Unison

http://www.unison.ie

Tue Sep 26 10:32:34 +0000 2000

Think WebTV, Irish style. Unison is billing itself as

Ireland's most content-rich Web site, uniting news and

information from regional papers all over Ireland plus

content from national and international newspaper titles.

The site is customised to be viewed by one of the new

IEP299 set-top boxes that let you view the Internet by

television, but it also looks good through a plain ol' PC

and browser.

Anything Irish

http://www.anything-irish.com

Tue Sep 26 10:32:34 +0000 2000

New on-line directory of Irish businesses and services aims

to list everything from accommodation to accountants,

supermarkets to veterinarians. The search facility is useful

but would benefit from some tweaking -- a search for "florist"

comes up empty, for example, although "flowers" brings up

matches.

Lourdes Official Web site

http://www.lourdes-france.com/bonjour.htm

Tue Sep 26 10:32:34 +0000 2000

More than five million visitors journey to this French city each

year, but you pay a virtual visit for free on the Web. Includes

a list of cures that have been recognised by the Church, plus,

for those in the trekking mood, information on this year's

schedule of pilgrimages from Ireland to Lourdes.

PetMad.com

http://www.petmad.com

Tue Sep 26 10:32:34 +0000 2000

Animal lovers in Ireland now have a way to buy goods for their

pets on-line. This new pet superstore includes gift ideas as

well as pet care information for dogs, cats, fish, birds and

more, and includes cool features like Customer Call Back.

Just click a link on the home page and a PetMad.com call

centre representative will phone you to discuss your e-commerce

needs.

Wild Ireland Shop

http://www.wildireland.ie/wildshop

Tue Sep 26 10:32:34 +0000 2000

Animal and wildlife lovers will appreciate the new on-line shop

at this wildlife information site. Choose from books, posters,

cameras, binoculars, bird feeders, wildflower seedmats,

T-shirts and even software, including wildlife games. The

site is secured for credit card purchase, but shoppers can also

pay by cheque.

Bedtime Stories for Busy Parents

http://www.the-office.com/bedtime-story

Tue Sep 26 10:32:34 +0000 2000

Aimed specifically at parents who are travelling but ring home

to wish children good-night, this site includes a great selection

of bedtime stories parents can read over the phone. Favourites

like Alice in Wonderland are included as are magical tales,

stories about children and their pets, and stories about children

and friendly monsters ("The Goggle-Eyed Green Hairy Monster and

Me").

WordReference

http://www.wordreference.com/

Tue Sep 26 10:32:34 +0000 2000

The Web may be global, but too many Web sites are not. This

handy tool can help. It's an online dictionary that lets you

translate any English word you see on a Web site into Spanish,

Italian, German or French, or from Spanish into English. To

translate Web pages as you surf, simply download the free

WordReference Personal utility for either Internet Explorer

or Netscape, and a right-click provides an instant translation.

Sorry, Mac users - the Personal utility is only for Win 95/98/NT.

Roadfood

http://www.roadfood.com

Tue Sep 26 10:32:34 +0000 2000

It's not food on the road, exactly -- more to the side of the road.

Explore the best cuisine Americana has to offer, from meatloaf and

onion rings to milkshakes, hash and cream pie. Roadfood aims to

list the most memorable eateries across many of the 50 states, and

also reviews American cookbooks each month, such as the memorable

"Eat Your Way Across The USA". Even if you're not hungry, the site

is worth a look just for the humourously truncated menus: Sand

Creek Cafe - pork steak, milk shake; Wenham Tea House - muffins,

turkey dinner.

Themestream

http://www.themestream.com

Tue Sep 26 10:32:34 +0000 2000

by Aoidin Scully

Whatever you're passionate about -- ballet, gardening, homeopathy,

home brewing -- Themestream aims to put you in touch with the news,

products and chat relevant to you. The site is new and some of its

areas need filling out, but there are already about 1,700 topics

covered with some content, including magazine articles and top Web

sites connected to each area. Themestream also encourages writers

to submit their own work to the site: the company says it will pay

10 cents per viewing for each article clicked by a reader, and

writers can begin contributing immediately.

GotoIreland

http://www.go-to-ireland.com

Tue Sep 26 10:32:34 +0000 2000

by Aoidin Scully

This enterprising travel industry pro is aiming to take the burden

of Irish travel planning onto himself. For about USD35 he's

offering a printed booklet about Irish places, restaurants,

festivals and more, and also promises a personalised itinerary

based on visitors' unique interests, delivered by email. Customers

can order online through the secure server, and GotoIreland

promises a reponse within five days.