Sliabh Liag, Ireland - In a historic discovery, the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale has been spotted off the coast of Ireland for the first time since 1910.

The North Atlantic right whale was spotted swimming near Sliabh Liag, in Ireland's County Donegal. It has been confirmed by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) as a legitimate sighting.

Having been listed as endangered since 1970, the North Atlantic right whale hasn't been sighted near Ireland since 1910, a full 114 years ago.

While rare across the globe, the species is more commonly seen breaching the water and swimming near North America's east coast, though such sightings have also become increasingly rare.

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These majestic whales have suffered from busy shipping lanes as well as historical fishing practices that saw thousands slaughtered.

North Atlantic right whales are labeled by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as being "one of the world's most endangered large whale species."

According to the NOAA, the whaling industry by 1890 had pushed the species to the "bring of extinction," a point from which they have never recovered.

"Some scientists believe these whales have gone extinct in the eastern North Atlantic and now survive only along the east coast of the U.S. and Canada," World Wildlife Fund states on its website.

With only a few hundred left in the wild, and talk of extinction on the east side of the Atlantic, it is significant that the North Atlantic right whale has been spotted off the Irish coast.

"This is an exceptionally rare record for the Eastern Atlantic, where this species has been largely absent for decades, if not longer," the IWDG said in an article they published on the discovery.

"The outlook for their survival isn’t a good one, as both ship strike and entanglement in fishing gear remove individuals from a dwindling population annually."

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The IWDG called on people to stay away from the whale and for vehicles to avoid the area in order to reduce the risk of collisions. "Please give it space," they pleaded.

"We ask wildlife and whale enthusiasts who’d like to visit the area with a view to seeing this animal to look for it and watch it from the shore using optics... There is an enormous onus on us all to ensure this whale remains as long as it needs in Donegal bay."