Brittany Ferries marks the start of the tourism season with the first sailing of Armorique to the Port of Cork today.

The 30,000 ton, 1500 passenger cruise-ferry had sailed from Roscoff, Brittany and arrived at Ringaskiddy at 09:30 this morning with 330 holidaymakers on board.

The return sailing to the Breton port departed at 1600 on the Ireland-France route which Afloat adds is Brittany Ferries only 'seasonal' operated service.

Armorique will make the call into Cork every Wednesday between now and November, and will be joined on the Cork/Roscoff route from 1st April by Brittany Ferries’ 42,000-ton 2,400-passenger flagship Pont-Aven which will visit Ringaskiddy each Saturday from 11:00-16:00.

Anticipating a busy season ahead, Brittany Ferries bookings already exceed this time last year, with a 34% increase on all routes from Ireland to France and Spain.  

In addition, Brittany Ferries has seen a 29% increase in the number of passengers travelling between France and Ireland versus this same period last year, almost half of which are French natives visiting Ireland.

Hugh Bruton, General Manager of Ireland with Brittany Ferries stated, “We are delighted to once again mark the start of a new season. The growing passenger booking numbers show us that 2023 is going to be a boom year for travel both into and out of Ireland. Despite inflation and the current economic climate, passengers want to travel and escape this year and will make things work to do so. Ferry travel offers so many benefits – including avoiding lengthy airport queues and the option to have your car to explore your destination with ease. We are so pleased to see numbers returning close to pre-pandemic levels at last.”

Brian O’Flynn, Fáilte Ireland stated, “A welcome sight each Spring is the Brittany Ferries’ ships sailing in and out of the harbours of Cork and Rosslare. Brittany Ferries carry thousands of tourists to Ireland each season, offering a boost to local economies, tourism and trade. It is so positive to see an increase of 40% in French passengers visiting Ireland this season and we look forward to welcoming them.”

Now offering a twice-weekly service connecting Cork with Roscoff in western France, as well as direct routes from Rosslare to Le Havre, Cherbourg in France and Bilbao in Spain, Brittany Ferries offers a variety of destinations and unparalleled comfort on its fleet of modern ships. 

The newest vessel of the fleet, Salamanca, which launched late last year on the Rosslare to Bilbao and Cherbourg routes, is a state-of-the-art cruise-ferry and is the first LNG-powered passenger ferry to regularly operate from Ireland.

Roscoff to Cork sailings run twice weekly, on the Armorique and the flagship vessel Pont-Aven, from March to October 2023.