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Displaying items by tag: Cancelled Sailings

#CancelledSailings – Met Eireann's marine weather foreceast currently has an 'orange' status warning of a gale in effect which has caused some cancellation of ferry sailings on the Irish Sea. In addition, the weather service has issued a 'yellow' warning for small craft. 

The weather has caused cancellation of today's Irish Ferries high-speed craft Jonathan Swift operated sailings on the Dublin-Holyhead route. Passengers, however will be transferred to Ulysses conventional ferry sailings which continue to operate as normal. For latest information, click HERE.

Due to adverse weather conditions the Isle of Man Steam Packet Co.'s route between Douglas and Heysham have also led to cancelled sailings operated by the ro-pax ferry Ben-My-Chree. Todays 14.15 sailing from Douglas has been cancelled.

In addition further possible disruption may arise on the UK-Isle of Man link, on sailings later today and for tomorrow (Tuesday, 24 February), to consult latest information updates, click HERE.

Travellers are advised to check other ferry operators (listed below) for the latest sailing information updates.

Stena Line

P&O Ferries

For details of Met Eireann's coastal reports and conditions for sea crossing's forecast visit this LINK.

Published in Ferry

#CancelledSailings – Met Eireann has issued a status 'orange' warning of gale to storm force winds tonight on all Irish coastal waters, which have led to widespread cancellation of ferry sailings across the Irish Sea.

Passengers are advised to consult for up to date information as sailings are cancelled tonight and for tomorrow (January 15). For up to date sailing information, click the ferry operator websites listed below.

Those travelling with Irish Ferries, should also take note that in addition to cancelled conventional sailings, the operators Dublin-Holyhead 'Swift' fast-ferry crossings are currently not in service as Jonathan Swift is on scheduled annual maintenance.

She headed for dry-docking in Birkenhead, where Ulysses as previously on Afloat.ie is also undergoing annual overhaul.

Isle of Man-England services are also effected to the adverse weather, with Isle of Man Steam Packet sailings on the Douglas-Heysham route cancelled today.

Further disruption and cancelled sailings (subject to which crossing) also apply to sailings tomorrow (January 15).

To recap, passengers are advised to check latest sailing information from the following website links:
Irish Ferries, Stena Line, P&O Ferries and the Isle of Man Steam Packet Co.

For additional information details are available by visiting the AA's ferrywatch service HERE

For weather forecasts visit Met Eireann's coastal reports and sea crossing's forecast visit this LINK.

Published in Ferry

#CancelledSailings – Met Eireann continues to issue a status ‘yellow’ gale warning in effect for its marine weather forecast. Due to the adverse weather this has led to cancellation of fast-ferry sailings on the Irish Sea and on certain sailings served by conventional ferry.

In addition Isle of Man-England services today are cancelled and potentially face further disruption or cancellation tomorrow (Saturday 10 Decenber).

For details of Met Eireann’s coastal reports and sea crossing’s forecast visit this LINK.

Ferry travellers are advised to check for latest sailing information updates from the following ferry operator websites listed below.

Irish Ferries

Stena Line

P&O Ferries

Isle of Man Steam Packet Company 

For additional information, visit the AA's ferry travel check service HERE

 

 

Published in Ferry

#CancelledSailings – As a gale warning is in effect this has led to some cancelled fast-ferry and conventional sailings on the Irish Sea in addition to some sailings to and from France.

Due to the adverse weather conditions Isle of Man sailings on the Douglas-Heysham single ro-pax served route, have been cancelled today with potential further disruption or cancellation to crossings tomorrow.

Travellers are advised to check for latest sailing information updates from Irish Sea operators by clicking these following website links below:

Irish Ferries

Stena Line

P&O Ferries 

Isle of Man Steam Packet Co.

Details are also available by visiting the AA's ferrywatch service HERE

Click this link for Met Eireann weather including coastal reports and sea crossing's forecast.

 

Published in Ferry

#CancelledSailings – Certain fast-ferry operated sailings on the Irish Sea today and for tomorrow (Tuesday 26 September) are cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.

Irish Ferries have cancelled tomorrow's fast-ferry only operated sailings otherwise served by Jonathan Swift on the Dublin-Holyhead route.

