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 seemingly never-ending rain, the 1916 Commemorations, and Mary Lou McDonald’s 4-hour sit-in in the Dáil.

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

The 5 most popular comments this week

1. First up this week is Doc Samoflange, who got 2,419 thumbs up for his comment on the article about how Keith Barry was kind of right with his prediction about the Book of Kells being stolen:

I’d be popping round the Keith’s gaff for a quick chat about the whereabouts of that book

2. In second place with 2,303 thumbs up is Why? on the article about the Dáil being adjourned until next week after Mary Lou McDonald’s four-hour sit-in:

final comment shouted in that clip….“the Dail has no meaning if there’s no answers to questions…”that sums it up for me, really.

3. PJ Quinn spoke for a lot of people with this comment about missing person Catherine O’Reilly, getting 1,780 thumbs up.

Hope she is found safe and well…

Tragically, Catherine’s body was found in Dublin just two days later.

4. The Mary Lou McDonald piece features again in 4th place, with Stephen‘s response to Why? getting 1,683 thumbs up:

Exactly why are any of them there if they are not to answer these questions?
Fair play to Mary to stand up and put it to them and when she did , the reply she got was like from a child

5. Finally, a comment from Hulk Smash! about Catherine O’Reilly got 1,613 thumbs up from other readers :

Used to work in the same company as Catherine. Really lovely lady. This story really saddens me. Hope she’s ok.

The top 5 articles which received the most comments this week

Sam Boal / Photocall Ireland Sam Boal / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

1. Dáil adjourned until Tuesday after Mary Lou stages four-hour sit-in (683 comments)

2. Protester removed from 1916 event after she called Enda Kenny the c-word (341 comments)

3. Irish Water doesn’t want you inviting fairies to remove your meter (309 comments)

4. Gerry Adam’s gunpoint comments ‘a barely concealed threat to the modern media’ (307 comments)

5. Poll: What do you make of Mary Lou McDonald’s sit-in? (297 comments)

Laugh of the week

The story about the 91-year-old woman who woke up in a morgue 11 hours after she was declared dead scared the bejeesus out of a lot of people – including Rebecca Keogh:

And this is why I want to be waked for about 3 days.

Poignant moments of the week

There was a big debate among commenters about whether ads like the new Sainsburys Christmas one are exploitative and overly-emotional, or a good way to remember the past. Catherine Sims had this moving story about her own family’s experience:

It’s not a tribute but it’s certainly a timely reminder. That war was fought in trenches and was horrendous . We have letters from my fathers uncles to their sister . It was a living hell.we always knew two uncles fought and died but actually three fought and one made it home. too many young people made into cannon fodder . It’s slipping from living memory but it shouldn’t be forgotten . This incident when it happened showed just how much the ordinary men could just relate and get along without the Sargent majors screaming at them to kill. I know it’s just an ad but it’s no harm to take a reminder from it. We haven’t learned our lesson yet as we still have had wars in Europe but perhaps we can still who knows .

On the article about acts of kindness, Molly Coddled wrote about what she is going through with her mother, who is terminally ill, and how the kindness of the people around her is helping:

I am sitting beside my mum, in a hospice, she is dying from cancer, she cannot talk to me anymore, my heart is breaking.The kindness and gentleness shown to me and mum each day for the past two weeks of her being here from the nurses, carers and doctors is indescribable, these are not random acts this is kindness gentleness and caring personified. They have taken that dreadful pain away from her and made her feel comfortable and loved by strangers.If someone asks me do I believe in angels I would have to say yes, but they are human, these people wear wings on their hearts every day of their lives.I would like to say thank you to all of them, you have restored my faith in humanity.

Standout comments of the week

Sometimes, the worth and value of the comments section is debated. Jenny Hughes, Diarmaid O’Fionnachta and The Guru were involved in an interesting debate on Monday.

Michael Freeman of DailyEdge.ie wrote about why people were making rape jokes after the Love/Hate finale. Jenny wrote:

I had laughed at the jokes on facebook without even thinking about it. After reading the article you realise that it’s not actually something to joke about.
Why do we take female rape seriously but not male?

Here are the responses:

Last Sunday, Ireland’s oldest man Luke Dolan passed away in his native Roscommon. He was 108 years old. Charles J Ahern left this poignant comment.

This chap has seen so much stuff its madness

-The sinking of the Titanic
-The 1916 rising
-The War of Independence
-The Irish civil war
-The declaration of the Republic
-Two world wars
-Dismantling of the old colonial empires
-Cold war, cuban missile crisis etc.
-Every Dail thus far
-Dana winning the Eurovision
-Etc.That’s just crazy! What a life and what an age to pass away at. RIP

And the final word on an important issue goes to ronandusty.

Egg sandwiches should be banned from all transport. And cheese and onion Taytos. They are lovely but when someone else is eating them they are like chemical warfare.

Too right.

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