First cruise ship of 2023 welcomed to Kinsale
Cllr. Marie O’Sullivan, Chair of the Bandon Kinsale District and Cork County Council's senior harbour master Julian Renault exchanging gifts with the President of Ponant Cruises Hervé Gastinel and the ships captain Stanislas Devorsine on the bridge of the expedition cruise liner L’Austral which visited Kinsale last week. Picture. John Allen
Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Danny Collins has welcomed the first cruise ship of 2023 to Kinsale.
‘L’Austral’, a luxury expedition ship owned by French company ‘Ponant’, arrived on April 26 with 185 passengers on board who enjoyed unobstructed views of the iconic Charles Fort from their anchorage.
Arriving ashore on tender boats, delighted passengers enjoyed traditional music by young musicians from Ballinspittle Comhaltas accompanied by Irish dancers on the pier.
Mayor Collins commented: “I am delighted to welcome the first cruise ship of the season to Kinsale and to West Cork. We have so much to offer cruise visitors in Cork County, from stunning landscapes and fascinating history to vibrant culture and delicious cuisine. I am confident that our guests from L'Austral had a memorable experience in Kinsale and I look forward to welcoming many more cruise visitors to our shores in the coming months.”
The ship was on an eight-day, one-way itinerary from Bordeaux to Dublin that sailed along the French Atlantic coast, continued to Cornwall before coming to Kinsale, its last stopover before continuing to the capital.
Passengers were welcomed to Kinsale by Cllr Marie O’Sullivan, Chair of Cork County Council’s Bandon-Kinsale Municipal District
These cruise tourists are more likely than any others to return for a holiday to a destination they visit on a cruise. This is one of the reasons why Cork County Council is so active in promoting the region as a cruise destination.”
Guests from the ship took time to discover Kinsale while docked.
Visitors chose from various organized tours, including a Culinary Walking Tour of Kinsale, a visit to Charles Fort and the Old Head of Kinsale, and a visit to the Jameson Distillery.
Local Kinsale businesses, Kinsale Mead and KoKo Kinsale chocolates provided departing guests with a taste of Kinsale to take away.
In total, West Cork will receive 20 cruise calls in 2023, which will see 8,300 cruise visitors to the region.
This is up from 2019 when 12 cruise ships and 6,400 passengers visited West Cork.
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