Council seek help to restore ferry

Cork County Council is seeking a meeting with Simon Coveney, the marine minister, in an effort to get the Cork-Swansea ferry link reinstated.

Cllr Alan Coleman said the imminent departure of the MV Julia from the city’s quays should focus people’s minds on the fact the link had been worth nearly €50m annually to the local economy. The ship is set to become a floating hotel for wind turbine workers in the North Sea.

The Fianna Fáil councillor said it was important that Mr Coveney acted to get a ferry service up and running again after the demise of the Fastnet Line, which was founded by the West Cork Tourism Co-operative. “We need a campaign to get national support for this to complement the local support it has,” he said.