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How big is the average penis? That, and more, in the week in numbers

Plus: How much did Willie Walsh earn last year?

EVERY WEEK, TheJournal.ie offers a selection of statistics and numerical nuggets to help you digest the week that has just passed. 

€700 million: The amount of repayments Brian O’Donnell – who is at the centre of the legal row over the repossession of a Killiney mansion –  claims he and his wife have made to banks worldwide.

€7.9 million: The amount that Willie Walsh earned at IAG last year (and five times what he made in 2012).

€10,000: The amount that The Gloaming won for picking up the Meteor Choice Music prize for Irish album of the year during the week.

€3,500: The amount that the Taoiseach earns every week. He explained to us why he’s worth it.

73: The age in years of the vintage plane Harrison Ford was flying when he crash-landed on Thursday night. His son said afterwards that he was ‘battered but ok’.

28.3: The percentage of people in Northern Ireland who have had some kind of serious mental health issues. At least half of these were directly linked to The Troubles.

13.96: The average number of sick days taken in 2013 by staff at the Property Registration Authority, the highest rate in the public service.

12: The number of acts which have female artists/musicians announced for Electric Picnic so far.

10.1%: The percentage of the workforce that was unemployed at the end of February. The figure was the lowest it has been in six years.

5: The number of pedestrians who have died on Ireland’s roads so far this year.

3.6: The size in inches of the average flaccid penis, according to a study of 15,000 men.

Want more? Check out our previous ‘In numbers’ pieces > 

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20 Comments
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    Mute John J Finn
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    Dec 25th 2014, 6:43 PM

    I would say the most common answer will be ‘at a dance!’
    My parents met at a dance. My mom said she was attracted to my dad because he looked like Gene Pitney, my dad said he was attracted to my mom when he found out she didn’t drink so he knew she’d be a cheap date!

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    Mute denis daly
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    Dec 25th 2014, 6:33 PM

    Tinder

    186
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    Mute ÉiRed
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    Dec 25th 2014, 6:38 PM

    Mom went to the Enchantment under the sea dance with the new guy in town that her father ran over. But my father,who was very shy, tried to ask her himself but it wasn’t happening,until he saw the school bully getting all aggressive on my mother. One punch and he knocked him to the ground. And so my mother went to the dance with my father instead.

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    Mute Pharmyco
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    Dec 25th 2014, 7:17 PM

    Great Scott !

    87
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    Mute Paddy Mac
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    Dec 25th 2014, 6:38 PM

    My mother picked my fathers keys out of the bowl or so they say, I’m sceptical enough though coz my father definitely isn’t the romantic type.

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    Mute Lily
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    Dec 25th 2014, 6:49 PM

    Cousin?

    My aunt did the same thing, divorced her husband and married the owner of the keys. It was common knowledge they they were swingers.

    Though I have no idea where my parents met, dad was an acquaintance of moms husband and while her husband was in prison they became friends. She divorced her husband, it was a very amicable break up.

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    Mute Trish O'Leary-Dunne
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    Dec 25th 2014, 11:04 PM

    They lived on the same road but never met until the day my dad knocked my mam down with his bike and the rest was history.they were married for over 40 years when my dad passed away.

    80
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    Mute Jason Bourne
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    Dec 25th 2014, 6:37 PM

    Club Crystal, Main Street, Kiltimagh, Co. Mayo 1974.

    76
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    Mute Lynn Perry
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    Dec 25th 2014, 8:52 PM

    My folks met at a dance in the Garda Rowing club Chapelizod on an icy winters night. Him and his friend drove my mam and her friend home, he asked for her number but with no pen handy he scraped it into the ice on the car. Mam thought she’d gotten away with it but Dad was smitten and took the number down as soon as he got home! Still smitten 34 years later :-)

    75
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    Mute Tara Ní Mhóráin
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    Dec 25th 2014, 8:19 PM

    My parents met at mass. Apparently much planning went into seating arrangements so they could sit near enough each to shake hands at the sign of peace. My dad asked her on a date to play squash-it was acceptable in the 80s. :)

    65
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    Mute Dennis Collins
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    Dec 25th 2014, 7:22 PM

    My parents are from the same street. So I never asked them. Always felt it would be a stupid question. Maybe there’s some juicy, interesting car-chase story in there, so maybe I should ask. But it’s small-town West Cork. Who am I kidding? :)

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    Mute Wheres My Nama
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    Dec 25th 2014, 9:21 PM

    Met at Dance > Ride > Pregnant > Married

    52
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    Mute John O'Neill
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    Dec 25th 2014, 7:53 PM

    All young ones think that nobody ever fell in love before them…

    48
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    Mute justanothertaxpayer
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    Dec 25th 2014, 7:54 PM

    My father was a Garda, and my mother was a secretary. They met when Dad called into the office where Mom worked to issue a summons for after-hours drinking on her boss.

    47
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    Mute Beano
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    Dec 25th 2014, 6:38 PM

    I’d rather not know to be honest

    45
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    Mute David Hanlon
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    Dec 25th 2014, 8:47 PM

    My dad saw my mum pass by on the school bus. His friend saw my mum and said “have a look at your one there in the blue dress”. When my dad saw her he smacked his mate and said “she’s mine”. Problem was she didn’t want anything to do with him, luckily for my dad though his other friend was dating my mothers older sister and when they work dinner dance came around my dad convinced his friend to take him as his +1 and my aunt brought my mother. So then she ended up stuck with my dad for the night and he managed to charm her into a date. The rest is history, 40 years married now and happy as ever.

