Blue whales are perhaps the most evocative and spectacular of all the great whale species. The largest animals ever to have lived on earth, there’s an almost mythical quality surrounding these ocean giants. Hunted almost to extinction at the height of the whaling boom the species is thought to be recovering….

  I’ve been lucky enough to do quite a lot of whale watching in my time — in some of the world’s iconic whale watching hotspots. But last weekend West Cork, off the south coast of Ireland, reminded me once again that I live in a place that, on its….

Concern is growing over three bottlenose dolphins observed in the  Ralty River, near Durty Nellies pub, Bunratty. The dolphins, which were first observed in the shallow creek on Sunday 31/03/2013. “The group remain in apparently good condition with no obvious signs of distress,” said the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group today…..

A new humpback whale for Ireland was spotted just off the coast of West Cork yesterday (Mon 18/03). Micheal Cottrel, owner of Baltimore Sea Safari confirmed the humpback sighting, and photographs obtained by Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) members Simon Duggan and Youen Yacob allowed the IWDG to confirm….

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) has highlighted the world class whale watching opportunities at several sites along the Irish south coast at the moment, with significant large whale activity reported from Co. Kerry east to Co. Waterford. The nucleus of this activity is currently centred off the coast….

Two blue whales cruise the waters 80-100 nautical miles off Ireland’s south coast The Irish Air Corps captured some phenomenal images last week when they encountered fin whales and two incredibly rare blue whales in Irish waters near the continental shelf edge about 80-100 nautical miles off Ireland’s south coast…..

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group’s (IWDG) recently relaunched research vessel the RV Celtic Mist has recorded an impressive 11 cetacean species on its maiden research and training voyage, including the elusive blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). Setting sail from Dingle in County Kerry on Monday 03 September, the Celtic Mist headed….

  After the traumatic events and harrowing images of the  last few days I thought I’d post a few photographs of  healthy fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) off the West Cork coast. This is how they look at their best:  

Europe’s foremost cetacean conference is coming to Ireland in 2012. Co-hosted by the The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) and the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), the 26th annual European Cetacean Society Conference will take place over the the weekend of 24-25 March in the Galway Bay Hotel,….

The common dolphin is regularly encountered around the Irish coast. As its name suggests this is one of the most abundant and widely distributed dolphin species in the world, and occurs in all tropical, sub-tropical and temperate waters with average surface temperatures above 10°C. They are often seen in large….

A 10 metre long adult male sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) has live stranded at Cunniger spit, Nr. Dungarvan, Co. Waterford today. A flurry of phone calls yesterday evening (18/08) first alerted the IWDG to the presence of a large whale in some difficulty off the east side of the Hook….

Reports of large whales continue to make wildlife headlines around Ireland. A sizeable influx of fin whales off the coast of West Cork, four different humpback whales of Slea Head in County Kerry, and a rare sighting of a humpback whale near Lambay Island off north Dublin means that large….