Marine sightings from Irish waters

May 2008. Some good weather has prompted 14 validated sightinfs around the irish coast. Surprisingly, the most frequently reported species isn't a cetacean; basking sharks represented 50% of all reports. They were observed in Counties Cork (Long Strand, Dursey & Dirk Bay), Kerry (Valentia Island, See photo below), Clare (Loop Head & Bridges of Ross) and Donegal (Inishtrahull Island.)

The other species seen were bottlenose dolphin (3 sightings), Minke whale (1), common dolphin (1) and Harbour porpoise (1). Full details of these sighting events are available on the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group website.

The most interesting activity in recent days has come from the north west of the country where the Lough Swilly/Fanad Head area of Donegal has enjoyed a run of bottlenose dolphin sightings. 10 were observed off Buncrana on May 1st, and then 5 were seen off Dunree Head on May 3rd. Although these were initially reported as killer whales, images confirm they were bottlenose dolphins (See photo). This activity seemed to ramp up significantly over the weekend with a sighting of a group of between 30-60 bottlenose off Glashagh Bay on the North of the Fanad.