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    Mute Gillian Kennedy
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    Dec 25th 2014, 7:28 PM

    My parents met at an Old Wesley dance. On their first date he met her at the Adelaide hospital and asked for Nurse Weir. He was told “We don’t have a Nurse Weir …. we do have a Doctor Weir”.

    Mind you she came downstairs to find him talking to her boss, who turned out to be my Nana’s cousin.

    41
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    Mute Dayna Marie O' Reilly
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    Dec 25th 2014, 6:53 PM

    My parents meet at a dance… Surprise surprise..her friend had a car and offered him a lift home when she shared her chips he knew they were meant to be together ..

    40
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    Mute Billy Bruce
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    Dec 25th 2014, 8:54 PM

    My patents met in Fort William in Scotland. He was in the RAF and she worked in the NAAFI on the base. She had gone there to work from Athy with her best friend I’m 1952. My father had been conscripted into the RAF and was from Inverurie in Aberdeenshire. I have a strong suspicion my life began there. I love hill and mountain walking and my favourite place to base myself in the Scottish highlands is Fort William.

    39
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    Mute Morrissey
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    Dec 25th 2014, 9:08 PM

    My dad broke my mams toe by dropping a computer on it when they worked in the same office.

    37
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    Mute Clíodhna Cullen
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    Dec 25th 2014, 8:50 PM

    My parents met 44 years ago when my Mum was 18. She was hitch hiking for a lift down the country and my Dad picked her up.

    35
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    Mute alwaysrightokay
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    Dec 25th 2014, 6:47 PM

    They met in the top hat in dun laoire and on there first date me da sent his mate to say he was sick n then me ma seen him on a bus going to a football match.

    31
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    Mute Gus Sheridan
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    Dec 25th 2014, 11:19 PM

    My mother worked in the Irish Sweepstakes in Ballsbridge but worked Saturdays as a cashier in a cafe in O’Connell Street.my dad went there most Saturdays and thats where they first met.They were married for 39 years till my mum died.

    26
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    Mute Susan Lloyd
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    Dec 26th 2014, 10:55 AM

    Gus my nanny worked in the Irish sweepstakes also,wonder did they know each other!

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    Mute Kearney32
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    Dec 25th 2014, 6:46 PM

    Mine parents met in the gresham dance hall holloway road both from cork !! Xx

    26
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    Mute Fiona K
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    Dec 25th 2014, 10:21 PM

    My parents met – wait for it… at a dance! He immediately liked her and later that night asked if he could drive her home. Would have been more romantic if he was the one driving and not his friend!
    But something worked!

    25
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    Mute Victoria Ellis
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    Dec 25th 2014, 7:40 PM

    Knew each other from work for a few years but when my mom showed up at the Christmas party after losing twenty pounds my dad was suddenly all over her, as she puts it, “like white on rice”

    25
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    Mute The Hooded Biscuit
    Favourite The Hooded Biscuit
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    Dec 25th 2014, 8:51 PM

    Got her up the stick

    22
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    Mute Joshua Walsh
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    Dec 25th 2014, 7:04 PM

    The Catholic Church’s view on contraception I’d say.

    19
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    Mute pilcandy
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    Dec 25th 2014, 11:04 PM

    My father was friend in college with my mam’s cousin. They all have friends in common but my mam and dad had never met. My dad and mam’s cousin made a party with college friends in my mam’s grandfather summer house behind their back. When news came about the mess the lads had made the next day my mam got asked by her grandparents (who were blind) to go with them and describe who was there and what was the level of damage. My mam open the door and said everybody names… everybody but my dad coz she didnt knew his name. My dad was so thankful coz all the rest of the lads had gotten into big troubles he ask her out to a dance as a thank you. My mam said no. My dad insisted in ask her for a date. She eventually said yes but only to walk in the park at midday before siesta. My dad was 23 and my mam was 17. They’ve been together ever since.

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    Mute fuve
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    Dec 25th 2014, 11:24 PM

    My dad was in army flew in to visit home saw my mom and deserted lol

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    Mute Deni5
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    Dec 26th 2014, 1:04 AM

    My parents had a fairly run of the mill met-at-a-wedding meeting, my grandfather was matched with my grandaunt but ran off with my gran!

    13
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    Mute The Real Korhomme
    Favourite The Real Korhomme
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    Dec 25th 2014, 6:35 PM

    On a very drunken New Year’s Eve. It’s all a bit blurred.

    12
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    Mute JJ Mac
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    Dec 26th 2014, 3:46 AM

    Wish I had a good story to share. Lovely reading the peoples stories tho :)

    12
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    Mute Jacqueline Obrien-langan
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    Dec 26th 2014, 2:56 AM

    They met 1957 banba dance hall Kilburn and were married for 49 years and 359 days

    11
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    Mute Joseph Blocks
    Favourite Joseph Blocks
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    Dec 26th 2014, 1:16 AM

    Yeah, mine meet at a dance too. No surprise there! Anything other than a dance must have been considered controversial back in the 70s!

    7
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    Mute tractor1000
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    Dec 25th 2014, 11:30 PM

    Journal are testing how dumb and soft the nation has become! Who the hell cares! I cannot believe some people think the rest of the nation would like to know how their parents met!
    How many fingers am i holding up??

    5
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    Mute fuve
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    Dec 25th 2014, 11:33 PM

    Did cupid thump you rather than shoot the arrow at you.

    41
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    Mute Charlie Mountney
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    Dec 26th 2014, 1:58 AM

    Well I have enjoyed reading the comments Mister Tractor apart from yours of course.

    How many fingers am I holding up? Just one, the middle one.

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    Mute Ashleigh Labron
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    Dec 26th 2014, 1:53 AM

    32 yrs ago today at a friends xmas party

    5
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