All aboard for a ferry merry Christmas

CAPE Clear Ferries’ latest addition to its fleet has arrived in Cork city ahead of the festive season.

The Spirit of Doolin, which will be renamed in time, arrived at Cork Harbour this weekend to join the Cailín Óir which had been busy taking passengers on tours of Cork Harbour this summer.

The new 200-passenger fast ferry has been kitted out to offer Christmas parties with a difference.

The cruise will take passengers out to the waters near Cobh and back to the Docklands in the city, with Cork singer Marguerite O’Connor and a stocked bar on board.

Some seats have been cleared to provide for a dance floor and high tables have been installed to create “the party atmosphere”. With 100 indoor seats and heating on board, people will be able to stay cosy throughout the two-and-a-half-hour cruise.

Speaking to The Echo, Cape Clear Ferries’ Karen Cottrell said that two public Christmas parties will take place on December 10 and December 17.

“It’s an alternative, it’s a different Christmas party for everyone and everyone wants something different,” she said.

After its stint in Cork city, the Spirit of Doolin will return home to Baltimore ahead of the summer season.

The fast ferry will be capable of travelling from Baltimore to the Fastnet in under two hours and from Baltimore to Cape Clear Island in just 20 minutes. The ferry will also operate from Schull over the summer period.

Ms Cottrell said the new purchase for Cape Clear Ferries will be “a huge upgrade” for the Fastnet tours in 2023.

“This is the only one of these fast ferries other than Doolin on this side of the country so it’s huge for here. Even when it’s here in Baltimore everyone is just saying, ‘wow, look at that’,” she said.

“They have them in the Aran Islands and nowhere else until now.”