A bronze life-size statue of Fungie, also known as the Dingle Dolphin, is unveiled in a special millennium ceremony in Dingle, County Kerry on January 2, 2000.

Fungie is a common bottlenose dolphin who lives in very close contact with humans in Dingle Bay. According to locals he is first seen in the harbour in 1983, and continues to seek out human contact over thirty years later. Dolphins have been known to live to 48 years of age. Fungie is a 13-foot male fully grown bottlenose dolphin weighing in at around 500 pounds.

Fungie is known to interact playfully with swimmers, surfers, kayakers and divers in the water. There have not been any recorded cases of Fungie being aggressive towards humans. Although it is normal for social animals like dolphins to live in close contact with each other, it is still a rare occurrence for them to seek out human contact, and Fungie is the first recorded occurrence of a dolphin interacting positively with humans in the wild in Ireland. Fungie has been observed eating garfish, something not previously known to be eaten by dolphins.