Irish Examiner view: Wandering Wally keeps our spirts up

Photo of Wally the Walrus from Seal Rescue Ireland taken from land using a high power zoom lens.

For all of us who endured lockdown with its debilitating restrictions on travel, the inspiring story of Wally the Walrus was one of the happier and uplifting tales of 2021.

Wally appeared in Irish waters off the coast of Valentia Island in March, thousands of miles from his natural habitat in the Arctic circle. He carved out a certain reputation for himself in the field of photo-opportunities and specialised in climbing aboard and sinking small craft in the harbours he visited. He was later spotted on a summer cruise around the western approaches of Europe taking in France, Spain, and the UK.