An Unexpected Ireland Visit, Via Iceberg

I remember one particular nagging grade school worry. (This was in the late 80’s, a primitive era before cell phones.) I took a daily 40-minute bus ride home, accompanied by the anxiety that I’d miss my stop and wind up lost somewhere. That childhood fear became reality this month for one Arctic walrus (who didn’t have a cell either). He or she (both genders have tusks) apparently fell asleep on an iceberg and wound up way off route (read the full article here). Yet, the marine mammal’s fate took more of a Dorothy in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz turn than my panicked imaginings, because he wound up in magical Ireland.

According to Newsweek, “Kevin Flannery, the director of Oceanworld Aquarium in Dingle, Co. Kerry, told the Irish Independent the animal may have been carried across the Atlantic Ocean before reaching the rocks on Valentia Island.’

‘I'd say what happened is he fell asleep on an iceberg and drifted off and then he was gone too far, out into the mid-Atlantic or somewhere like that down off Greenland possibly,’ he said. ‘That is usually what happens... they fall asleep on an iceberg and get carried off from the Arctic." (In other words, he fell asleep and missed his stop.)

The young adult pinniped woke up to an island “Located on the Skellig Coast in the Southern Peninsulas of the Wild Atlantic Way adjacent to the Ring of Kerry,” according to Valentia Island Development Company. The not-for-profit, which promotes employment among other ventures, boasts of Valentia, writing that it “is still one of Ireland's best kept secrets.”

That is, until a walrus drifted ashore and became an international media sensation. Apparently there wasn't even a pre-fame chance to meet with local boat builders, one the the island’s main industries, and share seafaring tips. Valentia Island local Alan Houlihan and his 5-year-old daughter, Muireann, spotted his beautiful blubbery body and he was greeted as a ”new neighbor,” in Ireland, according to RTE, the national broadcaster.

But perhaps it wasn’t just serendipity that brought the walrus to “the land of a thousand welcomes.” He might have thought it was a hospitable place for new breeding grounds or great food, according Tom Arnbom, a senior advisor to the World Wildlife Fund ( WWF) on Arctic and marine issues. "Sooner or later they have to come to the shallows, i.e. less than 100-200 metres depth, to feed on mussels or clams. They eat up to several thousand clams a day," he explained to the BBC.

Along with a good meal, any weary traveler needs rest and this is perhaps why instead of not trying to metaphorically alert the bus driver, he was “on the rocks asleep,” according to Mr. Flannery. We too can perhaps rest a little easier knowing that he is capable of finding his way home, according to an update by Pádraig Whooley, Irish Whale and Dolphin Group Sightings Officer, despite the fact that noise may have contributed to throwing him off course from his usual northern stomping grounds, according to The Guardian. The Irish charity tweeted about his latest sighting, “Kerry walrus re-sighted off Pembrokeshire, Wales. The IWDG can confirm it is the same animal due to the white markings on its left flipper and tusk length. It has travelled 450 km in 6 days, suggesting it may not have been as undernourished and exhausted as some suggested.” This is such a relief!

I wish him continued safe passage, regardless of whether he fell asleep and woke up as an accidental tourist, planned his brief stay, or was confused and lost his way because of an all too noisy ocean that has threatened this vulnerable species (the designation of walruses according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature). The catalyst of my journey with my sister, Stephanie, was the contest she won, which made it possible for us to visit Ireland for the first time. Still, our trip was not without its transportation terrors.

Our tour bus nearly left us behind at Blarney Castle. I’ll never forget the panic that we felt when we arrived at our group’s designated meeting place and the bus wasn’t parked where it was supposed to be. There was just empty parking lot. We realized we were two minutes behind schedule - just two. My sister was timing us. When I spotted the bus lined up to leave, we ran to catch it. While panting and taking a seat, members of our tour group told us they had been shouting at our surprisingly punitive driver, Oisin, to stop because the “Chicago sisters,” weren’t on board yet. In the midst of that hectic experience, I couldn't help but feel a sense of camaraderie, even though I’m pretty sure Oisin was just trying to scare us. Our group’s motto should have been, “No tourist left behind.”

I’ve learned that even when you’re far from home, people look out for you - just like members of the scientific community and animal-loving onlookers (who are maintaining a safe distance) are following the flippered teenager’s plight, while he is temporarily separated from his walrus pals. He (or she) awakens in me the desire to be a more open-hearted adventurer, despite the inherent risks. There’s always the fear of getting lost (or being left behind) when you travel, but there’s also the chance that if you stop worrying, even for a moment, wonder will find you.