A dolphin was rescued after it got stranded in the Palmerstown Estuary at Cortoon, Killala, last Monday, August 9. The dolphin was released successfully at Lacken Pier following the assistance of a number of people.
The drama started when Michele and Ingred Knapp spotted a dolphin stranded in the mud of Palmerstown estuary as the tide receded just after 8.30am on Monday from their kitchen window. After a few phone calls a rescue team was assembled.
Shortly after 9.30am Michael Gallagher, Cormick Bourke, Leo Golden, and Darren McGee assisted by Shauna Gallagher (aged 10 , who had kept the dolphin cool with water all morning ) started to move the dolphin to a van for the slow journey to Lacken Pier. On arriving at the pier the dolphin was lowered carefully into the water shortly before 11am. Michael Gallagher and Brian Coultry stayed in the water with the dolphin for almost 45 minutes as it regained its strength; after one or two false starts the dolphin was finally guided to deep water and, to the delight of the assembled onlookers, gave three or four leaps out of the water as it made its way out to sea.
