Animals in Ireland
Hare
Lepus europaeus
The Irish hare, a native form of the mountain hare that stays brown all year, is closely tied to Irish tradition and appears in stories, art, and modern symbols. Known for speed and alert senses, it lives in fields, dunes, and heaths across the island. Many rural events and local emblems use the hare to represent energy and resilience, which keeps this animal linked with national identity in both towns and countryside.
View details→Wildlife in Ireland
Ireland's landscape of green hills, blanket bogs, ancient woodlands and long Atlantic coastline supports a wildlife community shaped by the island's geography and mild oceanic climate. Red deer roam the mountains of Kerry, otters fish along rivers and streams throughout the country, and pine martens have made a quiet recovery across midland and western woodlands. The real spectacle, however, is at sea. The waters off the west coast are among the richest cetacean habitats in Europe, with dolphins, whales and basking sharks encountered close to shore from spring through autumn. Seabird colonies on the Skellig Islands, the Cliffs of Moher and the Blasket Islands draw visitors from across the world each summer.
Top 10 Animals in Ireland
Ireland punches well above its weight for wildlife given its size. The west coast is the standout destination, where boat trips from Dingle, West Cork and Clare regularly encounter large groups of common and bottlenose dolphins, and humpback and fin whales are reliable autumn visitors. On land, Killarney National Park offers the most accessible experience of native woodland, red deer and open mountain. The white-tailed eagle, reintroduced after centuries of absence, now nests in several counties and is increasingly seen from the western lakes and coast. Seabird colonies in summer and winter seal haul-outs on rocky shores complete a picture that rewards patient observation year-round.
Badger
Meles meles
The European badger is widespread across Ireland in farmland, hedgerows and woodland, and the country has some of the highest badger densities in Europe. It is protected under the Wildlife Acts but sits at the center of the debate over bovine tuberculosis: Ireland's wildlife program removes badgers in high TB areas and has vaccinated them in a growing part of the country since 2018. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Hedgehog
Erinaceus europaeus
The hedgehog is one of the few land mammals found across Ireland, in gardens, hedgerows and farmland edges. Its origin here is debated: the earliest records date from around the Norman period, and Irish hedgehogs have very little genetic variety, which suggests they descend from a small group brought by people centuries ago. The mild Atlantic climate allows a shorter hibernation. Road deaths and hedgerow loss are its main threats. IUCN status: Near Threatened.
Marten
Martes martes / Martes foina
Ireland's only marten is the pine marten, and its story is a comeback. By the early 1900s trapping and forest loss had left it in a few pockets, mostly in the west, but legal protection and new forests let it spread back, and the 2019 national survey found it across much of the island. Research in the Irish midlands found that where pine martens returned, red squirrels did better. It lives in woodland and conifer plantations. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Red Deer
Cervus elaphus
Ireland has a native red deer population in County Kerry, centered on Killarney National Park, which is considered one of the last truly native herds in the country. Elsewhere, deer of mixed or introduced origin are found in several upland and forest areas. The Kerry deer hold particular conservation significance and are carefully monitored. Red deer thrive in the open moorlands and oakwoods of the southwest, where they have lived for thousands of years. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Red Fox
Vulpes vulpes
Since the last wolf was killed in the 1780s, the red fox has been Ireland's only wild member of the dog family. It lives in every county, from coastal farmland and bogs to mountains and the suburbs of Dublin, Cork and Galway, where urban foxes are a familiar sight. It is not protected, and unlike in Britain, hunting foxes with hounds is still legal in the Republic of Ireland. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Red Squirrel
Sciurus vulgaris
Ireland's red squirrels have been under pressure since gray squirrels were released at Castle Forbes, County Longford, in 1911 and spread across the east and midlands. Reds survive mainly in the west, the south and conifer forests. Recently there has been good news: where pine martens have recovered, gray squirrels have declined sharply and red squirrels have returned to parts of the midlands. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Barn Owl
Tyto alba
The barn owl is one of Ireland's rarest breeding birds and has declined sharply over the past century due to habitat loss, changes in farming practices and rodenticide poisoning of its prey. It nests in old farm buildings, ruined castles and cliff faces, and hunts small mammals silently at night using its exceptional hearing. Conservation organizations in Ireland have worked for decades to support the species through nest box programs and habitat management. It is most likely to be seen in the midlands and west of the country, where suitable nesting sites and rough grassland hunting habitat remain.
