Fungie alive and in 'flippin good form'

Fungie is alive and well according to Dingle Sea Safari Tours and fishermen in the area. Picture: Sean Manion/RollingNews.ie

Fans of Ireland's most famous dolphin can relax —  reports of his demise have been greatly exaggerated.

Fungie is alive and in 'flipping good form', according to Dingle Sea Safari Tours and fishermen in the area.

Some people have been sceptical about Fungie's apparent longevity, as for nearly 40 years he has been entertaining visitors and locals alike off the Dingle Peninsula.

It is not known how old he was when he first arrived in Kerry waters in 1983 and attained celebrity status almost overnight, but the oldest dolphin ever recorded was 68.

Concerns about Fungie's welfare were raised last Wednesday after he had not been spotted in his usual stomping grounds for a couple of days.

When the alarm was raised, search teams went out in the hope of locating the region's most famous tourist attraction.

Local fisherman Paul Hand said he had come across Fungie in Dingle Bay and was “1,000% certain” it was him.

Mr Hand said he had been looking at Fungie for years and when the dolphin swam alongside his boat on Thursday, “it was definitely him”. 

The fisherman explained that a recent increase in bottlenose dolphin numbers was because “the place is full of sprat”, and he believes that instead of following boats out into the bay, Fungie decided to stay and feed on them as well.

However, others point out that Fungie is a solitary celebrity and he may well have gone into temporary 'self-isolation' to avoid the five or six dolphins who arrived in recent days to feast on the sprats.

There is no doubt Fungie is worth a significant amount in tourism revenue to the Dingle area every year, and his demise would put a huge dent in that, which certainly would not help in the current Covid-19 climate where tourism businesses are struggling to stay afloat.