He’s not been seen for over a week now. The mainstay of tourism in the town of Dingle, Kerry in the far west of Ireland is gone and hopes are fading.
Fungie originally turned up in Dingle Harbour in the early 1980s. He fascinated locals and visitors alike with his friendly nature, but surely he’d soon join his mates in deeper waters.
Not so. He became a regular attraction and a little industry quickly grew up, – boat trips certainly but also the hospitality trade which found itself suddenly busier with the influx of tourists. No longer was Dingle a peaceful, niche corner of old Ireland, it was suddenly on the beaten track, a short and scenic trip down the road from celebrated Killarney.
Now, here’s the thing. Some of us, maybe with rival Cork sympathies, thought it was all a cod (pun intended). Fungie might have been a real dolphin at the outset but those cunning Kerrymen weren’t about to lose their new income stream. I, for one, reckoned that the thing was now a blow-up dolphin, dragged about the harbour on display to gullible Americans.
One time I espoused this thought to the (previously friendly) ladies in the Tralee tourist office to be met with the fiercest of death stares (and I’ve received a few so I should know).
I repent; there is nothing in the present grief that suggests that Fungie was anything other than a real fish (or mammal). Fungie come back π’π’
Jane Fritz said:
They had quite a clip on Fungie on BBC World News tonight. That was one friendly and obliging dolphin!
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Roy McCarthy said:
Oh right π His fame has spread far and wide.
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E R Kendrich said:
Poor Fungie. I love the song Julian Cope wrote about him in 1990 ‘Beautiful love’. I suppose there’s a chance he has gone to the big ocean in the sky as he must be getting old. Hopefully he has just gone on an adventure.
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Roy McCarthy said:
Just listened to that, it’s quite catchy isn’t it? I doubt he’ll be seen again but there will be parties and celebrations if he is π
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Marie said:
Poor Fungie -They’re still hoping he’ll reappear.
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Roy McCarthy said:
If not no doubt the canny locals will think of something else π
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Andrea Stephenson said:
He’ll probably live on in legend for many years to come!
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Roy McCarthy said:
Oh no doubt he’ll be the subject of fishermen’s yarns down that way for a very long time.
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ortensia said:
We were there a couple of years ago but couldnβt take the boat to spot Fungie.
Daughters were slightly disappointed , I wasnβt…Iβm not sure what I feel about this media exposure of the poor thingπ
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Roy McCarthy said:
I don’t know Sabina. I guess Fungie never minded the attention and he brought happy tourists and employment to Dingle. A sad day.
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Browsing the Atlas said:
If I’d known about this when I was in Cork, I would have happily gone out by boat to look for Fungie.
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Roy McCarthy said:
They can smell the dollars coming in Killarney and Dingle Juliann π
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