Whale Watch Ireland 2019
- Date: 24 August 2019
- Time: 14.00 - 17.00
- Location: Nationwide (See event details below)
It’s that time of the year again, when the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) invites you to our all-Island Whale Watch day by joining us for a land-based whale watch at a headland near you on Saturday 24th August between 2:00-5:00 pm. This year’s event will be held over 19 sites in most coastal counties and the locations have been selected based on their track record as good watch sites.
The purpose of whale watch day is to raise awareness of the 25 species of cetaceans (porpoises, dolphins and whales) recorded to date in all Irish waters, by giving the public an opportunity to look for and observe some of these wonderful marine mammals in their natural environment. This event also provides IWDG researchers with a unique snapshot of whale and dolphin activity around the Irish coast.
This annual, all-island event, organized by the IWDG and again sponsored by Inis the Energy of the Sea is free and open to all. All watches are land-based and will be led by experienced IWDG researchers, enthusiasts and whale watchers, who will show you how to observe and identify some of the more commonly recorded cetacean species in Irish waters.
Photo credit: Daniela Morgenstern
You should bring binoculars or a spotting scope and dress appropriately for outdoor weather conditions. Please note, there are no boat trips involved, and there is of course no guarantee that you will see animals at your chosen site; but at last year’s event cetaceans were recorded at 14 of 19 sites (73.6%). So if the weather is suitable on the day, you’ve quite a good chance of seeing some really interesting marine wildlife, and in the process you’ll be supporting whale and dolphin conservation in Ireland by becoming actively involved in Citizen Science and IWDG’s biological recording schemes.
Please contact your local organizer for further details (see below) or visit our Home page for the latest information on whale and dolphin sightings and strandings in Irish waters. We look forward to meeting you on a headland on Saturday 24th August @ 2:00pm.
Full event details are as follows:
| Location | Meeting Point | Watch Leader Contact |
| Cloger Hd., Co. Louth | Port Oriel Upr Car Park | Breffni Martin 087 9145363 |
| Howth Hd. North Dublin | Balscadden Car Park | Conal O’ Flanagan 086 3537900 |
| Killiney Bay, South Dublin | Vico Road | Rossa Meade 086 0632081 |
| Bray Hd., Co. Wicklow | Pitch & putt | Justin Ivory 087 6833898 |
| Wicklow town, Co. Wicklow | Black Castle Car Pk | Ronan Hickey 086 3391142 |
| Hook Hd., Co. Wexford | Lighthouse | Harm Deenen 086 3485013 |
| Helvic Hd., Co. Waterford | Helvic high car park | Andrew Malcolm 087 7952061 |
| Galley Hd., Co. Cork | Lighthouse | Pádraig Whooley 086 3850568 |
| Valentia Island. Co. Kerry | Bray Hd. Signal Tower | Sean O’ Callaghan 085 7764918 |
| Clogher Hd. Co. Kerry | Layby | Nick Massett 087 6736341 |
| Loop Hd., Co. Clare | Lighthouse | Simon Berrow 086 8545450 |
| Black Hd, North Clare | Lighthouse | Sandra O’ Donovan 086 6061869 |
| Downpatrick Hd, Co. Mayo | Car Park | Mark Holmes 085 8267733 |
| Mullaghmore Hd, Co. Sligo | Mullaghmore | Sophie Bresnihan 085 8732077 |
| Bloody Foreland, Co. Donegal | Heights Bar car park | Gareth Doherty 086 2223328 |
| Inishowen Hd, Co. Donegal | Tower | Brendan Farren 086 2187242 |
| Portrush, Co. Antrim | Portrush Coastal Zone | Suzanne Beck 078 34916399 |
| Portmuck, Co. Antrim | Car park | Ian Enlander 078 49853549 |
| Bloody Bridge, Co. Down | Car park | Andy Carden 077 62019160 |
WhaleWatch Ireland is supported by Inis the Energy of the Sea, our core funders and supporters of WhaleWatch Ireland since 2001.
