#ferries - More than 6,000 passengers travelled aboard the Carlingford Lough Ferry over the Easter bank holiday weekend.

To accommodate demand for the service, Independent.ie reports, that the ferry company had two vessels in operation on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. With both the Frazer Aisling Gabrielle, a 44 car capacity vessel and the Frazer Mariner, a 22 car capacity vessel, making the crossing.

This meant a maximum wait time of under 30 minutes for the many vehicles queueing at the ferry terminals at Greenore and Greencastle.

With the sun shining, some passengers were even treated to special sight on the Lough when a small pod of bottle nose dolphin decided to come out and play on Easter Monday.

The operator Afloat adds launched the route in summer 2017 as the first ever carferry service on the cross-border lough. 

#FerryNews- As previously reported, plans for a car ferry service linking Greenore and Greencastle moved a step closer yesterday when its developers formally submitted planning applications to both Louth County Council and the north's planning service.

Carlingford Ferries, which is privately funding the scheme to the tune of £7 million, says the service could be operational within 12 months.

The proposal - which has been on the agenda for 30 years but has never advanced to the planning stage - would see a roll-on-roll-off service launched across the mouth of Carlingford Lough, going 1.3 miles between Greenore on the southern side and Greencastle in the Mournes area.

The crossing would take just 15 minutes and cuts out a 33-mile car journey of often more than an hour, depending on congestion in Newry.

The project is being financed by three families from Clare and Limerick with significant experience in the car ferry industry in the Shannon region. For much more on this story The Irish News reports.