Dolphin falls victim to storm

A seven and a half foot common dolphin became a victim of the worst storms in years when its body was washed ashore at Grattan Road beach on Tuesday morning.

Marine scientists in the city believe the mammal’s stranding at a relatively sheltered beach was directly related to the two storms which have caused millions of euros worth of damage throughout Co Galway over the past week.

Staff at the nearby Galway Atlantaquarium were alerted to the presence of the large dolphin next to the steps at Grattan Road beach early on Tuesday morning.

A large crowd of onlookers gathered to inspect the body of the dead mammal before it was carried back out to sea by the evening tide.

Dr Nóirín Burke of the Galway Atlantaquarium said strandings of such a large mammal were relatively rare in the city compared to more exposed parts of the Atlantic coast.

“It was a really beautiful dolphin and there was something really special about it,” said Dr Burke. “People were not sure if it was alive or dead when they saw it first, as it was lying in a pool of water.

“It was about 2.2 metres or 7’5” in length. It was a young adult, a common dolphin of a kind which would be regularly seen in Irish waters. Its death was a mystery to us, as it did not have any visible injuries. It could have just hit something like a rock during the height of Sunday night’s storm.”

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.