What Fungie the dolphin did for Dingle
Monday April 21 2008
Ireland was a depressing place in 1983. Unemployment, emigration, spiralling interest rates -- it was one bad news story after another.
In October of that year a wild bottlenose dolphin decided to make the harbour in Dingle his home. Dolphins are frequent visitors to Irish shores. This one decided to stay. Fungie, 'the Dingle Dolphin', became a feelgood story that offered a pleasing counterpoint to news of yet further job-cuts.
In 1983, Dingle was a far from prosperous fishing village. Today, it's very much a des-res location for the wealthy -- and, according to a Leargus documentary on 25 years of Fungie -- the dolphin is partially responsible for its transformation.
"It's like Fatima or Rome now," says local journalist Jeaici MacGearailt on the pilgrimage of Fungie fans to the town. "You can't say you've been to Dingle without going to visit Fungie."
The Fungie phenomenon is as strong today as it was 20 years ago. On some days in August, up to 1,000 people are brought out to see the mammal from nine dedicated boats.
The boatmen who have been making a living from it have such confidence in their Golden Goose that there's a money-back guarantee today if you don't see him on your trip.
Jimmy Flannery and his father decided to buy a boat to ferry people in and out to see Fungie. Nineteen years on it's very much a family affair -- his wife, his mother, his brother and their sons can all make a comfortable living from Fungie.
"Fungie has had an extraordinary, enduring affect on this town," he says. "He's put Dingle on the map internationally."
But the dolphin hasn't just been of commercial benefit to the town. Fungie has touched many lives too.
A love affair blossomed when Nick and Suzanne Massett met through their mutual passion, swimming with Fungie. They've now settled in west Kerry and have two daughters.
Rudi Schamhart and Jeannine Masset arrived in Dingle on holidays and heard about the dolphin by accident. They returned every year for many years but eventually decided to settle and set up home there.
"Fungie had many friends and they all left him," Jeannine says. "I made him a promise that I'd never leave him and I intend to keep that promise."
Another Fungie lover is Mary McGillycuddy. And her story is a poignant one. She and her husband Adrian, on hearing the story of Fungie, made the journey every weekend from Tralee to Dingle in order to play with Fungie in their kayaks.
"We kept wondering how could we move here to live, get jobs and settle down," Mary says. The dream was cruelly destroyed when Adrian was killed in a road accident. Yet, 18 months later, Mary -- through her work -- moved to Dingle: "I had the dream but I was alone."
She started to go back out with the kayak again and play with Fungie and now feels that this connection helped her move on with her life.
"There's no doubt that people feel an extraordinary connection with Fungie," Jimmy Flannery says.
"But he's about 35-years-old now and won't have too many more years. It will be very upsetting when he passes away. Nobody wants to think of that day -- we just need to enjoy him for now."
Leargus: Fungie the Dingle Dolphin is on RTE 1 tonight at 7.30pm.
- John Meagher
