HI Bob

Bob Mannix wrote:
"Adrian" wrote in message
...
Hi Andy

Andy Hall wrote:
On 2008-05-21 09:35:13 +0100, Adrian said:

Hi All

Not specifically DIY - unless you count the fact that I diy'd the
website g - but I know from comments that many of the folks here
have enjoyed visits or longer stays in the Emerald Isle....

There used to be a Ferry which ran from Swansea to Cork - and saved
a long and inconvenient 4-hour drive from Rosslare for people visiting
the South-West of Ireland.
In fairness, it had a somewhat chequered history - but that was largely
due to the outdated boat and the poor management...
...but at least it was a link.

Back in October 2006 the owners of the boat suddenly sold the boat and
suspended the service... and, despite vague promises & rumours, there
has been no sign of the service resuming since.

Much of the economy of West Cork and Kerry is based on tourism - mostly
from the UK and EU. Many of these people used to bring their cars - but
the more difficult journey has seen visitor numbers dropping
dramatically over the last two years.

We've diy-d a website, with an online e-petition (chance for you to
'diy' something!) which is part of a campaign to focus attention on the
problems caused by the loss of the ferry and bring pressure to bear on
those people who can do something about it to get the service
reinstated.

Apologies for the bandwidth - but if you'd care to drop along to

www.bringbacktheswanseacorkferry.com

and add your support to our e-petition then we'd be most grateful !

Slainte
Adrian
But one can fly to Cork, and do you really want people from Swansea?

You're absolutely right - you can fly to Cork.
Many people who have filled in our e-petition have their own reasons for
wanting to bring their own cars / vans etc, and bring them to Cork rather
then Rosslare on the East coast.

Parents with young kids prefer the shorter driving distance (landing in
Cork removes 4 - 5 hours from the journey at the start and end of the
holiday.
Many people prefer to bring their own bits & pieces - kayaks, rowing boats
(yes - really!), hang-gliders, bicycles, caravans - not so easy on the
plane.
People prefer the familiarity of their own vehicle, rather than an
expensive hired car.

and so it goes on...

And as to wanting people from Swansea - you'll be aware that the Irish as
a nation are famed for their friendly, hospitable attitude - and this
extends to everybody, regardless of nationality. As a 'blow-in' myself, I
can vouch for this.

Some 15% of the vehicles carried were bring freight, rather than
passengers - so all that freight is now going either via Rosslare (+4
hours), via Dublin (even longer driving), by air - or just not going at
all. There's a story on our 'my stories' section from a chap who rund a
small courier firm - used to do lots of trips from West Cork to London -
specialising in art & antiques. Because the Cork Swansea ferry no longer
runs - he's now so uncompetitive (longer travelling times) that he doesn't
even tender for UK-IE business..

There's also the 'green' aspect - which many people have mentioned....


It was AFAICR expensive though. When I wanted to do the trip ended up on the
Rosslare route as the Cork route was booked up by (well heeled) customers
and Rosslare was cheaper. The drive wasn't too bad (especially early morning
on the outward part, worse on the return as we hit the Cork rush hour). We
had a cabin on the way out for a nominal extra fee, which was nice, but
there was plenty of bench space to lie on on the return.

Yes - it was never the cheapest crossing in the world !
However - you needed to factor in the cost of overnight accommodation
(if doing another route) and the convenience of not having to drive the
extra distance to Rosslare.

A point we've made on the website is that we want the link back in place
- not necessarily the same boat (like a newer one please!), or the same
operator, or the same fares structure - if we can just get the link
reinstated with a decent operator then I'm sure the rest will follow....

Many thanks
Adrian