Capable of handling some of the largest liners in Cobh, the Port of Cork welcomed over 243,000 passengers and crew in 2019, writes Brendan Keating

Tourism ambassadors have, for the first time, begun selling Cork city’s visitor attractions to passengers on board the luxury cruise ships calling to the Port of Cork in a bid to capture a slice of an estimated €12m market.

The first cruise ship of the season will arrive in Cork tomorrow, with a further 64 ships, containing 160,000 passengers and crew, set to follow in her wake.

The Department of Transport is asking the public to express their views on a proposed merger of Bantry Harbour with the Port of Cork company.