Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: Cape Clear Ferry

Having sold two of its vessels - the fast Ferry Dún na Séad II and the Dún Aengus, Cape Clear Ferries in West Cork is buying the Spirit of Doolin from O’Brien’s Ferry Company in Clare. This will replace the previous fast ferry, while the Dún Aengus is being replaced by another purchase, the Carraig Mhór.

Manager Séamus Ó Drisceoil says the company is upgrading its fleet and “working with Comharchumann Chléire Teo and other service providers to develop an outstanding maritime tourism experience based around the Fastnet Rock and Cape Clear Island. This will bring new business to the Island and its mainland hinterland.”

Spirit of Doolin is a modern stylish vessel with a 200-passenger capacity. It will operate mostly from Schull to Cape Clear and around the Fastnet Rock Lighthouse.”

The vessel called to Baltimore and Cape to be shown to the island and the local community. The purchase is subject to approval trials.

Published in Ferry

#ISLAND NEWS – A beacon is due to be lit early this afternoon (2 – 3pm) on Cape Clear Island, marking the 100th anniversary today of the RMS Titanic's departure from Cobh (Queenstown) where the doomed liner continued on her maiden voyage into the Atlantic.

The beacon at Fiona's Land is accessible by a walking trail and is where the Naval Service L.E. Aisling (P23) is to recreating the liner's voyage by passing off the southern side of the Co. Cork island.

For information on island life, activities and events, follow the Cape Clear Ferry blog HERE.

Published in Island News

#ISLANDS -The Cape Clear Ferry which operates the service between the Wst Cork island and Baltimore, has outlined revisions to sailing schedules for this year. The proposed changes follow a consultation process held with the islanders, as previously reported on Afloat.ie

The changes to sailings during the months of May, June and September and also to schedules between 1st April-30th December are available to view by clicking HERE.

In addition a table showing the minimum frequency of daily return sailings are also outlined.

Published in Island News

As an island economy, a healthy maritime sector is key to our national competitiveness. Virtually all our imports and exports pass through Irish ports.

Ireland is dependent on ports and shipping services to transport goods and 90% of our trade is moved though Irish ports. Shipping and maritime transport services make a significant contribution to Ireland’s ocean economy, with the sector generating €2.3 billion in turnover and employing over 5,000 people in 2018.

Ireland’s maritime industry continues to grow and progress each year with Irish ports and shipping companies making significant investments. The ports sector in Ireland is currently undergoing a number of expansions and developments with Dublin Port’s Alexandra Basin development, the development of Ringaskiddy in Cork by Port of Cork and the development of Shannon Foynes Port. Along with these major investments, shipping companies are also investing heavily in new tonnage, with Irish Ferries, CLdN and Stena leading new build programmes.

These pages cover the following sectoral areas: shipowners, harbour authorities, shipbrokers, freight forwarders and contractors, cruise liner operators, port users, seamen, merchants, academic institutions, shipyards and repair facilities, naval architects, navy and defence personnel.

Our pages are covering some of the most notable arrivals around our coast and reporting too on port development and shipping news.

This section of the site deals with Port and Shipping News on our largest ports Dublin Port, Port of Cork, the Shannon Estuary, Galway Harbour and Belfast Lough.

A recent study carried out for the Irish Ports Association (IPA) totalled 75.7 billion during 2004 and their net economic impact was some 5.5 billion supporting around 57, 500 full time employees.

Liam Lacey, Director of the Marine Institute’s Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO) said, “The Irish maritime industry can look to the future with confidence. It has shown itself to be resilient and agile in responding to challenges. Over the past decade, it has had to respond to the challenges of the financial crisis of 2008, the uncertainty surrounding Brexit and recent challenges. Ireland’s maritime sector has continued to underpin our economy by maintaining vital shipping links for both trade and tourism.”