On Saturday 18th May, IWDG in association with Inis, invite you to Whale Watch Ireland 2024 between 5:00-7:00 PM. This annual event, now in its 22nd year, comprises free and guided whale watches at local headlands and vantage points, as part of All-Ireland whale watch day. This year’s event is being held earlier than usual in order to coincide with National Biodiversity Week Ireland which runs between May 17th-26th. We’re also hoping that in bringing it forward to early, rather than late summer, the odds of our delivering this event in more suitable weather will improve, as late August has done us very few favours in recent years! These simultaneous land-based watches at 11 sites around the Irish coast provide IWDG researchers, whale enthusiasts and Citizen Scientists alike with a unique overview of whale and dolphin activity on the day and you can play an important part by joining us and watching with us.
While there are of course no guarantees of sightings, given reasonable weather you have a good chance of seeing some of the marine species that can be viewed locally. We advise participants to dress appropriately for the weather conditions on the day. Please note, there are no boats involved and no bookings necessary. There may be a short, elevated walk from the meeting point to your watch site, so sensible footwear is recommended, and your local watch may not be wheelchair accessible. You should bring binoculars, your sense of humour and refreshments, but please leave your pets at home.
This event is suitable for all ages and is aimed at everyone from the novice wildlife enthusiast to more experienced naturalist, with a keen interest in marine wildlife and biological recording. In the event of unsuitable weather your watch leader may need to cancel your local event at short notice; so, if any doubt, please check in with them using the contact details below or on www.iwdg.ie/events. But don’t hesitate to contact them if you’ve any further questions in the lead up to your event.
| Location | Meeting Pt. | Leader name | Phone | |
| Howth Head, Nth Co. Dublin | Balscadden Car park | Ronan Hickey | 086 3391142 | ronan.hici@gmail.com |
| Bray Head, Co. Wicklow | Raheen Cliff walk car Park | Siofra Quigley | 086 0613131 | s.quigley1@outlook.com |
| Helvic Head, Co. Waterford | The High Car park | Andrew Malcolm
|
087 7952061 | oxmoron@gmail.com |
| Galley Hd, West Cork | Lighthouse | Pádraig Whooley | 086 3850568 | padraig.whooley@iwdg.ie |
| Slea Head, Co. Kerry | Layby | Nick Massett | 087 6736341 | nickmassett@hotmail.com |
| Loop Head Co. Clare | Lighthouse | Simon Berrow | 086 8545450 | simon.berrow@iwdg.ie |
| * Nimmo’s Pier, Galway City | Parking at the Claddagh | Marcus Hogan | 085 8772223 | marcushogan4@gmail.com |
| Erris Head, Co. Mayo | Erris car park | Tom Breathnach | 087 2688435 | tunas-insoles-01@icloud.com |
| Mullaghmore Head, Co. Sligo | Mullaghmore Layby | Rossa Meade | 086 0632081 | rossameade@gmail.com |
| Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim | RSPB West Light Visitor Centre | Daisy-May Harris | 077 42745279 | daisyharris1995@gmail.com |
| Bloody Bridge, Co. Down | Car park | Andy Carden | 077 62019160 | andycarden58@hotmail.com |
* Please note the watch at Nimmo’s pier, Galway will be be brought forward to an earlier start at 15:00 and our Rathlin Island event at the RSPB Ctr. will be at 14:00. All other watches start at 17:00-19:00. But please contact your local watch leader directly with any questions or queries. No need to book. Just show up with your binoculars and sense of adventure.
Media or general enquiries to:
Pádraig Whooley, IWDG Sightings Officer, Phone: 086 3850568, e: sightings@iwdg.ie
