All sights in Ireland

Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

The editors: James & Alex

The White Houses

Posted by James Turnbull, Wednesday, 28th February 2007

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The White House is, as we all know, the official residence of the President of the United States. But did you also know that the White House is the official residence of an Iranian immigrant?

Of course, I’m not talking about the original White House, in today’s world a man born in Iran would probably get shot for going near the White House, let alone pitching a tent. I’m instead talking about Fred Milani’s home in Atlanta.

Mr Milani, an Iran-born American citizen, built his mini White House in 2001. It boats 36 rooms and in terms of area is about 30% that of the original White House, although the layout is completely different.

Only six of the 36 rooms are bedrooms while the other rooms in the house include the “Monkey Room”, decorated with monkeys and leopard print, the “Queen Room”, with lots of pink pillows, and the “Oval office”. Oval here is used loosely as the room isn’t oval-shaped, but it does feature a replica of Abraham Lincoln’s old desk.

Other replica White House homes around the US include this one in Fairfax County, Virginia.

A smaller replica in San Antonio, Texas.

And lastly in Dallas, Texas there’s a “Red House” – A White House replica purportedly made out of red bricks.

You might say these replicas are all a bit tacky, but even the President’s White House is a rip-off. The original designs were based on Leinister House in Dublin, Ireland.

Thanks IBreakCellPhones, craigclarke and Bird’s Eye Tourist

Irish Rock Face

Posted by Alex Turnbull, Sunday, 14th January 2007

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Well I see the profile of an man looking out to sea, off the west coast of Ireland – but I suppose you might see something completely different…

Thanks to Peter R

Irish Road of Doom

Posted by Alex Turnbull, Friday, 3rd November 2006

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I wonder if these drivers know that the road they’re driving along outside Cork, Ireland isn’t actually finished yet?

unbuiltroad.jpg

Thanks to David Patrick.

9 (Possible) Traffic Accidents

Posted by Alex Turnbull, Tuesday, 25th July 2006

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Please note that some or all of the objects mentioned in this post are no longer visible on Google Earth or Google Maps.

This feels a little like ambulance chasing, so in no particular order, here are 9 (possible) traffic accidents.

1. Highway A13 just north of Rotterdam (there’s a couple of vehicles on the hard shoulder, and traffic is backed up for a long way):

2. Belfast Spillage (first pointed out in a different thread, there seems to be some sort of spillage and water vehicles cleaning it up):

3. Traffic backed up in Moscow (definitely something holding up traffic, but it’s unclear that this is an accident):

4. Blue vs. red car in the UK (my vote is for parked cars in this case actually):

5. Central reservation crossed in Australia (there seems to be a lorry in between the carriages and a couple of emergency vehicles to one side):

6. Road rage in Las Vegas (impossible to say how these cars came to rest like this, but there’s definitely people having words in the street!):

7. Dallas Motorway accident (there’s a car on the hard shoulder, traffic creeping past, a truck on the hard shoulder facing the wrong direction, and a couple of unidentified black marks on the road):

8. Burning car, Germany (Car is still on fire and is surrounded by firemen, there’s water staining the motorway, a fire engine and hundreds of backed up vehicles to the north):

9. Jackknifed lorry, Dallas (Dallas again? Lorry appears to have jackknifed across the highway, but it seems traffic is getting past):

We sincerely hope that nobody was seriously injured in any of these incidents.

Thanks to Dirk Thiel, WRA, Wilfred van Breda, gIMpSTa, Matthew Flynn, Ant, Stephan Segraves and Dan.

Fungi the Dolphin

Posted by Alex Turnbull, Wednesday, 26th April 2006

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This is a crop maze in Dingle, Ireland which celebrates the local hero, Fungi the Dolphin (it’s supposed to be a picture of a dolphin, and the text reads “Fungi 20 years in Dingle”). Apparently, Fungi is a bottlenose dolphin who took up residence in Dingle Harbour in 1984 and has been entertaining locals and tourists ever since. The Do Dingle Website says:

He is a curious and friendly animal, and has been photographed bringing gifts to divers of still living fish, clasped gently within his jaws

Make of this story what you will :-)

Thanks to Tom.