Instead all passengers are to be accommodated on the alternative cruise-ferry Ulysses which will be operating to service as normal. For further information on sailing times consult the Irish Ferries website HERE.

As the Autumn season is underway, any further disruption to sailings can also be consulted on the 'AA website' which provides daily updates and contact details of the various travel operators by 'scrolling down' their website page HERE.

 

Published in Ferry

#CancelledSailings – Irish Ferries ro-pax Epsilon sailings on the Dublin route to Wales are cancelled and to France this weekend, the operators are citing technical reasons, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Last night's round trip Dublin-Holyhead sailings were cancelled and throughout today on the Welsh service. Irish Ferries regrets also to advise sailings on this weekend's round trip Dublin-Cherbourg route are cancelled too.

All effected passengers on the Dublin-Holyhead service will be accommodated instead on their High Speed Craft, HSC Jonathan Swift and sailings served by flagship cruiseferry, Ulysses.

For the latest information on sailing schedules, including Irish, UK and French contact telephone lines, visit this Irish Ferries website link.

Epsilon remains berthed in Dublin Port, having shifted berths from the ferryport to an opposite quay and so to free up the linkspan used by other ferries.

 

Published in Ferry

#FerryDryDock – According to LD Lines website, the ro-pax Norman Atlantic is to have its annual drydocking and the following sailings listed below on the Rosslare-St.Nazaire route are cancelled.

Rosslare - St Nazaire: 14 & 21 March

St Nazaire - Rosslare: 12 & 19 March

Click for LD lines contact details.

To consult the latest sailing schedule on the Rosslare-St. Nazaire route click HERE.

For those travelling on the route beyond France of the 'landbridge' Spain service of St. Nazaire- Gijón, they should be advised that 'certain' sailings are also cancelled.

Also operating the St. Nazaire-Gijón route is sister ro-pax, Norman Astuarias which will continue to serve to her sailing schedule.

To consult the latest sailing schedule on the St. Nazaire- Gijón route click this link.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, Norman Atlantic as the former Scintu in January had launched LD Lines new Ireland-France-Spain routes, the services becoming the first ever to link all three countries. That first sailing by Scintu to Rosslare was a once-off as was renamed Norman Atlantic to reflect her trading route network.

Norman Atlantic is pictured here along the inner pier of Rosslare Europort. She is clearly recognisable as one of the Visentini built designed ro-pax vessels.

The Italian shipyard built ferries are designed primarily with ro-ro freight in mind and a relatively small passenger capacity compared to conventional car-ferries. The ro-pax have become increasingly popular in recent years, notably earlier this year by other operators trading from the Wexford port.

 

Published in Ferry

#CancelledSailings – As yet another gale warning is in effect some ferry sailings have been cancelled today on the Irish Sea and on French services.

Travellers are advised to check for updates on the latest sailing information from Irish Sea operators by clicking these following website links for Irish Ferries, P&O Ferries and Stena Line.

Passengers on Stena Line's Belfast-Cairnryan route take note that due to essential ferry maintenance, the following sailings (to Scotland) at 11.30 and 19.30 for this weekend (15-16 Feb.) have been cancelled.

On the Ireland-France service, Celtic Link Ferries sailing tonight from Cherbourg (21.00) to Rosslare has been cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.

In addition further details are also available by visiting the AA's ferrywatch service.

 

Published in Ferry

#CancelledSailings - As yet another storm batters the coast, some ferry sailings have been cancelled today and for tomorrow on the Irish Sea.

Travellers are advised to check for updates on the latest sailing information from operators by clicking these following website links for Irish Ferries, Stena Line and P&O Ferries.

In addition further details are also available by visiting the AA's ferrywatch service.

 

Published in Ferry

#CancelledSailings – Only days into the New Year sees the return of bad weather as storm force winds and gales batter the coast, forcing fast-ferry operated sailings to be cancelled today. 

On the Dublin Port-Holyhead route, Irish Ferries fast-ferry Jonathan Swift sailings have been cancelled and on the Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead Stena Line's fast-craft HSS Stena Explorer sailings have also been cancelled.

