West Cork Tourism Co-Operative Society Limited, which was formed for the purpose of relaunching the Cork-Swansea Ferry route, is pleased to announce the purchase of cruiseferry, the Julia, for €7.8 million. The Julia, which will operate under the Fastnet Line brand, will arrive in Cork in the coming weeks to proclaim the dawn of a new era for tourism in the South West region of Ireland with the relaunch of the Ferry to Ireland. Fastnet Line Limited is a 100% wholly owned subsidiary of West Cork Tourism Co-Op. The Fastnet Line brand takes it’s name from the iconic Fastnet Rock, an outcrop south of West Cork that has been a beacon for ships for hundereds of years.

West Cork Tourism began their campaign at the beginning of the year and raised €2.6m to get the Cork to Swansea route back up and running. Finnish bank Aktia Bank and its finance company, Aktia Yritysrahoitus Oy, has supported the acquisition through the provision of a loan of €6.3 million.

The Julia was built in 1982 and has sailed several routes in the Scandinavian Peninsula since then. The vessel has 10 decks with maximum capacity for approximately 440 cars and 30 freight vehicles and the total passenger capacity of the vessel is 1,860. The Julia has a fine array of restaurants and bars, a childrens’ play area and a cinema, as well as over 300 passenger cabins, rendering her particularly suited to the night crossing between Cork and Swansea.

The Julia will commence service on the Cork to Swansea route in March 2010 and expects to enjoy strong demand from both tourist and freight customers. Fastnet Line believes that the wonderful new Ferry to Ireland will contribute greatly to the development and promotion of tourism in Cork, Kerry and surrounding areas, bringing thousands of tourists directly to the region annually, and will also contribute to the development of Irish tourism into Wales. In addition, Fastnet Line will provide hauliers operating in Ireland and the UK with a viable sea crossing alternative for freight activity between the regions, potentially reducing round trip road journeys by over 600km.

Funding of €2.5 million is now required in addition to the balance of funds raised still held by the Co-Op to fund the working capital requirements of the business and to facilitate the development of the infrastructure of the organisation in the period prior to and after launch in March 2010. In that regard, there are now opportunities to invest both in the Co-Op and in Fastnet Line. The Co-Op will be arranging a series of roadshows in the coming weeks to brief members and prospective new members on its plans.

Commenting on the acquisition, Conor Buckley, Chairman of the Co-Op, said “We are delighted to be in the position to officially announce the purchase of The Julia and the commencement of the Cork to Swansea route in Spring of next year. The coming weeks and months will continue to be crucial to us to gain the working capital to aid the development of the organisation so we are looking forward to meeting with potential investors from all over the South West Region and beyond.”

Investors are being offered the opportunity to participate in what the Co-Op believes will be a key business in the Cork and Swansea regions for the long term. A business which will bring rewards to its stakeholders not only in financial terms, but also in terms of bringing business to the regions it serves.

The annual “A Taste of West Cork” food festival takes place this month in Skibbereen in West Cork.
At myguideIreland we are proud to support this showcase of produce from Ireland’s most famous food producing region.
This year’s festival takes place from September 14th to 20th…..Read more here

SAREN, the Skibbereen And Region Economic Network, has today launched a petition asking UTV-Media to reverse its decision to scrap the West Cork Today program presented by David Young on its C103 station.

Being based in Skibbereen in West Cork we have seen the importance of this vital piece of social infrastructure first hand in the past few months.

There are two key communications resources that really matter in West Cork and ‘West Cork today’ is one of them along with the Southern Star. Two initiatives that I have watched closely in the past months have been the launch of SAREN and the  creation of the West Cork Tourism Co-Operative Ltd to buy a ferry and relaunch the Cork-Swansea Ferry.

I contend strongly that without these two communication resources, the success of these initiatives would not have been achieved.
With their  help, the people and businesses of West Cork could not have missed the key messages of both initiatives.

These are just 2 of the countless examples of how these resources are a vital element of the social fabric of the region. The Southern Star will continue to be an integral part of West Cork but it is a weekly publication and, for the elderly in particular,  the West Cork Today show was their daily interaction with what was going on in their areas.

This petition by SAREN is only step 1.
If the decision is not reversed they should be calling on the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) to review the license that was rewarded to UTV Media for the West Cork station. It is not enough to have a mast broadcasting a signal in West Cork and have all the programming homogenised across the county. Surely the reason for a broadcasting license for West Cork was that it would serve a public interest in West Cork?

Read more on the http://www.skibbereen.ie website or sign the petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/westcorktoday/

Forget about going to Greece to go Island Hopping, come to West Cork!

Roaring Water Bay contains many Islands, ranging from Cape Clear, which is the largest, to small uninhabited rocks and reefs. The most famous of these rocks is The Fastnet Rock. This rock stands out in the Atlantic Ocean at the entrance to Roaring Water Bay and is home to the Fasnett Lighthouse- one of the best known Lighthouses in the world. It is also known as the “Tear Drop of Ireland” because it was the last part of Ireland that the emigrants to the New World saw as they left during famine times. It is also the landmark that give its name to the Fastnet Race one of the world’s most famous yacht races run by the Royal Ocean Racing Club.

