NorthWalesLive takes a nostalgic trip on the ferries that travelled from Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire Harbour which have been a familiar sight to generations of families.
The historic link to Ireland had operated until closing in 2014 which Afloat adds saw the withdrawal of the revolutionary fast-ferry the HSS Stena Explorer. This high-speed craft in stark contrast to what a typical ferry journey was like in the '60s onboard Hibernia, one of the old 'Irish Mail' Boats.
The Hibernia along with sister, Cambria carried the mail to Ireland, but as the images show, passengers also made the journey across the Irish Sea.
These photos were first published in 1963 and the description accompanying them read: "Black robed priests swirl through the crowd, children are dragged along howling in protest, mother calls shrilly for the family to follow, father curses under the weight of bulging suitcases.
"This on any night, is the scene on the platforms and dockside at Holyhead."
The third ship on the route was the Princess Maud which provided back up during busy times.
The Irish Mail run, which was operated by the marine section of British Railways, was one of Britain’s oldest cross channel services, and first started more than 100 years ago earlier the days of sailing packets.
Many of these passengers considered Dun Laoghaire Harbour and its town as dear friends welcoming them home, as it was their first sight of Ireland aboard the ferry.
For more, scroll down for the newspaper's gallery of these nostaligic scenes, both taken above deck and of passenger interiors.
