Wild Ireland: Rediscover your love for this beautiful island
Photo: Kerry Kenmare Seal Watching Co Brian Morrison On Bay,
Who needs Alaska? Ireland’s waters are now haven to a growing numbers of Special Areas of Conservation and a whale-watching excursion to these protected habitats makes for thrilling way to experience the cetaceans in their summer habitat. Several species make Ireland a seasonal home with minke whales typically arriving earliest in spring and fin and humpbacks whales arriving a few months later in their wake. You’ll often need still waters, patience and a sharp eye to spot the mammals: a dorsal fin panning through the waters is a typical sighting but it’s not unheard of to experience spectacular breaching scenes from humpbacks too. The Rebel County has the most established excursion industry with Whale Watch West Cork, Atlantic Whale & Wildlife Watch and Cork Whale Watch just some of the main operators. As with all wildlife tours, measure your expectations and consider dolphin, seal and porpoise sightings a very likely bonus.
Speaking of the charismatic madra uisce, Ireland’s native seals always make for some of the most rewarding wildlife spotting. Two species are native to here, the common seal which can be frequently spotted around the coast and the much larger grey seal which is a little more elusive. For common seals, you’ll discover seal colony on the Cloghy Rocks in Co. Down as well as on Inis Mór where you’ll regularly find the animals lounging. A day-trip to Howth from Dublin is also a sound option for spotting the animals in the harbour, while the Blue Pool walk in Glengarriff almost always delivers a sighting.
Dolphins may be the main star attraction in Kerry but both Dingle Sea Safaris & Dingle Dolphin Boat Tours offer tours of the peninsula which also features a skirt around an Blascáod Mór, home to Ireland’s largest grey seal colony. If in the sunny Southeast, don’t forget a visit to the Irish Seal Sanctuary who do excellent work rehabilitating injured and orphaned animals. When viewing seals in the wild, do keep your distance and if a seal starts to move or change its behaviour, chances are you have moved too close.
A puffin in the German language is known as a Papageitaucher — or diving parrot — and if you spot one of these amazing creatures in the wild, that name rings true. One of the most awesome avian spectacles can be witnessed around Ireland’s coastline but you will have to travel to the fringes for the best sightings.
Rathlin Island, the Saltees and an Sceilig Mr are some of the best spots to see the birds though Tory Island and Inishbofin welcome smaller populations too. The birds typically arrive to land around this time of year, nesting, feeding and caring for their hatchlings before disappearing en masse around August before living out a life of mystery on the high seas for the winter.
Even since their reintroduction to Ireland back in 2007, the white-tailed eagle, one of the world’s largest raptors, has been reclaiming its territory on some of Ireland’s most unspoiled land and seascapes. And with that even comes the green shoots of eagle ecotourism to an area. According to Birdwatch Ireland, Killarney National Park is the best place to spot the sea eagles, but the birds can be also seen in the Lough Derg region, while there has been a nesting pair outside Glengarriff for a number of seasons. Bantry Bay Boat Hire offer private charters and guided rib tours on the waters — keep an eye out for the birds either sitting a Scots pine or soaring the skies. One things for sure, with a 6ft wingspan there is no mistaking one when you do.
They may be diminutive but the sighting of these furry flames of the forest can add excitement to any woodland walk. Long out-turfed by their non-native grey cousins, red squirrels have seen their distribution spread in many areas across the island in recent years, though you’ll find them mostly in areas of mixed woodland east of the Shannon. The Glens of Antrim offer some of the best natural habitats to view the animals as well as Ballyhoura in Limerick and the woodlands of East Cork. For a short, family friendly stroll, Castlemartyr Woods makes a great spot to see a squirrel — keep an eye out for them as you round a bend as they can often be found foraging on the forest floor before spiralling their way up a nearby tree trunk. Castlemartyr woods are also home to treecreepers, jays and buzzards while amid the more common waterfowl, the adjoining lake also features egrets, widgeon and ibis.
Spoiler alert: you may not even see one, but even hearing the call of the iconic corncrake in its native habitat ranks as one of Irish nature’s great soundtracks. The bird once synonymous with rural Ireland has been devastated in recent decades by modern farming methods but there are still pockets of the West of Ireland where corncrakes enjoy an unspoiled habitat. Tory Island, where more traditional farming practices remain a mainstay, are one of the strongholds of Ireland’s population, in fact, you'll only need to walk a few minutes away from the hustle of the pier before you'll hear the its unmistakable, raspy "reek reek" call. Inishbofin is also seeing a resurgence in numbers and the island even hosts an annual corncrake festival featuring biodiversity talks and plenty of guided birdwatching (May 26th to 29th this year). On Inishbofin, you may also get to hear the sound of the curlew, another bird benefiting from conservation efforts on the island.
For everyone from children to photography enthusiasts, Ireland’s deer species always make one of the most thrilling wildlife sightings. While non-native species like sika have bred successfully across the island, only the red deer is in fact native to Ireland. Killarney National Park remains home to Ireland's true native herd only and you'll even spot them with ease just a few steps outside the town.
In North Cork, Doneraile Wildlife Park is not only a gorgeous estate for a walk, it's also home to a number of red deer, while in County Meath, the stunning Dunsany Estate which also features red deer is the only member of the renowned Rewinding Europe network and offers fascinating rewilding tours (by arrangement only). For a nature fix in the capital, pay a visit to Phoenix Park to take in Dublin’s pretty unique urban fallow deer population. The deer have become Instagram stars in recent years as locals and tourists try to share selfies with them — just don't try to feed them as tempting as it may be to get up close and personal.
Ireland’s wild goat population are one of our more forgotten species. And being found in only scattered herds across the country, they are also critically endangered according to the Old Irish Goat Society. They operate a charming visitor centre in the scenic setting of Mulranny, Co. Mayo where you can also learn all about the heritage of this breed and its storied place in Irish farming life which dates back five thousand years to the Neolithic period. The centre also features some wild goats but you'll find them in the wild in Mulranny too, so keep an eye out while driving around Clew Bay for a sighting.
Amid all that fauna, keep your eye out for Ireland’s stunning flora at this time of year too. Come springtime, our woodlands, hedgerows and coastal areas start to pop with wildflowers but few areas in Ireland can match the drama of our karst landscapes. The Burren National Park is a veritable hotbed for unique species such as purple orchids, hoary rock rose and alpine wonders like spring gentians and mountains avens. This eerie karst landscape also extends to the Aran Islands, on Inis Meáin, Aedín O'Tiarnaigh offers walking tours of the island in both English and as Gaeilge where you can find out about the lore, traditional uses of the plants as well as the wild edibles of the archipelago.