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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.
This week there was a lot of talk about the new pope, Ming and his penalty points, and Ministers flying abroad for Patrick’s Day. Then there was also the issue of teachers spending time on religion in primary schools, the school in Limerick which suspended 28 students for ‘liking’ a Facebook post, and things no-one tells you about having kids.
So here, in no particular order, are the standout comments from the week that was.
The top 5 articles which received the most comments this week
1. And the new pope is… Jorge Mario Bergoglio (331 comments)
2. Ming: I want my penalty points back (236 comments)
3. 16 amazing songs from the 1990s that you’ve forgotten (198 comments)
4. This could ONLY happen on Irish Twitter (194 comments)
5. Meath East by-election: Here are the candidates and here’s what they’re saying (185 comments)
Some of the best comments left on the site this week
Are there some things you’re never too old for? From kicking piles of leaves to building a fort, there were a lot of suggestions of age-inappropriate activities. Eileen McKenna and Jose had two more:
Walking all round tesco without stepping on a join in the tiles! Do it with the carpet tiles in the office too.
I’m 53.
*sigh*
Came home from work one day last year to find the two daughters giving each other rides around the house in the wheelbarrow, they are both in their 20s.
Ireland’s micro-breweries have been undergoing something of a resurgence of late. Colin Toner pointed out the challenges they face:
It’s great to see a small revival again with the craft beer market in Ireland, it reached a peak in the late 90′s/ early 2000′s but most of those breweries have closed such as the Dublin Brewing Company and the Biddy Early Brewing Co.
There are not enough pubs around the country that support the micro brewing Industry and any micro brew that successfully gets into a pub ( on draught not bottle ) will be quickly forced out by Diageo or Heiniken by offering the publican free stock to get it out. Hopefully the recent surge in micro brew companies will change that but somehow I doubt it.
If I Can recommend one new craft beer it would certainly be Creans Lager, one craft beer I would love to see back in production would be Revolution Red.
Here are 15 things no-one tells you about being a parent – and here’s one more from Tina Heverin:
When leaving the house to do the grocery shopping on your own is like a mini-holiday
Do you remember your best and worst teachers? Christina Colling definitely remembers her worst (even 30 years later):
I remember in senior infants many moons ago I brought in a huge seashell to show it to my teacher mrs mcdonald…so off I toddled up to her during break time. She must have been having a bad day because she snapped it off me and threw it into her desk drawer. Never to see daylight again. She refused to give it back to me. That was 30 years ago and I will never forget it. Never forgave her for it either. I loved that seashell :’(
Pun Of the Week comes from Ciaran De Bhal on this article about a nun who voted on behalf of another nun – who had died – in the US presidential election last year:
That’s an awful habit she developed..
The story was pretty compelling. A man who tackled a shark on a beach was later sacked from his job following a video that went viral showing the battle between man and shark. Michael Burke had high expectations:
It’s amazing how what you picture in your mind when you first hear a news story can be so different from what actually took place. I had visions of this muscle bound beefcake with tattoos thrashing about in the water as the shark rolled him over and over again and the guy in the midst of all the fighting and blood letting shouting in what appears to be his last words on earth….”TELL MY WIFE …..gulp.gulp…pah pah…..I LOVE HERRRRRRRRRRRRRRR……aaagggggghhhhhhhhh
Was kinda disappointed.
(Video: NewsChamber/YouTube)
5 comments which received the most thumbs up
John Joe Kinsella had the most popular comment this week for a defence of the Gardaí who were attacked while answering a call in Dublin, which received 1,379 thumbs up:
Nobody deserves this for just doing their job.
Ru Ni Digs was close behind with 1,348 thumbs up for this comment about Aslan’s lead singer Christy Dignam being diagnosed with cancer:
Get well soon Christy!!!
Simon got 1,126 thumbs up for this comment about Kate Middleton apparently being related to Brian Ború:
I wish we’d stop claiming everyone, its getting embarrassing!
A lot of commenters were unimpressed with Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan’s penalty points drama this week. Karen Hynes got 1,038 thumbs up for this:
So he thanked the first guard who stopped him using his phone while driving and said that guard may have saved a life… Then got caught again using his phone while driving. Were they the only times he used his phone while driving?
