Fishguard Rosslare service history

[Phil]

Does anyone know which of the then three Saints opened the Fishguard Rosslare service and what date did St George in 1906 enter service?

[Niall]

St Patrick was first to enter service.

[awaityourreply]

Up until the late 1960's there had been a direct Cork to Fishguard ferry service which used operated from Penrose Quay in the City of Cork in the days prior to the Port of Cork's more modern Tivoli Ferry Terminal coming into operation further down the river Lee. Incidentally Tivoli did not handle passenger/car ferries for all that long as Ringaskiddy Ferry Port had replaced Tivoli by the early 1980's. The reason why Cork Fishguard service closed was because British Rail gave notice of termination of agreement that allowed Cork ships use Fishguard. As a result, B+I Line proposed a new ferry service to Swansea from Cork which ran until 1979 when a Cork to Pembroke Dock service replaced the previous service. The end of B+I Line passenger car ferry services in Cork came at the end of Summer season in 1983. Around 1987 a new firm Swansea Cork Ferries began to revive a popular link from Cork to Swansea on the southern corridor for a number of years.

Rosslare is unique among the commercial ports in Ireland as it operates outside of the Irish Harbours Acts 1996–2009. The port is owned by the Fishguard and Rosslare Railways and Harbour Company which owes its origins to the Fishguard Bay Railway and Pier Act 1893, as amended by the Fishguard & Rosslare Railways & Harbours Act, 31 July 1894, both acts of the UK Parliament, still valid in Ireland. The constituent ports (Rosslare and Fishguard) of the company are nowadays the operational and financial responsibility of Iarnród Éireann and Stena Line Ports Ltd respectively.

[A83]

Wasn't quite sure where to locate this historical item but this seems a reasonable spot.

1991 RTE report from the Stena Felicity running into bad weather.

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2021/0825/1242788-sealink-ferry-felicity/