Passengers booked on both of the company's fast-ferry operated sailings will be accommodated on alternative cruiseferry sailings that also operate between Dublin Port and Holyhead.

Those intending to travel on P&O Ferries routes, are asked to contact the operator's Travel Information and Weatherline service on +44 (0)845 832 8888.

To confirm the latest sailing updates it is advisable to visit the following ferry operator websites: Irish Ferries Stena Line  in addition to updates available from the AA's ferrywatch page.

 

 

Published in Ferry
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Ireland's offshore islands

Around 30 of Ireland's offshore islands are inhabited and hold a wealth of cultural heritage.

A central Government objective is to ensure that sustainable vibrant communities continue to live on the islands.

Irish offshore islands FAQs

Technically, it is Ireland itself, as the third largest island in Europe.

Ireland is surrounded by approximately 80 islands of significant size, of which only about 20 are inhabited.

Achill island is the largest of the Irish isles with a coastline of almost 80 miles and has a population of 2,569.

The smallest inhabited offshore island is Inishfree, off Donegal.

The total voting population in the Republic's inhabited islands is just over 2,600 people, according to the Department of Housing.

Starting with west Cork, and giving voting register numbers as of 2020, here you go - Bere island (177), Cape Clear island (131),Dursey island (6), Hare island (29), Whiddy island (26), Long island, Schull (16), Sherkin island (95). The Galway islands are Inis Mór (675), Inis Meáin (148), Inis Oírr (210), Inishbofin (183). The Donegal islands are Arranmore (513), Gola (30), Inishboffin (63), Inishfree (4), Tory (140). The Mayo islands, apart from Achill which is connected by a bridge, are Clare island (116), Inishbiggle (25) and Inishturk (52).

No, the Gaeltacht islands are the Donegal islands, three of the four Galway islands (Inishbofin, like Clifden, is English-speaking primarily), and Cape Clear or Oileán Chléire in west Cork.

Lack of a pier was one of the main factors in the evacuation of a number of islands, the best known being the Blasket islands off Kerry, which were evacuated in November 1953. There are now three cottages available to rent on the Great Blasket island.

In the early 20th century, scholars visited the Great Blasket to learn Irish and to collect folklore and they encouraged the islanders to record their life stories in their native tongue. The three best known island books are An tOileánach (The Islandman) by Tomás Ó Criomhthain, Peig by Peig Sayers, and Fiche Blian ag Fás (Twenty Years A-Growing) by Muiris Ó Súilleabháin. Former taoiseach Charles J Haughey also kept a residence on his island, Inishvickillaune, which is one of the smaller and less accessible Blasket islands.

Charles J Haughey, as above, or late Beatle musician, John Lennon. Lennon bought Dorinish island in Clew Bay, south Mayo, in 1967 for a reported £1,700 sterling. Vendor was Westport Harbour Board which had used it for marine pilots. Lennon reportedly planned to spend his retirement there, and The Guardian newspaper quoted local estate agent Andrew Crowley as saying he was "besotted with the place by all accounts". He did lodge a planning application for a house, but never built on the 19 acres. He offered it to Sid Rawle, founder of the Digger Action Movement and known as the "King of the Hippies". Rawle and 30 others lived there until 1972 when their tents were burned by an oil lamp. Lennon and Yoko Ono visited it once more before his death in 1980. Ono sold the island for £30,000 in 1984, and it is widely reported that she donated the proceeds of the sale to an Irish orphanage

 

Yes, Rathlin island, off Co Antrim's Causeway Coast, is Ireland's most northerly inhabited island. As a special area of conservation, it is home to tens of thousands of sea birds, including puffins, kittiwakes, razorbills and guillemots. It is known for its Rathlin golden hare. It is almost famous for the fact that Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, retreated after being defeated by the English at Perth and hid in a sea cave where he was so inspired by a spider's tenacity that he returned to defeat his enemy.

