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Saturday 27 August 2016 is Whale Watch Ireland Day

Whale Watch Irl 2016 logoThe Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) continues it’s annual all-Ireland synchronised whale-watching event in 2016, with this year’s event scheduled for Saturday the 27 August between 2pm and 5pm.

Timed to coincide with Heritage Week, the event, supported as always by Inis Cologne, takes place simultaneously at 20 headlands around the Irish coast, and is free and open to all.

According to the IWDG the aim of Whale Watch Ireland is to raise awareness of the 25 species of cetacean recorded in Irish waters, offering members of the public the opportunity to join IWDG experts and whale watching enthusiasts to look for and observe these iconic marine mammals from shore. The event also has direct conservation value, offering IWDG researchers a unique synchronised snapshot of whale and dolphin activity right around the Irish coast.

What to bring

This is a shore-based event — so there are no boat trips involved. Dress appropriately for weather conditions on the day, and bear in mind that conditions on a coastal headland can vary significantly from those just a few kilometres inland. Bring binoculars and / or a spotting scope if you have access to them. The IWDG points out that, as always, there is no guarantee you will see whales or dolphins on the day, but says at last year’s event animals were recorded at 75% of the sites, so if conditions are favourable your odds of seeing something during the course of the afternoon are quite good.

Whale Watch Ireland on Galley Head, Co. Cork
Whale watchers on Galley Head, Co. Cork for Whale Watch Ireland

Where to go

The 20 sites taking part in Whale Watch Ireland 2016 are listed below — contact the orginiser at your local site for more information if required.

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,                             Brian Glanville            087-1390665

Bray Hd., Co. Wicklow,        Pitch & putt,                          Justin Ivory                087-6833898

Hook Hd, Co. Wexford,         Lighthouse                             Harm Deenen            086 3485013

Ardmore, Co. Waterford,       Ram Hd Signal tower              Andrew Malcolm        087-7952061

Galley Hd., Co. Cork,           Lighthouse,                            Pádraig Whooley        086-3850568

Hog’s Head, Kerry               Sea Synergy Ctr., Waterville    Lucy Hunt                  087-7850929

Valentia Island., 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,                              Aoife Foley                085 827 6984

Mullaghmore Hd, Co. Sligo,    lay-by,                                  Miriam Crowley          087-6171377

Bloody Foreland, Co. Donegal,   Heights Bar car park          Gareth Doherty           086-2223328

Malin Head, Co. Donegal,       Signal Tower,                        Ronan Mc Laughlin     086-3893154

Ramore Hd, Co. Antrim,         Portrush Coastal Zone            Jim Allen                   078 76516032

Portmuck, Co. Antrim,           Car park,                               Ian Enlander               028-93372724
Bloody Bridge, Co. Down,      Car park,                               Dave Wall                  077 71762355

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