19th Century Husbands Caught Red-Handed With Underground Brothel Tunnel

Photo via The Tate
The general consensus about the two-foot sinkhole that appeared a few days ago on a busy Dublin throughway is that it leads to the city's long-rumored "brothel tunnels." Story has it that the tunnels were built when the King of England asked politicians to spend slightly less time at brothels. Our 19th-century heroes—not inclined to do the obvious (spend less time at brothels, think about their life choices, practice better time management)—reportedly chose, instead, to embark on a multi-year infrastructure project. The resulting underground tunnel network physically connected (in more ways than one) the government sector and Dublin's red light district. We'll never truly know whether the tunnels are a time machine into a ribald Victorian music video or just a plain hole in the ground used by some perverts, since the mean old authorities are busy sealing the sinkhole forevermore.

See photos of "the hole" here.

· Dublin sink hole mystery: Tunnel to a 19th century brothel causes traffic chaos in city centre [Irish Independent]