Five-year-old spots Arctic walrus off coast of Ireland after it ‘fell asleep on an iceberg and drifted over’

A five-year-old girl have proved to be eagle-eyed after she spotted a walrus which was believed to have drifted over to Ireland from the Arctic.

The artic walrus was spotted washed up on the rocks at Valentia Island, County Kerry in the south west Ireland by Muireann Houlihan. She was walking on the beach, west of Knightstown, with her father, Alan, when she saw something in the water. Her father captured footage on his phone of the animal described as the size of a “big bull”. 

“I thought it was a seal at first and we went down to the water to investigate and I took out the phone and started recording,” he told RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland.

The last time one of the animals was seen on the coast of Ireland was in 2004, with the latest sighting one of the first to be verified. 

According to Muireann, the walrus was lounging on the rocks on Sunday. It is thought the young male walrus, who was looking tired and emaciated, fell asleep on an iceberg near Greenland and then when it melted, he was in the mid- or North Atlantic so started swimming and finished up off the west coast of Ireland. 

Luckily, the waters are full of fish and shellfish so it is hoped he will regain his strength and begin the long journey home.  

According to Mr Houlihan, the walrus emerged from the water and gave the pair “a little show on the rocks”. “Muireann thought he was just having fun. It was just amazing,” he said.

Muireann has suggested the name Cian for the walrus and although it has gone on its merry way, the fleeting visit has captured Muireann’s imagination. 

“She went home and she was drawing pictures of walruses. It was so adorable,” said Mr Houlihan. The sighting also made his daughter’s return to school today less daunting, he added. “It made things a bit easier for them to go back with a news story.”