot of discussion. Orela Krawczyk explained her own experience:
Well done on such an honest article. My secondary school years were made a misery by a gang of lads, funny thing was the gang leader left in 3rd yr but I was a pariah at that point and the bullying continued. I honestly think the people who did it didn’t even know ” why” they were doing it. It took many years to realise that it was nothing to do with me. I’ve since met the bullies out and about as adults and one lad apologised I just smiled and nodded and the other lad actually turned to him and said what are you saying sorry for sure it was only craic. Shoes you some people don’t change. Good to see you did
What exactly was this er, crime-fighting vehicle doing parked outside Pearse Street Garda Station in Dublin on Thursday? No idea – but readers had lots of suggestions. Here’s Cornelius Crow, Tom Leddy, Chris Massey and Mike Clinton:
Maybe we’re all just far away
Maybe President Micheal D wanted to play guard for a day?
In fairness they should never have got rid of the height!
It’s the new training vehicle for the latest recruits…. Kindergarden cops.
(Photo: Pat Reilly)
Spot any good comments? Let us know! Mail christine@thejournal.ie with any suggestions for Comments of the Week
And there’s a big spooky building up in Dublin, with 166 useless wandering souls, tormenting the entire population in order to assuage for the sins of their previous lives as useless teachers and lecturers. Now that’s pure true.
Yawn
Funny, but assuage does not mean “to atone for something”. Use fancy words, but at least know what they mean.
Hats off to you Ian for my less-than-precise use of the word.
I didn’t know they were all teachers or lecturers.
I love sausages
Seriously can we not have a proper article with some nice halloween spookiness to it without commenters bringing politics into it? It is getting old.
Aoife this is a cool article, Tarquin is a nice chap and his work is brilliant, a few years back I was heavily involved in exploring abandoned places etc and never really felt or seen anything except for maybe one or two places 1. La Touche Hotel in Greystones and 2. The Old Convent in Baltinglass. He is right when he says you need to be open minded.
I vote no to politics.
Agree 100% on La Touche hotel. There’s something not quite right with that place.
I think there is a legend about a former owner Lady la Touche who apparently haunts the place, they had a live radio show one halloween dedicated to it. It is a very odd place alright.
This is not relevant to Ireland but if you ever visit Auschwitz. It’s surreal the atmosphere. I dunno if everyone felt the same way as me but to me was the most intense feeling ever. I did however observe two asian girls bursting into tears as they entered the compound.
I grew up in Greystones and know a lot of people that worked there over the years including siblings of mine. Spent quite a bit of time there too myself during the summer festival etc. I normally don’t buy into ghost stories etc (I always think there’s an explanation) but the stories I’ve heard from people I know well are consistent and disturbing. The feeling I used to get in that place is hard to describe, but it certainly wasn’t a good one. Always felt as though you should be looking over your shoulder.
Agree on Auschwitz too, Patrick. That’s certainly somewhere I never want to go again.
@ Patrick, it was a mind-altering experience, i’ll never forget. People need to visit to understand, words cannot explain it.
Anyone ever notice Dublin bus’s “Ghost Bus Tours” sounds like Ghostbusters?
No? Just me then…
Well, the Busters need to pay their bills too, don’t they *lol*
I’ve been saying it for years, we need a properly run government funded ghostbusters unit.
Did you hear about the 2 gay ghosts? They put the willies up each other :)
I really don’t believe in ghosts but I’ll read any book written by a man called Tarquin.
It was probably an iPhone 5 he was using to call his wife
Don’t believe in ghosts, but would read this!
Sounds very interesting and something I’d love to read. What’s the name of the book? I checked the article but it doesn’t seem to mention the title.
Yeah I was just going to ask the same. Doesn’t seem to give the name of the book anywhere. Or I’m going blind!
http://www.collinspress.ie/haunted-ireland.html
Followed the link and looked around and found this!
Hi, it mentioned it at the end of the piece, but I’ve now also included it at the beginning in case people didn’t read to the end.
Cheers!
What did one ghost say to the other ghost?
Do you believe in people…
Deep man deep
Werewolves of Ossory. The less successful follow up to Werewolves of London.
My dad had an encounter with a female ghost whilst serving in the army in 1943 at rockgrove, little island, cork (its now an industrial estate). He was assigned to clerical work so slept alone in the office, one night he was awoken by a very cold chill looked up to see a woman in old fashioned riding attire who seemingly floated towards him then placed one foot on the locker beside his bed, bend down and stared at him closely, he struck out at her and she disappeared in a ball of smoke.
With the aid of a local priest they investigated the history of the estate and found out that many years before when a local priest was crossing the rockgrove estate bringing the Eucharist to the locals was encountered by the landowner of the estate who was out riding, the owner kicked the Eucharist out of the priests hands and the priest cursed him and all his kin to die tragically.
This landowners daughter was killed off of her horse on the spot where my dad encountered her.
Coincidence ?
Maybe.
I dare you to go and stay the night in the light keepers cottage at Loop Head Lighthouse. Ghostbusters surveyed it and found 24 Ghosts. 14 males and 10 Females. Allegedly one of the ghosts is Enda Kenny’s grandad who was a light keeper there once. Next Friday, being Halloween, should be a great night to stay there. http://imgur.com/gUK72zS
Bring back Most Haunted – and Derek Acora lol
On a side note – does anybody remember many years ago – the BBC did a live Haunted House Event in a family’s home – which was staged – but the TV viewers didn’t know – and was billed as a big haunted house experience –
I remember it affected a lot of people back then – just wondering does anybody else remember this
I do, frightened the bejaysus out of me as a kid would love to know what it was called to see of its on youtube
It was Ghost watch. It’s on YouTube and you can get it on DVD!
I don’t think ghosts exist..I do believe that if enough hype is created about a building or area and you go there,then that is all that’s needed to spook you. Any noise or gust of wind can be a ghost coming up behind you..but then,no-one can prove the existence of ghosts any more than I can disprove them. I just can see how any part of a person is left behind when they die
A good book to read as well would be hungry souls. It’s a Roman Catholic book on purgatory and stories and relics that have survived today that show marks of those left behind from purgatory looking for peoples prayers. Check it out, “hungry souls” .
I ain’t scared of no ghosts (because there aren’t any).
Aoife have you been taking lessons from Neil Jackman on Articles ;-).
Not sure what you mean, Sean? Neil’s articles are fantastic – we both tend to cover Irish history or events, but our articles are different in style. I wish I had his knowledge!
The only ghost I’m afraid is the ghost of the reckless housing boom coming back.
What do ghosts eat? I mean how do they exist ?
It’s all nonsense without any evidence but so many believe it.
I guess around Halloween it’s a bit of fun.
If ghosts could eat they wouldn’t be ghosts =P
David Acora in a haunted house said a spirit was talking to him,he started screaming “Mary loves Dick” several times…Its on YT.
Stuff of nightmares, just like our current government I think !
Hi Tarquin,
In relation to your book ‘Haunted Ireland’, I have some questions regarding your comment about Edward Gill Croker coming to Ireland as part of the New Model army etc. and I would like some clarification on the dates that were mentioned in the book if at all possible. I would really appreciate if you could cite your sources for me about this family.
Many thanks,
Helena Nugent
The one in clonmacnoise was a reflection if what was happening in galway bay due to weather
I’m perplexed as to why otherwise intelligent people can be so credulous.
Aoife have you been taking lessons from Neil Jackman on Articles ;-).
have your say