WATCH: Rare sight as pod of dolphins swim down Limerick's River Shannon

There was a rare sight on Limerick's riverside this Thursday as a number of dolphins were spotted on the Shannon.

Conor Redmond, who lives in Steamboat Quay spotted the creatures bobbing up and down on the water, and was surprised, given the fact they would very rarely come this far up the Shannon.

Dolphins are more likely to be spotted as the River Shannon meets the Atlantic Ocean in West Limerick and North Kerry.

Upon seeing the dolphins out of his apartment window in the city centre, he headed down to the waterfront to take a few snaps of the visitors.

He said it was the first time he had seen dolphins in his 15 years living at Steamboat Quay.

"It's a rare enough sight, and for a guy living in the city, it's lovely to see. Nature at its finest," he said, "At first I thought it was a cormorant or some kind of bird. But when I kept looking, I could see at least three, and possibly five dolphins. Their fins kept breaking the surface."

Limerick wildlife enthusiast Pat Lysaght said: "I've never seen a dolphin up that far. I did see them down near Coonagh a few years back when I worked for the main drainage. They have come to Bunratty, they were there two or three years ago. But I've never heard of them in Steamboat Quay."

not sure that should be this far the estuary pic.twitter.com/8lETtIIqOE

— canteen (@wearecanteen) February 22, 2024

He believes they would have been brought up river by the tide.

"The water is quite high lately with the rain and winter, and they are releasing a lot of water from Ardnacrusha, so they've plenty of water to come up. The dolphins are down the Shannon all the time in places like Tarbert, and even further up in Glin, and the estuary area mainly," Pat added.