Bere island is served by two ferry operators. The oldest established vehicular route to the island is operated by Bere Island Ferries, a private Company based on the island at West End from where it serves the town of Castletownbare on the mainland. The service was inaugurated by Misneach in 1993, a bow loading vessel built for Arranmore Island Ferry Services in 1978.
The next addition was the bow and stern loading D. F. B. Dunbrody which was acquired from Passage East Ferries in 1998 where she had served for almost 20 years. She was the flagship for the service until 2000 when she broke from her moorings in a storm and was damages. She remains on a beach near the slipway.
The accident put pressure on Misneach until another vessel, the Morvern, was acquired from Arranmore in 2001. She was originally built for Caledonian MacBrayne operating mainly on Iona services until being acquired by Arranmore in 1995.
In summer 2003 another vessel was acquired, the Eilean Na H-Iige, originally built or the Scottish Western Isles council in 1980. Misneach was sold in 2003 which now leaves the two ship operation of Morvern and Oilean Na H-Oige with a carring capacity of six and four cars respectively and both bow loading.
An alternative route to the Island is provided from Castletownbere to Lawrence Cove on the Island, by Murphy’s Ferry Services. The Ikom K was built in Arklow especially for the route in 1999 (the Murphy’s provided passenger and charter services on the route prior to this.
