A Brief History of Dolphinwatch Carrigaholt

In 1992 Geoff and Susanne Magee pioneered the first dolphin watching boat trips at the Mouth of the Shannon. As a commercial inshore lobster fisherman, Geoff had noticed that groups of bottlenose dolphins were almost always present when he was out fishing. Taking passengers out into the Mouth of the Shannon, from their village of Carrigaholt, to see the dolphins seemed like a good way to diversify from fishing as a livelihood. And so, Dolphinwatch Carrigaholt was conceived and trips began out of their fishing vessel, Fiona David, with Geoff fishing in the early mornings and taking out passengers in the afternoons.

In early 2000, with the help of a European grant to help fishermen diversify into marine tourism, the Magees commissioned the building of the Draíocht, their 15m. passenger boat, specially designed for dolphin watching at the Mouth of the Shannon.

Over the years, it became more and more apparent that there is so much more to this fascinating area of water than just the dolphins (as wonderful as they are...). Strong tidal currents that are created by the bottleneck at Kilcredaun Point, around the corner from Carrigaholt's Castle Pier, and Kilconly Point in Co. Kerry, bring vast shoals of oil-rich fish like mackeral, sprats, herrings and salmon into the Estuary. These abundant shoals of fish feed not only the dolphins, but also a variety of seabirds, seals and otters.

As well as marine life, the spectacular scenery at the Mouth of the Shannon ranges from pastoral slopes and sand dunes to dramatic cliffs with exposed layers of rock sediment dating back 360 million years. Often we can see wild goats grazing on the cliffs of Clare. Land birds like ravens, choughs and falcons are often seen gliding over the cliff tops.

Now, boat trips with Dolphinwatch Carrigaholt are called Dolphin and Nature Tours to better reflect the rich marine resource that is the Mouth of the Magestic River Shannon.