Cruise ship returns to Kilmore Quay

KILMORE QUAY will welcome visitors from the cruise ship, the Ocean Adventurer today (Tuesday), almost three years to the day after the first ship docked off the quay.

The ship is actually the same vessel that anchored off Kilmore in 2015, although its name has been changed in the years since that visit. The ship stopped off in Dunmore East earlier in the morning, dropping passengers off keen to explore the south-east coast before linking back up with their fellow passengers.

Senior Marine Officer, Captain Phil Murphy said he had been working hard, for many years, on drawing such cruise ships towards the Kilmore coast, saying that it was an ideal location for ships that operated in this more niche market.

‘Because these ships are smaller, they can get closer to areas like Kilmore and they operate in a more niche market. They tend to look for places outside of the big cities where they can explore villages and wildlife.’

‘It’s a matter of building a good relationship with the companies but it is a slow burn. The cruise operators are always looking for new areas to go so it’s good to see them coming back to us. The ship has about 100 passengers but they would be people with high spending power. The knock-on effect is that it encourages people to add the south-east to their itinerary for future trips to Ireland.’