A Lament for Fungie  – the Dingle Dolphin.

Have you heard about Fungie, the Dingle Dolphin 

Famous for his friendly antics and his cheeky grin

Off  the Wild Atlantic Coast he was making his way

Stopping off in Dingle, he decided to stay

No one knows why, perhaps it was the boredom

Perhaps it was the beauty and the scenery of the Kingdom

Or the welcome of those friendly Kerry folks

Or perhaps it was the music or all those Kerry jokes

Tourists came from everywhere

Just to see him swimming  there

Fleets of boats full to the brim

Just to see him play and swim 

People would go to sea on anything that floats

Kayaks, dinghies and rubber boats

To meet this famous dolphin, to see him in his prime

He soon became a  legend in his own lifetime

A gold mine for the local community  

He soon became a one dolphin industry 

The bars and restaurants were always busy

It even made the cutest Kerryman dizzy 

Alas he has gone missing,  presumed dead

Though they searched from Galway Bay down to Mizen Head

A fleet of trawlers have been searching night and day

But no sign of the dolphin, he must have gone away

Perhaps he found his family or kin

Or found the company of a female dolphin

Others said no, that  he was too old 

But many were worried, if the truth be told

He was old and all things must die 

Life goes on as the months passed by

Of the famous creature not a sight nor sound

Or any clue to the mystery could be found

The breaking news flashed across the tv screens

The news is terrible and sad it seems

Fungie’s  DNA has been identified in a can

Among six tins of tuna, in a sushi bar in Japan.

C. Denis Murphy 19 February 2021.