Let’s go and find a dolphin

You might have heard of Flipper the dolphin? Well, in County Kerry, there’s a dolphin almost as well-known, called Fungie. He’s been attracting crowds to Dingle Harbour since the 1980s and ever since, local skippers have taken passengers on tours of the mammal’s natural habitat. Among them were celebrities Pierce Brosnan and Jean Kennedy-Smith.

Dolphin sightings, however, are not just exclusive to Dingle - or Kerry for that matter. West Cork is known for sightings of dolphin, seal, basking sharks, majestic minke and fin whales.

Further up the coast, Kilrush in County Clare is home to Ireland’s only known resident group of bottlenose dolphins; swimming wild and free in the Shannon Estuary. You can see actual skeletons of whales and dolphins at the nearby Shannon Dolphin and Wildlife Centre.