Dolphins, Blue Skies & Days at Sea
My first week as a research assistant on board Celtic Mist by Ailbhe Power
Greetings from Celtic Mist! My name is Ailbhe, I am a postgraduate student studying ecology and conservation at Queens University Belfast. I have travelled down to Kilrush to work alongside Mags Daly, IWDG Shannon Dolphin Project officer, as her research assistant for the summer. I will be completing 3 months of placement starting with 3 weeks on board Celtic Mist. Our mission? To photograph and catalogue the entire bottlenose dolphin population along the coast of Clare and Kerry – a project as exhilarating and challenging as it is essential.
Celtic Mist at Inis Mhic Aoibhleáin, taken by Conor Haughey
On May 4th, we kicked off our first leg of the Shannon Dolphin Project. Our fantastic crew for the week consisted of myself, Mags, Liam, as the skipper, Irene, as the first mate, and IWDG members Brian, Bried, Frances and John (pictured below).
Photo of the Celtic Mist crew for week 1. Left to right – Bried, Mags, Brian, John, Irene, Liam, myself and Frances. Photo: John Glynn
We embarked from Kilrush bright and early that morning, making our way out of the Shannon Estuary, where we were greeted with our first sighting of the trip – a group of around 10 bottlenoses, including 3 calves. There was great excitement as the dolphins approached the boat to bow-ride, their fins slicing through the waves and their white bellies showing underwater as they rolled in and out. I ran to record our time and GPS location in Logger and grabbed my camera, hoping to capture some images for identification. We then continued along our transect lines out towards Loop Head and finally returned to anchor in Carrigaholt for the night after a successful day.
Sunset at Fenit Marina. Photo: Ailbhe Power
For the rest of the week, we were blessed with blue skies and calm waters, making for the most ideal conditions for long days of surveying (and soaking up the rays on deck!). This week we covered areas including Loop Head, Brandon Bay, Slea Head, Dunmore Head, Dingle Bay and the Blaskets.
Fishing boat coming into Dingle Bay. Photo: Ailbhe Power
We had our most successful day of surveying so far on day six, May 9th, where we had 15 total marine mammal sightings, including 8 bottlenose sightings, 2 common dolphin sightings, 3 grey seal sightings and 1 probable minke whale sighting. Three of the bottlenose sightings occurred in the Slea Head area with the other five happening in very close proximity and timing to each other in Brandon Bay. For two hours we were extremely busy running around trying to get the best angles for photographing fins and quickly scribbling down details of the sightings while the crew informed us (or rather exclaimed) of even more individuals in the distance. At one point we were surrounded by numerous tight groups of 3-4 bottlenoses, mainly juveniles, approaching the boat to bow-ride, challenging us to go faster and exhibiting social behaviour such as side slaps, leaping and breaching. It was an incredible experience, even including the several times the same dolphin splashed me with a tail slap as I attempted to take pictures!
Bottlenoses from our eventful sightings in Brandon Bay. Photos: Ailbhe Power
Common dolphins sighted near the Blaskets. Photo: Ailbhe Power
On day five, May 8th, we had the pleasure of stopping off at Inis Mhic Aoibhleáin, one of the Blasket Islands, purchased by former Taoiseach Charles Haughey in 1974. We were joined onboard by Charles Haughey’s son Conor Haughey, accompanied by his son and nephew. They were delighted to reunite with Celtic Mist which had been previously owned by the Haughey family until it was donated to IWDG in 2011, becoming their flagship vessel. We then enjoyed lunch surrounded by puffins, oystercatchers, gulls and razorbills diving into the waters and nesting on the overhangs of the picturesque island – a breath taking setting that is hard to put into words.
This first week has been an absolute treat between seeing my first group of bottlenoses to spending glorious sunny days out at sea. I have gained a wealth of experience already, including improving my photography skills, working as part of a tight-knit crew and realising that I really need to scrub up on my knotting skills! Being out on the water each day has deepened my appreciation for Ireland’s marine life and the urgent need to preserve it. Playing even a small role in this process has been an invaluable opportunity.
Mags Daly collecting images of a group of bottlenoses at Brandon Point. Photo: Ailbhe Power
For our second week on board Celtic Mist, we will cover more of our transect areas, focusing on the Tralee Bay and Shannon Estuary area, photographing as many individuals as we can to update the Shannon Dolphin catalogue. We also hope to capture the Fenit 3, a group of bottlenoses from Scotland that have become residents in Fenit since 2019, with their newest member, a calf born in 2024, making them the Fenit 4 (a name with a greater power of alliteration). We had spotted them upon arrival into Fenit marina earlier this week but unfortunately did not photograph the calf.
Fingers crossed the weather gods (and the dolphins) are as kind to us this week!