€3 million cruise ship to make trips to the Aran Islands and Cliffs of Moher that bit more luxurious

Big news for the west of Ireland.

Construction has begun in France on a new custom-built cruise ship that's set to make travel to Ireland's most popular offshore spot that little bit easier and a lot more luxurious. The €3 million state-of-the-art 200-seater project is set to launch in May, specifically for crossings to the Aran Islands and trips to the Cliffs of Moher. Headed up by the Garrihy family - who run Doolin2Aran Ferries - the new ship represents the biggest single private transport infrastructure investment on the Wild Atlantic Way to date. The 26-metre vessel has been in production since October at OCEA Shipbuilding in La Rochelle and is the first ship to be built for Doolin port this decade, following the Discovery in 2009. It will offer daily sailings to the Aran Islands as well as a cruise to the Cliffs of Moher as "the fastest and most comfortable domestic cruise ship on the entire Irish coast".

The ship - which should look something like the artist's impression above - will also incorporate system-built seating and air conditioning, and "the most advanced computerised stability system providing quality and comfort to passengers".

Upon completion, the ship will sail to Doolin from La Rochelle, stopping off along the way at Brest before joining up with the Doolin2Aran fleet. “We worked hard to get the new improved pier facilities at Doolin and now we are investing in this state of the art vessel," said Eugene Garrihy. "We have grown the business year on year and we feel the time is right to take our business to a new level with this investment. The Wild Atlantic Way is proving a global tourism phenomenon and we have to respond in the industry by improving the quality of our offering to ever more discerning customers."