Irish Ferries ferries

Irish Ferries

Irish Ferries began life in 1973 as Irish Continental Line, set up to give Ireland a direct ferry link with the Continent. Its first ship, the Saint Patrick, made her maiden voyage from Rosslare to Le Havre in June of that year, a long way from the Irish Sea routes the brand is best known for today.

The change came in 1992, when Irish Continental Group bought the state-owned B&I Line, adding the short sea links between Ireland and Britain to its operation. The group then invested heavily in the Dublin–Holyhead route. In 2001 it launched Ulysses, which at the time was the largest car ferry in the world by car-carrying capacity, and it remains one of the largest ferries on the Irish Sea.

The Pembroke Dock–Rosslare crossing has long been served by the Isle of Inishmore, which moved to this route when the larger Ulysses arrived on the Dublin run. It is a convenient link for drivers heading between south Wales, the south-west of England and the south-east of Ireland.