Holyhead - Dublin ferry

The Dublin to Holyhead route is the major ferry crossing from Ireland to Great Britain. While not as short as Cairnryan to Larne, and not long enough to allow overnight rest (e.g. Birkenhead to Belfast or Liverpool to Dublin), it offers a short-sea route with excellent road connections to major destinations on both sides. For this reason the route is known in Ireland as the 'land bridge' route to Europe, as the route is a key road road for freight from Ireland to travel to the continent via Wales, England, and the channel ports.

Services

The route is operated by Irish Ferries and Stena Line, and connects the M50 Dublin Port Tunnel with the A55 North Wales Expressway. It is also possible to travel by train, though there is currently no direct rail connection at the Dublin end - a bus service (most recently operated by Nolan Coaches) can take passengers to the R105 St George's Quay, close to Tara Street and Connolly stations.

At one time, the Irish Ferries ship Ulysses was the biggest ro-pax ferry in the world and was featured in a Discovery Channel documentary. Most sailings are under four hours, however, Irish Ferries also operate a high speed service which completes the crossing in under two hours, previously with the HSC Johnathan Swift and from 2018 using the Dublin Swift. This service only runs during March - September, and only then when the wave height is lower than 1m. If the Swift is cancelled, passengers are automatically put on the next crossing, however this may be several hours later, and use a slower (but more reliable) service. Consequently, the Swift has attracted complaints about its reliability.

In 2021, Stena Line reduced the service on this route, opening a new service from Holyhead to Belfast to cater for changing demand patterns on the Irish Sea as a result of the Coronavirus Pandemic and Brexit.

History

The Holyhead - Dublin route has been the principal crossing between Britain and Ireland since Thomas Telford constructed an improved mail route in 1821-23 (which is now the A5) to allow a shorter ferry crossing than Liverpool. The original ferry loading point was at the Admiralty Arch, Holyhead, which was also the original end of the A5. From the mid-19th to the mid-20th century, rail became the preferred mode of transport. After goods transport by road became popular, the port was redeveloped, and the current terminal meets the A55 further inland, while the ferries dock on Salt Island, further north. Similarly, the Port of Dublin has been redeveloped over reclaimed land and the Holyhead ferries dock towards the east of the port, while Liverpool ferries dock to the west.

Routes

British Side

Route	To	Notes
A55	Holyhead, Bangor

Irish Side

Route	To	Notes
(R131)	Dublin Airport, Drogheda, Belfast (M50), East-Link Bridge, Ringsend

Ferries

Name	IMO	Operator	Dates	Notes
Stena Estrid	9807293	Stena Line	2020-date
Stena Adventurer	9235529	Stena Line	2003-date
HSS Dublin Swift	9243227	Irish Ferries	2018-date
Epsilon	9539054	Irish Ferries	2013-date	Shared with Dublin to Cherbourg
Ulysses	9214991	Irish Ferries	2001-date
WB Yeates	9809679	Irish Ferries	2019-date	Shared with Dublin to Cherbourg (typically operates this route during winter months)
Superfast X	9211511	Stena Line	2015-2020
Oscar Wilde	8506311	Irish Ferries		Provides some seasonal operations to increase capacity temporarily, e.g. around Christmas
Isle of Inishmore	9142605	Irish Ferries	1997-2001
Isle of Innisfree	9107942	Irish Ferries	1995-1997
Leinster	7915228	B&I Line	1988-1993	Subsequently operated as Isle of Inishturk on Pembroke to Rosslare route
Stena Nordica	9215505	Stena Line	2009-2015
HSS Jonathan Swift	9188881	Irish Ferries	? - 2018
Stena Seatrader	7301491	Stena Line	?-2008
Stena Traveller	8917390	Stena Line	1995-?
Stena Cambria	7813937	Stena Line	1991-1996

Links

• Stena Line page
• Irish Ferries page
• Postcards of Irish Ferries throughout the years

RTE

• Irish Ferries Launch Isle of Inishmore (1996)
• Ulysses Car Ferry (2001)

Irish times

• First look: Dublin Swift, the new fast ferry to Holyhead (14.05.2018)