Having delivered previous Whale Tales Events in the Green Isle Hotel, Dublin (2017), The Radisson Sligo (2022), the CECAS Ctr. In Leap, west Cork (2023), it was time to look north. As one of the few All-Ireland NGOs and perhaps the only marine themed NGO, the north always poses a few unique challenges for IWDG. It’s relatively small coastline representing just under a fifth of the total, has had historically fewer sightings and strandings and as a result our recording schemes may not be as impactful as they are in other regions, which may explain our lower membership in the north. Of course, a different jurisdiction means a different set of agencies with agendas that may or may not exactly align with those in the Republic and where the laws of the land are framed by a UK legal framework. So while the north will always be an open door for IWDG, we may just have to push it that little bit harder.
Our initial plans to host it in Carlingford this spring came to naught due to the lack of nearby accommodation for attendees and the resulting logistical difficulties, so we turned our attention to Belfast, where a more workable plan soon took shape.
To make the most of the IWDG roadshow being in the north we delivered a one day workshop with CEDaR/Ulster Museum in the fabulous Portrush Country Zone on the North Antrim coast, which finished off with a whale watch on nearby Ramore Head that produced some obliging harbour porpoises just before the rain arrived. This event was attended by about 35 members of the public, IWDG members and DAERA agency staff.
Joint IWDG/CEDaR whale watch at Ramore Hd, Antrim 07/11/2025
The Europa Hotel in Belfast City Centre is well-known for its unusual history, having been bombed many times during the ‘Troubles’, so many that accounts vary on the exact number. The Europa served as our base for the weekend and on Friday night we had an informal gathering in the “Dublin Room”, which Dave Wall quipped was where they tend to put the “troublesome southerners”. This Icebreaker was attended by about 70 people but the main event was Saturday 8th which was in the W5 Science and Discovery Centre in the Odyssey Complex. Hands down this was the most impressive Whale Tales venue to date!
Friday evening MC: Dave Wall
The format was lots of short 10–15-minute presentations, 18 to be exact, with contributions from a spread of IWDG officers, both old and new members and Northern Irish agency personnel. The one allowance to this was made to our guest speaker Sadie Gorvett of the HWDT who in fairness had travelled the furthest and did have to contend with a barrage of disruptive security announcements from the PA system. I can’t have been the only person in the auditorium whose mind at this time drifted back to the Europa’s past! But like the true professional she is, Sadie recovered well and carried on to entertain and inform us all about the Scottish West Coast group of Killer whales.
Suzanne Beck – AFBI
Session 1 Panel Discussion: Cian Nilan (Education and Outreach officer), Frances Bermingham (Membership officer), Gemma O’Connor ( Live Stranding Network Coordinator) , Trea Heapes (IT Manager), Mags Daly (SDP Officer)
Sadie Gorvett Education and Sightings Manager, HWDT
West Coast Community of Killer Whales
Events like this can be a little self-indulgent with a lot of back slapping; however, this was never likely to happen with David Williams in attendance. He rightly brought us back down to reality both from the floor and podium, with a reminder of the importance of rigour in the gathering of effort watch data, if we are serious about identifying emerging trends in how animals are using local waters in a rapidly changing world. And while David was all about the data, Jim Allen took us down a rather different path requiring no PowerPoint. Armed only with a bodhran which he played with baleen plates and a minke rib, he combined his unique blend of wit and Christian mysticism to take us on his 30 year journey with IWDG, the beating heart of which is a growing group of folk drawn together by a shared love of the sea. By the time Jim had finished his contribution, everyone in the W5, like Jim, believed we’d found our tribe.
Gary Burrows, IWDG Member
Jim Allen, IWDG Member
Robert Walsh – NI Marine Task Force Officer
Rory Wilson – CEDaR Marine Data Manager
Patrick Kinnaird – Celtic Mist Biologist
David Williams, IWDG Member
Damian Smith – 2Tanks Photography
Siún Ní Cheallaigh (Marine Ecologist)
The afternoon session saw us wind down with what can only be described as a most entertaining raffle draw. If our Education and Outreach Officer (Cian) and our Marine Policy & Advocacy Officer (Eva) should ever find themselves out of work, I believe they could join forces to make it as afternoon TV game show hosts.
Dr Simon Berrow
We finished off our weekend giving participants the option of either joining a Titanic Centre tour or meeting us up at Black Head Lighthouse on the northern tip of Belfast lough for a whale watch. The gods smiled on this Remembrance Day with blue skies, warm air and once again Northern Ireland’s harbour porpoises obliged.
It feels like Whale Tales 2025 has gone a long way towards making amends for a period of relative inertia in Northern Ireland. With new cross border initiatives starting up, new officers in place, and some older heads keeping a watchful eye over proceedings, the future looks bright for IWDG in the North.
Big thanks to our raffle sponsors at Inis, Aquaholics, Causeway Boats and Kintra Tours. Also a special thanks to the Irish Environmental Network (IEN) and Marine Institute for Co-sponsoring the event. Finally, to all the IWDG Officers who helped out over the weekend and finally to Csilla Trungel for pulling it all together…we’ll let you off the hook for Whale Tales 2027.
By Pádraig Whooley