EVERY WEEK, WE here at TheJournal.ie like to take a look back at the best comments left by readers on the site this week.

The comments section is always home to some great debates and this is our way of looking at some of the sharpest, funniest, and most thought-provoking contributions. This week, there’s been a lot of talk about the fiscal compact referendum, Eamon O Cuiv, the Irish SOPA,  property sales, inkgate, sandwiches, Davy Jones, the Ireland-Czech Republic match, budget cuts, and lots, lots more.

So without further ado and in no particular order, here are our picks for the top ten reader comments this week.

John Giles was unveiled as the Grand Marshal for the Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin this week (see picture above), which prompted this Dunphy-esque comment from Gerard Murphy:

He’s not a good grand master, he’s a great grand master!

The column on Friday by Alan McMenamin on what it’s like to be unemployed for a long time seemed to strike a chord with a lot of readers who shared their own experiences of unemployment. There were a lot of thought-provoking comments which made it hard to pick just one, but here’s this one from Helena Hasler:

a perfect depiction of the day to day struggles faced by long term unemployed. Good luck to you after over 3 years I found a CE scheme near my home, unlike many I don’t get double payments after covering childcare I’m down €80 on what I was getting, but the mental benefits are worth every penny even if things are tighter I have a focus, a social circle, a purpose.

This week  saw the news that the cathedral in New Zealand which was badly damaged by last year’s earthquake is set to be demolished. Condulmer gave his take on it:

Used to live outside Christchurch. I live in a place now (in Ireland) where the Church was burned to the ground as a result of arson. The effect on a community is devastating. A Church building holds generations of history and memories. For a sector of New Zealand on the south island society it was very important from a historical and cultural point of view, if not religious. Even a new one will not replace what is lost. Pity.

A slightly unusual (ahem) survey by Bord Bia this week about the Irish love of ham sandwiches – sorry, hang sangwidges – led to quite a tasty (again, sorry) debate in the comments. The possibly pseudonymous Getard Langslanger called foul:

What about roast beef and turkey? Another example of inequality and favouritism from a semi state body.

A new 30-year plan for Dublin Port launched by Leo Varadkar this week included a proposal for a custom-built terminal to allow giant cruise ships to dock on the Liffey as part of a plan to attract tourists. Gavin McGuinness had this insight into why this is important:

Last season I was in direct contact with cruise liner passengers when I was working in the tourism sector. You do not realise how important these people are to our economy. We were providing tours of the city and were one of the first businesses they met when they got off the ship. On average 6,000 euro was taken from each ship in a one day period.
They are vitally important to the Irish economy.

Yesterday was Friday which means the weekly animal slideshow. This week: lambs. This obviously presented a conundrum for some readers – including Ciaran Curtis:

They are so cute… but so tasty… dilemma

The unexpected resignation of Éamon Ó Cuiv as deputy leader of Fianna Fáil over the fiscal compact led to a big discussion about whether he was right or not to step down. Joe Gantly had this to say:

Will all those people bleating about how how honourable and noble Eamon O’Cuiv is as he resigns from the Fianna Fail front bench please tell me where the hell his honour and nobility was when his Government agreed to bail out our banks? Why the hell didn’t resign then?  No wonder the country is in a mess with political amnesia being so widespread.

Sandwiches inexplicably attracted a lot of comments this week. On Monday, we asked the incredibly important question of whether people preferred their sandwiches cut diagonally or just straight across. Who knew it could be so contentious? Aidan Keogh had this authoritative answer to an age-old question:

This will be long and technical
1. Straight cut across. This is for use when camping, hiking, going to school. It has to be neat to fit, essentially it’s a space issue. This applies for 4 Squares too.
2. Diagonally cut. This cut is for cafes and restaurants, crisps on the side mandatory. Maybe at home if enteratining lunch guests.
3. Quartered Triangles. Only to be used for family gathering occasions. Funerals, weddings, the odd 21st. Imagine the upset that could be caused otherwise.
4. Breakfast materials, chips and crisps may only be served in the butty position. One way in & out. There can be no escape for errant fillings of above sandwiches.
5. No Cut. My favourite, place thumbs in bottom front corners, interlace the fingers on the underside, consume. Not for the small-handed though.
We won’t get into paninis cos they don’t count, and the cutting of baguettes is silly. Doesn’t make them any fancier, just lets stuff fall out. I’ve seen baguettes cut with a slight mitre and frankly, i don’t approve of allowing the insane to make my sandwich.
PS I don’t trust anyone who won’t eat a crust. I know it’s not the nicest part of bread, but if a person won’t go through that tiny bit of displeasure for themselves, they won’t be around when life gets tough or you need a hand.

A column on Friday morning about breastfeeding in public was sparked by a recent protest at Facebook’s Dublin offices when the social network refused to allow women post photos of themselves feeding their babies on their profile pages. There was a great discussion in the comments section, including this comment from Rachelle Lawley:

having been breastfeeding for 4 weeks i have to say the most scary thing is going out into public and feeding. I haven’t gone out much but those times i have, i have had the support of my husband and my family and i went into a cafe today that i knew would be very accepting of me feeding my son. I did cover up what i could so no one would be offended and nothing was said. It is the most natural thing in the world and i don’t regret doing what i can for my son as it was not something i could do for my daughter having struggled and having no support what so ever from the health officials.

Finally, earlier in the week, sky-watchers were treated to an unusual sight when Venus, Jupiter and Mercury aligned with the moon in the skies over Ireland. Reader Seán Ó Briain posted this video that he had taken of the planet Jupiter during the week

Here’s a video I took of Jupiter the other night.
It’s not the best now! Seeing conditions weren’t great. Hope to get a shot of Saturn over the night few nights, clear skies permitting!

Spot a comment which you think should make the list next week? Mail it to christine@thejournal.ie