Like it or not, size matters. It's a cold, hard reality of life, but penis size is something that is eventually going to have an impact on one's life. Whether it's too much or too little, men and women are going to obsess about the length, width and girth of what they're born with. There have been numerous studies on penis sizes down through the years and the one thing that has come to the fore is that there is no true average size. The mean size, which takes in a vast number of sizes and calculates the average figure, places it somewhere at 4 inches flaccid and 7 and half inches erect.

We conducted a small poll on Twitter and asked for input from average Irish people. Medical journals with clinical terms like "tumescent" and "cremaster muscle" are all well and good if you're a urologist. But we're not so we need a human angle on it. The results were intriguing, to say the least.

Our first responder was Vivi, a young woman who intimated from the outset that there was absolutely no average size. As she put it herself, "Out of ten, six would fall between 'Oh My God!' and four would be 'meh' and 'Don't you dare!' There really is no average size out there." Vivi then goes on to describe a horrific encounter with a man. "The guy was in his mid-thirties, and yet didn't have a clue what to do. My guess is he watched a lot of porn, had a gargantuan appetite for 'self exploration', and had practised pretty much on a 'solo' basis."

Yikes. Not exactly off to a good start. Vivi continues, "He lasted about thirty seconds, didn't understand the concept that it's 'ladies first', and on top of that, I couldn't feel a thing as he was rather on the 'slim' side of things!" She goes on to explain that there was no drink taken and that this was a rare occurrence for her.

Susan is a professional woman, working in Dublin. She admits openly that she has been with a number of men and that she enjoys sex on a regular basis. Her experiences with penis size, however, are anything but regular. "I've seen everything. Really." What's everything? "I've seen at least two that would be described as micro-penises. I was in a long-term relationship with a man who had a 11-inch penis, fully erect. And pretty much everything in between," she replies. Susan admits to being more assertive about penis size than other responders. "Of course it matters. The physical aspect of a relationship is just as important as anything else. Otherwise it's just a friendship."

But is it a dealbreaker? Would she end a relationship on the basis of penis size? "I'd like to say no, but honestly, yes. There have been other factors, and the size of his dick was one of them. It's never been solely on that one point."

In Irish men, at least, it's clear there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Unfortunately, this isn't the same across the globe. A 2006 study revealed that the usual condom size didn't fit men from the Indian subcontinent. In fact, condoms in India had a one-in-five failure rate. Most either fell off or tore. On the other end of spectrum, anecdotal evidence suggests that South American men have the largest size. This map gives a clear indication on what the current data suggests.

For homosexual men, the story seems to be quite the same for women. John responded and had this to say. "From my experience, it varies a good bit in both length and thickness. Length-wise, from the people I've slept with it could go from 5 inches to 7, with the longer ones being generally thicker and the shorter ones being less thick. That seems to be a rule I've noticed in my own sex life, anyway."

Martin also has a similar take on the issue. "I've found it does vary. I know several men, straight and gay, who vary from small to very well endowed. I have noticed that a foreskin can add to the length of a flaccid penis since some men have an "overhang" or an abundance of skin." Our other responder, John had a personal experience on the issue of foreskin. "A partner had a really long foreskin which meant we couldn't have penetrative sex where he like, did the penetrating which, at the time when I was younger, was something I was interested in trying." Both Martin and John agree that penis size is rarely the reason for the failure in a relationship, although they both admit to preferring someone who was more well-endowed than someone who wasn't.

Across the board, with both heterosexual and homosexual responders, circumcision in Irish men is a rare occurrence. The process has been known to enhance stamina as the foreskin is intended to protect the head. Without the foreskin, the head becomes worn and less sensitive over time. In fact, those with the procedure are known to suffer erectile dysfunction in later life more so than those without.

The consensus seems to be that, whatever your size is, it's more about how you use it as opposed to how big it is. In the same way there is no ideal woman or ideal man, there is no ideal penis or ideal vagina. Each and every one is as unique as the person that owns it.