Take to the seas
Our love affair with seaside towns is as old as the tides themselves
Being an island, we’ve always had a knack for playing around in the water. Just look at the facts: the oldest yacht club in the world, The Royal Cork Yacht Club, was founded here in 1720.
The island boasts the second largest natural harbor in the world, Cork Harbor. We even have our very own pirate queen – a notorious matriarch by the name of Grace O’Malley (Granuaile) who stalked the coasts in the 16th century, commanded a fleet of ships and caused all sorts of trouble.
These days, though, the only pirate queen in our waters is the Clare Island Ferry, named after Grace herself.
Pirate queens or not, the sea around Ireland is still a playground and we’ve got the ports to prove it.
Drop your anchor with us in Ballycastle, Cobh, Dun Laoghaire or Strangford Lough.