West Cork Welcomes First Cruise Ship of 2024 Season to Schull

A ship on the ocean

Cork County Council has welcomed the first cruise ship of the 2024 season to its harbours. The expedition cruise ship, Seabourn Venture, made its inaugural call to Schull on Tuesday, May 7th, the vessel’s first of two visits to Cork County Council’s harbours this week. 

The 172-metre, ultra-luxury cruise ship was launched in 2022 and carries 264 passengers. It was built to polar class standards which enables it to operate in the Artic and in Antarctica. The visits to Schull and Kinsale come at the end of a 28-day itinerary for passengers.

As is tradition, a delegation from Cork County Council were on hand to mark the occasion of Seabourn Venture’s first visit to West Cork. Cllr. Caroline Cronin, deputising for the Mayor of the County of Cork, made a presentation to the ship’s captain Sasha Skladnoi.

Cllr. Cronin said, 

 

 

It was an honour to welcome the Seabourn Venture on its first visit here. There was a wonderful atmosphere on board. The guests are experienced travellers who seek out places where they can immerse themselves in the destination, experiencing up-close and personally what we are about. We are confident that what they discover here and the people they meet, will encourage return visits in the future.
 

 

Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Valerie O’Sullivan added,

West Cork is becoming increasingly popular for small ship, expedition cruising. Attracting such prestigious international visitors here is a valuable contributor not just to the local economy but also to the region’s reputation and visibility. We will welcome 11 cruise calls to our harbours in 2024, to Kinsale, Schull and Bere Island. Meanwhile, in Bantry, the cruise season has already begun, and the Port of Cork will receive 22 cruise ships this summer.

While in Schull, guests visited Mizen Head, Skibbereen Heritage Centre and Bantry House & Gardens. They also had an opportunity to experience island life, history and culture on Cape Clear Island. Birdwatch Ireland experts were on hand to point out the island’s bird life, a dry-stone wall builder demonstrated his art and guests also enjoyed samples of the island’s Cape Clear Distillery gin. 

The Seabourne Venture arrived into Kinsale early on Wednesday morning where passengers spent a more leisurely day, enjoying guided walks of historical Kinsale, a culinary tour and a visit to nearby Timoleague.