Did it ever cross his mind to get a hands free kit?
Rounding out the top five is Joe O’Shea who got 1,033 thumbs up for asking this question on the article about the 28 students suspended from secondary school for ‘liking’ a Facebook post which contained an explicit reference to some school staff members:
Did those students not realise their names were identifiable from the ‘likes’ they have given? They should be given another two days suspension for stupidity.
Spot any good comments? Let us know: mail christine@thejournal.ie with any suggestions for comments of the week.
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Surely this is condidential contractual information between a renter and landlord?
…And revenue.ie?
in large areas this info is not so useful, finding an average rent for Dublin 2 two bed apartments is fairly meaningless, no distinction of brand new vs 30 years old, more expensive parts of post code vs less expensive. could be extremely misleading if at too broad a level, possibly worse than no info
I agree 100% unless they post prices with pictures together and also some detailed info of features and square size of living area, then it makes more sense and only then gives you fair idea. Usually the golden rule works in real estate: you get what you pay for..
no more misleading than the constant claims from daft that rents are rising (lies) this survey shows rents are actually falling in Dublin, and is certainly more trustworthy.
It certainly seems that rents are rising. Was away for 6 months and struggled to find apartment. Third less apartments on market now than a year ago.
This is a great step in the right direction . If ur in a block of apartments built at the same time this is very useful!
This information is key as it ensures transparency which prevent bubbles, speculation and the best value for all. It’s also not private information as all income is taxable and some people also receive state supports with their rent. All in all this is a good development.
Zegakly! Openness and transparency is for the good of all.
More snooping by government agencies I would imagine to try to get more money from people rather then trying to apply Amy real rules to the sector
I don’t think this is snooping. I’d say this has more to do with Rent Allowance being paid out by the state. It’ll give the government an idea on rents in a certain area and see if money can be saved.
This is confidential information.
Unless it’s in some way anonymized or averaged over an area it’s a violation of personal financial information.
This is a good thing. The private rented sector is the wild west of the property market. Half the landlords out there are either reluctant buy-to-let types without a clue of even the basics of business or fast buck merchants with a devil-may-care attitude to Residential Tenancies Act. The fact the the majority of cases in front of the PRTB are for illegally held deposits, 92% of flats in a recent investigation failed to meet even minimum legal standards (which are pretty damn low) and the fact that a sizable chunk of landlords out there that seem to think that because the are renting out property the laws of the land do not apply to them means that any move to regulate this sector is welcome.
The sector is unprofessional, legal standards are not enforced, prices vary widely (and are usually down to an individual’s negotiating skills or lack thereof) and the end product is both bad and overpriced. This is a disincentive to living and working in Dublin and needs to be addressed. Possibly the only worthwhile thing Labour have done in government so far.
I support this. It provides for greater transparency all around. Let’s not hope the data gets manipulated…
I know people who because of rent changes have now made agreement with their landlord to say the rent is a certain amount ( allowed for ur family size by the rent section) and then pay extra cash in hand to the landlord , so they don’t have to move yet again as its so hard to find houses within ur allowance and area u want to be in . I think the rent section and the councils should work together and buy property’s and rent them to tenants so in the long run the money goes into housing which the councils and sate own instead of paying landlords forever more ..
Not sure about the accuracy of this… No data for 1 bedroom apartments in Rathmines or Ranelagh (I thought there would be lots of those type of places there) yet the average rent of a 1 bedroom apartment in Wellington Dublin 6W is 1188.89 per month??!!
It seems like this might be a good idea. If they did a survey of asked for rents and paid rents, they could a: get a better idea of how much people are able to pay, and b: give rental property owners a better idea of what rents they should be asking for. I’ve always thought it was odd that rents aren’t based on what people, individually, pay but rather, are based on the average rents paid over large areas.
Have you tried to use the system? Not very easy to use……..
This is a serious breach of privacy. I don’t want people knowing how much rent I pay. It’s none of their business. What if an employer found out someone was paying very little rent and decided to deny a pay increase?
I think this is just another way of exposing people to the Revenue.
have your say