First Irish narwhal skeleton delivered to National Museum

Ireland’s first‑recorded narwhal skeleton has been handed over to the National Museum of Ireland (Natural History) for preservation.

The female narwhal, which washed ashore on Sweet Nellies Beach outside Greencastle, Inishowen, in November 2025, was delivered to the museum on Friday 25 September after months of work by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG). The IWDG removed blubber, muscle and tissue and used a cold‑maceration process, changing the water several times, to clean the remains.

Alongside the narwhal, the museum received the skeleton of a rare Gervais’ beaked whale that stranded at Liscannor, Co Clare, in May 2025. Both strandings were recorded through the IWDG Stranding Scheme, and the Natural History Museum asked the group to preserve the specimens for its collection.

Dr Simon Berrow, CEO of the IWDG, handed the skeletons to Dr Amy Geraghty, Curator of Aquatic Zoology, at the Beggars Bush facility. Museum staff will now reassemble the bones, a task with few precedents, before the “Dead Zoo” reopens after refurbishment.

Whether displayed or not, the narwhal and beaked whale will be available for scientific study and preserved for future generations, marking a notable addition to Irish natural history.

Source: Donegal Daily. Photo: 伍俊明 / Pexels.