No. The Aran islands have a regular ferry and plane service, with ferries from Ros-a-Mhíl, south Connemara all year round and from Doolin, Co Clare in the tourist season. The plane service flies from Indreabhán to all three islands. Inishbofin is connected by ferry from Cleggan, Co Galway, while Clare island and Inishturk are connected from Roonagh pier, outside Louisburgh. The Donegal islands of Arranmore and Tory island also have ferry services, as has Bere island, Cape Clear and Sherkin off Cork. How are the island transport services financed? The Government subsidises transport services to and from the islands. The Irish Coast Guard carries out medical evacuations, as to the RNLI lifeboats. Former Fianna Fáíl minister Éamon Ó Cuív is widely credited with improving transport services to and from offshore islands, earning his department the nickname "Craggy island".

Craggy Island is an bleak, isolated community located of the west coast, inhabited by Irish, a Chinese community and one Maori. Three priests and housekeeper Mrs Doyle live in a parochial house There is a pub, a very small golf course, a McDonald's fast food restaurant and a Chinatown... Actually, that is all fiction. Craggy island is a figment of the imagination of the Father Ted series writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews, for the highly successful Channel 4 television series, and the Georgian style parochial house on the "island" is actually Glenquin House in Co Clare.

Yes, that is of the Plassey, a freighter which was washed up on Inis Oírr in bad weather in 1960.

There are some small privately owned islands,and islands like Inishlyre in Co Mayo with only a small number of residents providing their own transport. Several Connemara islands such as Turbot and Inishturk South have a growing summer population, with some residents extending their stay during Covid-19. Turbot island off Eyrephort is one such example – the island, which was first spotted by Alcock and Brown as they approached Ireland during their epic transatlantic flight in 1919, was evacuated in 1978, four years after three of its fishermen drowned on the way home from watching an All Ireland final in Clifden. However, it is slowly being repopulated

Responsibility for the islands was taking over by the Department of Rural and Community Development . It was previously with the Gaeltacht section in the Department of Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht.

It is a periodic bone of contention, as Ireland does not have the same approach to its islands as Norway, which believes in right of access. However, many improvements were made during Fianna Fáíl Galway West TD Éamon Ó Cuív's time as minister. The Irish Island Federation, Comdháil Oileáin na hÉireann, represents island issues at national and international level.

The 12 offshore islands with registered voters have long argued that having to cast their vote early puts them at a disadvantage – especially as improved transport links mean that ballot boxes can be transported to the mainland in most weather conditions, bar the winter months. Legislation allowing them to vote on the same day as the rest of the State wasn't passed in time for the February 2020 general election.

Yes, but check tide tables ! Omey island off north Connemara is accessible at low tide and also runs a summer race meeting on the strand. In Sligo, 14 pillars mark the way to Coney island – one of several islands bearing this name off the Irish coast.

Cape Clear or Oileán Chléire is the country's most southerly inhabited island, eight miles off the west Cork coast, and within sight of the Fastnet Rock lighthouse, also known as the "teardrop of Ireland".
Skellig Michael off the Kerry coast, which has a monastic site dating from the 6th century. It is accessible by boat – prebooking essential – from Portmagee, Co Kerry. However, due to Covid-19 restrictions, it was not open to visitors in 2020.
All islands have bird life, but puffins and gannets and kittiwakes are synonymous with Skellig Michael and Little Skellig. Rathlin island off Antrim and Cape Clear off west Cork have bird observatories. The Saltee islands off the Wexford coast are privately owned by the O'Neill family, but day visitors are permitted access to the Great Saltee during certain hours. The Saltees have gannets, gulls, puffins and Manx shearwaters.
Vikings used Dublin as a European slaving capital, and one of their bases was on Dalkey island, which can be viewed from Killiney's Vico road. Boat trips available from Coliemore harbour in Dalkey. Birdwatch Ireland has set up nestboxes here for roseate terns. Keep an eye out also for feral goats.
Plenty! There are regular boat trips in summer to Inchagoill island on Lough Corrib, while the best known Irish inshore island might be the lake isle of Innisfree on Sligo's Lough Gill, immortalised by WB Yeats in his poem of the same name. Roscommon's Lough Key has several islands, the most prominent being the privately-owned Castle Island. Trinity island is more accessible to the public - it was once occupied by Cistercian monks from Boyle Abbey.

©Afloat 2020