Whale Tales 2019 kicked off by showcasing research currently being done by the IWDG and by celebrating members and wildlife enthusiasts through a series of video clips hosted by Tony Whelan from Canola Pictures. Our Friday movie night set a relaxing and friendly environment giving people the opportunity to tell their whale tales.
Saturday was jam packed full of interesting talks and feedback from members, officers and our guest speaker Dr. Conor Ryan.
Kicking off the events were our IWDG local groups who spoke about there experiences being involved in the group and setting up various events in there local area. Sophie Bresnihan from the Sligo local group was one such person who talked about her experience working with our education and outreach officer Sibéal Regan. Sophie and Sibéal organised a boat trip into Donegal bay in search of humpback whales. This, was a fantastic success story as the group saw hundreds of common dolphins, minke whales and distant blows from a humpback whale which sparked an interesting discussion about how other people from various local groups can get proactive and watching in there local area; it was decided that a starter pack for local groups would be developed and given to aid people in getting out and about reporting local stranding’s and sightings in their area with follow up support from officers like Sibéal. You can read Sophie’s full news article here.
Looking back on 2019 our sightings and stranding’s officers gave an overview about the schemes and different trends in the data such as peak times in the year for sightings and stranding’s. If you missed whale tales but are interested to know more about both sightings and stranding’s during 2019 you can find out more on our news page here.
Dr. Conor Ryan shared his experiences and stories travelling the world working with whales and dolphins in remote places showing some of the captivating photo’s he took along the way. Conor is a dear friend and colleague of the group and it was an honour to have him at whale tales sharing his stories.
During whale tales 2019 we also welcomed Eamon Clarke to the board of directors and Frances Bermingham and Conal O’Flanagan were re-elected for the board seconded by Mick O’Connell. The IWDG also recognized the outstanding contributions our members made during 2019 through the distinguished contributor awards. Whale tales 2019 was a fantastic event full of exciting stories and encounters with Ireland’s fabulous giants. If you have tales of your own that you would like to share please feel free to contact us today.