A Dingle local has paid moving tribute to a "beautiful" new documentary on legendary dolphin Fungie.
Jimmy Flannery – a 37-year companion of the disappeared bottlenose – told the Irish Mirror he was "delighted" with RTE's documentary on Fungie after it hit TV screens this evening.
And he shared the extraordinary story of his grandson's response to the mammal's disappearance – which saw the six-year-old tell his mother all he wanted for Christmas was to know that Fungie was safe.
Jimmy, the founder and owner of Dingle Sea Safari Tours, hailed RTE's Baz Ashmawy for his "delicate" portrayal of a town still in mourning months after the disappearance of the iconic dolphin.
"He was gentle with what he was doing," said Jimmy. "I think he really appreciated how the town is hurting, and he got that across massively.
"The people that he did get a hold of were people that Fungie did matter to. I thought it was beautifully put together."
During the documentary, titled Fungie's Kingdom, Ashmawy spoke to scores of locals about the imprint the dolphin left on Dingle over the decades he spent in the mouth of the town's harbour.
And Jimmy said local boatmen were left in tears by a documentary that showed Fungie as a mascot for Dingle rather than just a commercial entity.
"We've got a groupchat between our boat men – our owners, our skippers, our staff over the years – on WhatsApp," he said.
"And WhatsApp has been just hopping, with the tears.
"It was a family thing. It was a family feeling – even to anyone who ever worked for us, it was like working for a family.
"We're all still there, and we're all still hurting. And that's Fungie.
"I am personally going to contact Baz and thank him for being so kind in the way he put it together. I'm delighted with it.
"For something that's yet still so raw, he got it right.
"I wasn't too sure I could watch it. But I'm glad I did."
