FOOTAGE has surfaced which apparently shows a minke whale swimming in the River Liffey.
It was sighted at the Stena berth in Dublin port near the opening to Dublin Bay on Wednesday morning.
Initial reports suggest the whale was around 20ft in length.
Whale in River Liffey, DublinThis video of the whale in the River Liffey near Dublin Port was taken by Dublin Port workers and forwarded on to us. There is a visable blow and long back before a relatively small dorsal fin which suggests its not a minke whale. Its behaviour is unusual too and is most likely the same whale reported off Sutton, Co Dublin yesterday. IWDG need more images or video to validate the species. Either way the whale is likely to be disorientated and stressed and IWDG urge boat owners to give it space. Hopefully it will find its own way out but most likely will need some help.
Posted by Irish Whale and Dolphin Group on Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Jimmy Murray, who works in the area, described the scene as a 'very unusual occurrence', according to FM104.
"It's rare enough to see a basking shark in the area, but he's never seen a whale before so far up the river. He said the whale was most probably feeding and will likely head out to sea again," he said.
These whales are usually found in the North Atlantic Ocean. Females can reach an average length of eight and a half metres, while males typically grow to around eight metres in length.
Though, whale sightings are rare this close to the shore, let alone in the middle of Dublin bay, and it's currently unclear how the whale ended up in the Liffey.
There she/he blows.... spotted in the Liffey. More on @rtenews pic.twitter.com/qepBEoMwgC
— Conor Hunt (@conorfhunt) October 2, 2019
Though no official confirmation has been made on the exact nature of the creature, footage appears to show a plume of vapour coming out of a blow-hole of sorts.
So it was either a whale, or a dolphin on steroids.
Either way, entertaining stuff.
