Demystifying Irish waters with Celtic Mist

For many Irish people, however, it wasn't so long ago that the entire ocean itself held an all too mythical quality and that even its very real creatures — ones that we know and love today — were considered unimaginable.

“I remember when I was a kid, it was often said there were no dolphins in Ireland. That was the common consensus for a long time, because there was nobody looking for them in our oceans, nobody reporting on them,” reflects Fiacc O’Brolchain, a Director of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG).  

In fact, as the group’s CEO Dr Simon Berrow points out, when the IWDG first started out it was quite radical for the Irish general public to conceive of even one dolphin in our waters — nevermind the hundreds that we know of today. “In 1990 we formed the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, and it was around this time that word about a Dingle Dolphin was spreading,” he remembers. “Indeed I think to most people Fungie was the ONLY dolphin in Ireland!” 

It was with an aim of tackling exactly these kinds of misconceptions that the IWDG was established over three decades ago. The charity’s mission is to promote better understanding of aquatic mammals known as cetaceans (a group that includes whales, porpoises and dolphins), as well as their habitats, through education and research.

Through their surveying work, as well as their sightings and strandings scheme, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group have helped to completely shift the narrative around Ireland’s marine life, and have proven that our coasts are much more populated than originally thought. So much so, that the IWDG have catalogued 109 individual humpback whales in Irish waters as of 2021, and have discovered that at least 145 bottlenose dolphins live in the Shannon Estuary alone.

As well as the IWDG’s team of expert staff, what’s made these groundbreaking findings possible is Celtic Mist, a research vessel gifted to the IWDG in 2011 by the family of former Taoiseach Charles Haughey.

Operating for about five months of the year, Celtic Mist proudly flies the flag for the IWDG as it journeys from port to port, exploring and researching an incredible amount of Irish waters and beyond — notably, Celtic Mist even undertook a 4,000km expedition from Ireland to Iceland in 2018!

Despite the breathtaking seascapes like this that Celtic Mist travels through on a regular basis, however, it’s actually what happens inside the yacht that makes it so special.

“Any member of the IWDG can join a survey for a week and our crew is made of all types, from people with absolutely no experience on a boat to ex-merchant navy,” explains Andrew Shine, Celtic Mist officer. “100% of people who join Celtic Mist for a week’s surveying learn something new, see something they haven’t before, or look at an old ocean with new eyes. It’s hugely rewarding to see the excitement of budding scientists and layfolk alike when they get the opportunity to come aboard.

“I think that’s the biggest achievement of Celtic Mist, is that it’s getting people out on Irish waters and enabling them to discover what’s out there and to be part of scientific surveys,” Andrew adds. “So few people ever get to do that — even in a purely scientific context, most scientists do not work in the field. Providing a platform for young scientists and students of every kind, who may not otherwise have gotten this kind of valuable field experience… their sense of excitement and impending adventure is always tangible. I am immensely proud to have a part in that.” 

This excitement is especially prominent amongst the children who have taken part in Celtic Mist’s Floating Classroom initiative, which began in 2019. Led by the IWDG’s Education and Outreach officer, Sibéal Regan, the venture has seen Celtic Mist travelling to schools across the country to provide engaging workshops that highlight the importance of taking care of our seas and oceans — and how anyone can start to do it, from any age.

“I first met Sibéal a few years back on Celtic Mist where we happened to do a school visit on Inis Boffin, though I wasn’t aware we were doing so until an hour before! We had little preparation as far as I remember and just spoke to the children about very basic things we ourselves were interested in,” Andrew recalls. “The kids were so interested and full of questions and it always stuck with me. A couple of years later, I saw Sibéal had taken the initiative to create Floating Classrooms, and I was delighted. Our waters have such fundamental importance scientifically, internationally and culturally that it absolutely is something children should be learning about, as much as the recent drive to learn about gardening and growing.” 

“Sibéal is a fantastic communicator, so the students learn a huge amount about the sea and its wildlife from her Floating Classroom,” Fiacc agrees. “It’s a great initiative and the kids get a real kick out of coming on board and having a look around.” 

The other great bonus of a venture like Floating Classroom, which opens Celtic Mist up to the general public, is that it has introduced plenty of new faces to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.

“Celtic Mist has been great for raising awareness, and everywhere we go, we get a good reception,” says Fiacc. “Some years ago, people wouldn’t have known who we were or what the IWDG was, and now we are known almost universally, which is an extraordinary achievement. That’s not just down to Celtic Mist, it’s also due to a lot of hard work by the scientists who work for the organisation, but it’s a big change from that point of view — people are much more aware of what’s going on than they used to be.” 

Celtic Mist having such a visible presence, and therefore raising the profile of the IWDG, is of utmost importance. It’s a beacon of hope for Ireland’s budding marine scientists, proving to them that there are exciting research and career opportunities out there.

“There is a great interest amongst younger people,” Fiacc says. “There seems to be a lot more students in the third-level marine area than there were a few years ago, which is fantastic to see. The courses in our universities have improved enormously too, and become much more accessible. It’s very promising for the future.” 

While the future certainly is bright in terms of the fresh talent now joining the fight to save the ocean, Fiacc warns that we can’t get too comfortable. Overfishing, combined with a lack of research by big industries into the harm they’re doing to marine wildlife, remains a big concern.

“The truth is that too many people still don’t regard our seas that much at all — we’ve done a good job of raising awareness, but there’s still an awful long way to go. [World Ocean Day] is an opportunity for raising consciousness around the marine, particularly in Ireland, but also around the fact that a lot more needs to done in terms of protecting our seas.”