Clare welcomes celebrity dolphin

A rival to Fungi's title as Ireland's most loved dolphin has emerged off the coast of Co Clare. In recent days, crowds have been flocking to see, swim and play with Clare's newest tourist attraction, a bottlenosed female dolphin.

Located in a sheltered cove between the village of Doolin and the Cliffs of Moher, the dolphin has made herself a celebrity in recent weeks. Locals say the dolphin has been living in the area for over a year, but it is only in recent weeks, with the fine weather, that crowds have been going to see her.

The area officer of the Doolin unit of the Irish Coastguard Service, Mr Mattie Shannon, said yesterday: "She is very friendly and playful. She pushes people in the water along with her snout and pulls them along with her fin. Today, there were 10 to 12 people in the water at the one time swimming with her." However, there have been warnings from Mr Shannon, Clare County Council and Duchas, the heritage service, about the dangers of people swimming in the inlet and also about the dolphin's conservation status.

Mr Shannon said: "It is the same stretch of water that claimed the lives half a mile away of eight people 17 years ago, where the same currents prevail. With the number of people going there, you would be afraid that there would be an accident." Duchas conservation ranger Mr Jimmy Conroy said: "We have done as much as we can. We have made people aware that it is a wild animal and that this is her habitat. People should not be swimming with her or holding on to her."

Mr Conroy believes the dolphin is four or five years old and may have been born in the Shannon estuary.