Cork’s smaller harbours enjoy a big slice of the booming cruise ship summer action

By Peter McCarthy, Corkman

Cork County Council harbours experienced their busiest and most successful cruise season to-date this summer with cruise ships visiting East Cork towns for the first time along with the more usual destinations in West Cork, bringing millions of euros to the local economy.

A record 25 cruise visits took place in the 2025 season. While the deep-water berth in Cobh allows some of the world’s largest liners to dock in the harbour, a number of smaller towns have followed suit by welcoming boutique cruise vessels as part of their tourism strategy.

Baltimore, Kinsale and Bantry have been reaping the benefits of smaller cruise ship visits for several years. However, this summer Ballycotton and Youghal experienced their first-ever arrivals when French ship Le Bellot visited in August, carrying 184 passengers and 118 crew members, marking a milestone for East Cork tourism.

Le Bellot was also the first ship of the season to visit, anchoring in Kinsale on May 8. It returned to berth in Youghal on August 20 where many passengers enjoyed a guided heritage tour of the historic town. The ship sailed on to Ballycotton the following day and passengers had an opportunity to visit the lighthouse before taking in the scenic Ballycotton Cliff Walk.

The ship, which is operated by the French cruise company Ponant, then continued on to Kinsale and Baltimore, part of a seven-leg journey beginning and ending in Dublin. Two other Ponant ships, Le Lyrial and Le Boreal, visited Kinsale in mid-May, bringing with them a total of 617 passengers and crew.

The passengers and crew who came ashore had the option of kayaking from the Dock Beach or exploring the town. May also saw the Silver Wind, operated by Silversea and carrying 248 passengers and 239 crew members, visiting the West Cork town.

The 2025 cruise season concluded with Noble Caledonia’s Island Sky with 90 passengers and 81 crew visiting Bere Island, Schull and Kinsale on consecutive days on August 25-27. Earlier in the month the small cruise ship had called to Baltimore harbour, the first cruise ship to do so. A second Noble Caledonia ship, the Hebridean Sky, visited Schull in mid-June with 93 guests and 80 crew.

Cork County Council played a significant role in the cruise season with council staff present at each visit to welcome and assist passengers and crew while distributing maps and brochures to encourage the visitors to explore the county. The chair or deputy chair of each municipal district was also present to take part in a gift exchange with ship’s captains.

“Approximately 4,000 cruise passengers are expected to visit Cork County Council’s harbours in 2025, contributing to the local economy and supporting our tourism industry, while showcasing what makes County Cork so special to a growing number of international visitors,” Cllr Caroline Cronin, Chairperson of the West Cork Municipal District, said in August.