A right whale off the coast of Argentina: There are only “six or seven instances” of documented cases of right whales appearing in Irish or European waters. File photograph: GettyA specimen of a rare species of whale spotted off the coast of Donegal last summer was recently sighted almost 5,000km (more than 3,000 miles) away in Boston. In July 2024, the North American right whale, a species that is usually found in waters surrounding America, was spotted in Donegal Bay. The most recent sighting of the endangered whale was “very significant”, said Pádraig Whooley, a sightings officer with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group. Prior to July 2024, there had not been a confirmed sighting of a right whale in Irish waters for more than a century.

Source: The Irish Times December 05, 2025 15:02 UTC