The most remote Island off of West Cork is Cape Clear, it is 8 miles off shore and is one of the most unspoiled parts of Ireland. The Island is inhabited and the people make their living from farming, fishing and tourism. There is a regular ferry service to Cape Clear from Baltimore with more frequent ferries in the summer.
Sherkin Island is also inhabited and is home to 120 people. It is close to shore being only 15 minutes from Baltimore by ferry. There is a beautiful ruined Franciscan abbey just above the pier on Sherkin. If you would like to spend an afternoon on an unspoiled beach, Sherkin Island is the place to go. It has three beautiful beaches within walking distance from the pier.In the summer you can get a taxi if walking is not your thing.

On a small Island close to the mainland is 15th century Kilcoe Castle. Built by the Mc Carthy Clan in 1603, this castle was last to be taken by the British. It is now owned by the actor Jeremy Irons and his wife Sinead Cusack. They bought the ruined castle and completely refurbished it. The plaster on the outside is a peculiar colour, being orange. This was very controversial at the time it was being done up, with many people objecting to the colour however Mr Irons maintains that this colour was the original colour of the castle in medieval times because the plaster was a mixture of lime, charcoal and animal blood!
From May to September you can take a guided tour of 10 of the islands of Roaring Water Bay. This tour starts and finishes at Baltimore on board the “Mystic Water” and lasts 2 hours. You will see spectacular scenery and wildlife including dolphins, seals and a variety of sea birds.
So for something different and completely natural why not visit the Islands of West Cork.

While the Greenpeace ship, Esperanza, and Australian surveillance ships track the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean in an effort to stop them killing minke whales and fin whales, they plan to kill 900 minke whales and 50 fin whales by mid April, the whales and other marine life off the Irish coast are thankfully under no such threat.

West Cork is now recognised as one of the best places in Europe to go whale watching and sometimes they come so close to the shore that it is not even necessary to go out in a boat. From the kitchen window at home, near the village of Castletownshend in West Cork, I have seen a pod of more than 20 fin whales (the second largest animal ever to live on this planet) less than a mile from the shore. They stayed there for a couple of weeks feeding on sprat before moving on. Fin whales are most commonly seen between August and December. Minke whales are also common and even the occasional humpback whale.

Dolphins too are a common sight off the Irish coast. One evening a couple of years ago we headed out from the fishing village of Baltimore with the hope of seeing some. We didn’t have to go far and when they saw us coming they came to meet us. Far from being scared of the boat they came right up to it to play in the waves alongside us. A school of about a hundred dolphins so close to us that we could hear their high-pitched squeaking.

Shark are also plentiful a bit further offshore with a variety of species including blue shark, basking shark and the occasional six-gilled shark. One summer out in a small boat in Castletownshend harbour we came across a massive basking shark, bigger than our boat which it decided to swim around. A slightly scary experience because although the shark was completely harmless we were worried that it would tip the boat and we’d all end up joining it in the water.

Charter a boat from one of the many fishing villages in West Cork including Castletownbere, Baltimore, Courtmacsherry, Kinsale, Glandore or Union Hall
and spend a day shark fishing. One of the biggest fish ever caught off the Irish Coast was a 315 lb six-gilled shark caught off Baltimore. Hooked by my cousin Stefano off my fathers boat, the shark weighed twice the Irish record but unfortuately could not be claimed as a record. After more than an hour of trying to land the massive six-gilled Stefano had to hand the rod over to another angler and a record cannot be claimed if the rod is handled by more than one person.

Clare O Leary from Bandon, West Cork, Ireland made history on January 8 by becoming the first Irish woman to trek to the South Pole in a four-person “Beyond Endurance” expedition team lead by Pat Falvey from Cork. Claire who works as a consultant in Tipperary General Hospital, Clonmel is one of the worlds leading female adventurers and high altitude climbers. She is the first Irish female to climb Mt Everest and also the first Irish female (15th female worldwide) to complete the Seven summits. Walking to the South Pole and Beyond involved travelling a distance of over 1100km with each team member hauling a sledge weighing in excess of 150kg. myguideIreland is proud of of this fantastic achievement by the “Beyond Endurance” team. Congratulations!

Sometimes, flying can be a nightmare. With all the different regulations you might feel anxious especially if you travel to a place you have never been before. But, this is not the case when you arrive at Cork airport. Going through immigration, getting your luggage, picking a rental car will only take you few minutes and you will be on the Irish roads.

Cork airport has a brand new airport terminal building. It is bright, modern and airy and you will find your way very easily through it. The airport is situated only ten minutes from Cork city centre. There are buses and taxis right outside the terminal. Cork city itself is a nice destination for a city break or long weekend. Cork airport is also the ideal base to start a trip along the Irish West Coast. In two hours driving, you can reach the famous Ring of Kerry and Killarney Town.

More and more airlines have opened routes to and from Cork. The city is connected to many big European cities. If you have an early morning flight, you can stay in one of the two airport hotels, the Radisson SAS Cork Airport and Cork International Airport Hotel, both situated five minutes walking distance from the terminal. Within the terminal, there is a good choice of facilities to eat and shop.

For a relaxing beginning and end to your holiday or short break you couldn’t find a more convenient and stress free airport. So why don’t come and see yourself.