White tailed Eagle
Haliaeetus albicilla
The white tailed eagle died out in Ireland in the early 1900s, but a reintroduction program that began in 2007 released young eagles from Norway in Killarney National Park. The first chicks hatched in 2013, and pairs now nest in several counties, including Kerry, Clare, Cork and Galway. It favours large lakes, rivers and coasts, and its Irish name, iolar mara, means sea eagle. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Puffin
Fratercula arctica
Ireland supports important puffin colonies on offshore islands such as Skellig Michael, the Blasket Islands, and the Saltee Islands. These rugged Atlantic outposts provide ideal nesting conditions, with soft soil for burrowing and easy access to productive fishing waters. Irish populations have faced declines linked to food shortages at sea and predation by rats and large gulls on some islands. Conservation work is ongoing to protect remaining breeding sites.
White Wagtail
Motacilla alba
In Ireland the white wagtail is represented by the pied wagtail, the black backed subspecies of Britain and Ireland, which is a common resident found all year across the country, along rivers, lakes, coasts, farms and in town centers. It nests in walls, buildings and bridges. Grey backed white wagtails from Iceland pass through on migration in spring and autumn, especially along the coasts. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinus
Ireland has a resident breeding population of peregrine falcons, with pairs nesting on sea cliffs along the Atlantic coast, inland crags, and quarry faces throughout the country. After severe declines caused by persecution and pesticide use in the twentieth century, the population has recovered well under legal protection. Ireland's rugged coastline, particularly in the west and southwest, provides some of the finest nesting habitat in northwestern Europe for this species. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Mute Swan
Cygnus olor
The mute swan is one of Ireland's most familiar waterbirds, found on lakes, slow rivers, canals, and sheltered coastal bays throughout the island. It thrives in the mild, wet Irish climate and nests widely from the Shannon callows to the lakes of Connaught and the coasts of Ulster. Outside the breeding season, flocks gather on larger lakes and estuaries. It holds a place in Irish folklore and is listed by the IUCN as Least Concern.
Eurasian Magpie
Pica pica
In Ireland, the Eurasian magpie is one of the most familiar birds of towns, gardens and farmland, but it is a fairly recent arrival: the first magpies were recorded in County Wexford in the late 17th century, and from there they spread across the whole island. Today it is common everywhere except the highest, barest ground. The old rhyme "one for sorrow, two for joy" is well known in Ireland. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Humpback Whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
Humpbacks visit the south coast of Ireland every year, mostly from about October to February, to feed on herring and sprat off Cork and Kerry. The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group has identified more than a hundred individuals by the patterns on their tails, and some have returned to the same bays for many years. West Cork is the best place to see them, and numbers have grown in recent decades. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Orca
Orcinus orca
Orcas are seen in Irish waters every year, though in small numbers: usually between four and ten sightings a year around the coast, recorded by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group. Many of them are John Coe and Aquarius, the last two males of Scotland's West Coast Community, who visit the north and west coasts, and other groups appear off Kerry and Cork, sometimes hunting dolphins or seals. 2025 was a record year, with 19 sightings, most of them of that pair. IUCN status: Data Deficient.
Bottlenose Dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
Ireland has one of the few resident bottlenose dolphin populations in Europe, about 140 animals living in the Shannon Estuary all year, which can be seen on boat trips from Carrigaholt and Kilrush. Other groups travel along the west coast. For almost 40 years a lone dolphin called Fungie lived in Dingle Harbour, in Kerry, and became a famous attraction until he disappeared in 2020. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Harbor Seal
Phoca vitulina
Harbor seals live all around Ireland, with about 4,000 counted in the last national surveys. They prefer sheltered places, such as Strangford Lough and Dundrum Bay in Northern Ireland, Galway Bay, and Kenmare Bay and Glengarriff Harbour in the southwest, where boats take visitors to the seals of Garinish Island. Counts are done in August, during the molt, when the most seals are out of the water. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Common Dolphin
Delphinus delphis
Common dolphins are the dolphins most often seen in Irish waters, especially off the south and west coasts. Off West Cork and Kerry whale watching boats find them year round, and in late summer and autumn groups of hundreds hunt sprat and herring close to the coast, sometimes alongside humpback and fin whales. Ireland's waters were declared a whale and dolphin sanctuary in 1991. IUCN status: Least Concern.
Researched and written by Juan Pablo. Sources: IUCN Red List, scientific literature and regional field guides. Last updated: .