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Welcome to www.bringbacktheswanseacorkferry.com
This site is the only website dedicated to bringing back the Swansea Cork Ferry - a freight & passenger ferry that until recently linked Swansea (Wales) and Cork (Ireland), and carried not only essential freight, but also thousands of holidaymakers visiting the southern counties of Ireland.
Over the last year there has been a considerable amount of rumour surrounding the absence of the service (operated by Swansea Cork Ferries) - and, in the absence of any ‘concrete’ information, speculation is rife.
There’s one thing that’s undeniable - the Swansea-Cork ferry link used to bring a large number of UK and EU tourists into the south-west of Ireland - and, without them, many local businesses and individuals who rely on the short tourist season are feeling the pinch. (See ‘my story’ and our ‘e-petition’ pages for more details)
There’s also a knock-on effect at the other end of the ferry link - in South Wales.
Irish folks used to travel to the Swansea area for shopping trips, and UK / EU people travelling to Ireland used to support Welsh businesses (restaurants, hotels, B&B’s etc)
If you are a based in the Swansea area, and have been affected by the suspension of the ferry, then we’d like to hear from you. If you’d like to Help Us by contacting your local MPs / TDs / Councillors / Ministers then you can find their contact details on our Help Us page.
Just to clarify one thing - we’d all like the Swansea-Cork link to be restored, preferably with a modern, comfortable (different!) boat, operated by a responsive, efficient company.
This may or may not be “Swansea Cork Ferries” - but, whoever is involved in operating it, the Swansea-Cork ferry service and the onward ‘land-bridge’ must be restored as soon as possible!
Please add your words of support to our e-petition page - with your help we can produce the focus and pressure that’s needed to get this vital service reinstated!
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| bringbacktheswanseacorkferry.com | | ...............thanks for visiting
- please sign our e-petition today.............
- download our car/window/whatever sticker.......
- lobby your local Councillors / TDs.......
- show your support........
- help us bring back the Swansea Cork ferry in 2009!! | |
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| mayday, mayday +++++ | | mayday , mayday +++++
All ferries in the vicinity of Cork/Swansea +++++
This is Tourism in West Cork calling +++++
We have been scuttled and are sinking! +++++ Immediate Assistance required +++++
Bring back the Swansea Cork Ferry now ! +++++ | |
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Newsflash! 08/07/08 “World support for Cork’s fight for return of ferry” -
Helen Walsh in the Cork Evening Echo with some interesting statistics about the Ferry campaign.- more here.
Newsflash! 030708 “New Mayor to press for revival of Ferry”
- story from the Cork Examiner - more here.
Newsflash! - 29/6/08 "It's almost like a crusade at this stage
– the region needs a ferry."
- says Capt, Michael McCarthy of the Port of Cork in this excellent article from the Tribune. more here
Newsflash! 18/6/08 Ryanair accepts subsidy for Kerry (airport) route
From the Independant back in May 2008
- isn’t it odd how subsidies seem to be available for airports but not for ferries?
more here
Newsflash! - 5/6/08 - Ferry Campaign makes the Front Page
of the Southern Star ... more here
Newsflash! - 27/5/08 - “We’re confident that the Route has great potential”
- say Port of Cork Commercial Manager Michael McCarthy in this ‘good news / bad news’ article from the Cork Evening Echo. Read more
Newsflash! - 1/6/08 - Full Steam ahead for Ferry Campaign
...a round-up of the story so far.... read more
Newsflash ! - 23/5/08 So near and yet so far!
The Christian IV, was very nearly the next Swansea-Cork ferry -
but, after months of negotiation with interested Irish parties,
she was sold instead to a Russian company...
What a disgrace ! - read more
Newsflash ! - 21/5/08 - “Swansea-Cork Ferry service could be viable on a year-round basis” - Transport Minister - Noel Dempsey read more
Newsflash ! - 16/5/08 - The Campaign featured in the Irish Post read more
Newsflash ! - 12/5/08 - Open Letter to An Taoiseach from John Hosford - sent read more
Newsflash ! - 27/04/08 - Our Campaign is front page News in the Cork Evening Echo read more
Newsflash ! 26/4/2008 - Swansea Cork Ferries website still ‘down’ !
A conspiracy - or just plain ineptitude....? read more.....
Newsflash ! 22/4/2008 - What’s actually been going on since October 2007 ?
- see our interview with Cork County Councillor Dermot Sheehan read more.....
Show your support !  - Help to spread the word about this website by printing a copy of our car-sticker and, .... well, sticking it on your car, or shop, or house or wherever it’ll be seen.
Get the sticker here. When you print it, you’ll get three car stickers - so give two to your friends! (The real one is a lot bigger than this....!)
The background to this website
The Swansea Cork Ferry service was suspended by the operators (Swansea-Cork Ferries) in Autumn 2006, the company claiming to have sold its current boat and being apparently unable to find a suitable replacement. The service did not run at all during 2007, and current indications (as of April 2008) are that the service will not run this year either.
It is far from clear exactly what is going on, or what the operators’ plans are for the Ferry. Swansea Cork Ferries’ website, for instance, ‘disappeared’ just as this website started. Quite what this means, nobody knows.......
The continuing absence of the ferry service is having a serious impact on the economy of this part of Ireland - as the only alternative car / lorry ferries add significant distance and probably an extra day’s travelling for people travelling from England to the South and South-West of Ireland.
The Swansea-Cork route is shown in pink on this map.
Even though it is the longest crossing of all the
UK-Ireland ferries it used to sail overnight, and, if you were visiting the southern counties of Ireland, it would save you many hours driving once you landed at Cork.
Now landing at the closest port to Cork & Kerry (Rosslare) involves an extra three or four hours driving - hardly a relaxing start to a family holiday !
Everybody you speak to here has their own story to tell of the real hardship and lost opportunity that has been caused by the cancellation of the ferry. This site tells these very real, human stories - and is intended to highlight the effect that this is having on the local economy - in the hope that the people who have the power to do something about restoring the ferry service will actually get on and do something about it.
Don’t get us wrong - the south-west of Ireland is still a great place to visit for a holiday - but we’d like to make it much more accessible so you can spend less time getting here and more time enjoying it!
Check our Links page for loads of links about holidaying in Ireland, and things to do & see when you’re here.
If you have a story to tell (like the ones on our ‘my story’ page) - please email us - and we’ll add your experiences to our website...
To show your support for our campaign - please support our ‘e-petition.
If you’d like an entry on our Links page - please email us.
If you hear anything about plans to bring back the ferry - please email us with the details.
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