Achill whale resurfaces after storms

OUT OF SIGHT?Pictured is the location on Keel Beach where the the whale was buried last week.

Achill fin whale resurfaces after storms


Edwin McGreal

The 20-metre fin whale that was buried in Keel beach after it washed up there just before Christmas had to be buried for a second time last Tuesday. The carcass had begun to resurface during the storms that battered the area last week.
While the whale had become something of a tourist attraction at Keel beach over the holiday period, many locals expressed concerns about it being buried in the sand on Keel beach, saying they would prefer that it was brought out to sea.
Those fears appeared justified when the whale partially resurfaced after the storms hit the beach last week. The uncovering of the carcass forced Mayo County Council to return to the beach on Tuesday last to bury the whale once more.
Speaking to The Mayo News, a council spokesperson said that the authority ‘didn’t have the means’ to bring the whale out to sea.  ‘I don’t think we had too many options’, he said.
The bad weather would have made transporting the carcass out to sea difficult, Mayo County Council said, but the main issue was the of lack necessary equipment.
The council spokesperson acknowledged that concerns remain about the whale resurfacing, but added that ‘the longer it stays down, the less there is to resurface’ as the carcass decays.