Ferries from Cork

Cork's ferry terminal is not in Cork. It sits at Ringaskiddy, on the western shore of the harbour about 15 km southeast of the city, and it is the only deep-water passenger berth in the south of Ireland. Two operators use it, and until June 2026 there was only one.

Two Frances, and they are nowhere near each other

Both routes from Ringaskiddy land in France, which makes the choice sound narrower than it is:

• Roscoff with Brittany Ferries — northern Brittany, roughly 15 hours, sailing Wednesdays and Saturdays at 16:00 in our current timetable, which runs to the end of October. This is the route for Brittany, the Loire and western France.
• Boulogne-sur-Mer with Hibernia Line — the Pas-de-Calais, six evenings a week, Monday to Saturday, year round, in 21 to 24 hours. This one drops you on the A16 at the top corner of France, which is the short way to Paris, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

So the real question is not Roscoff or Boulogne, it is west or northeast — and, in winter, whether you need a crossing at all, because only the Boulogne service runs all year.

What changed in 2026

Hibernia Line opened the Cork–Boulogne route on 12 June 2026, the first direct sea link between southern Ireland and northern France. Its selling point is subtraction: no UK landbridge, no Dover–Calais leg, no second border. Two ships, St Patrick and Akka, alternate the roster — St Patrick leaves Cork on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Akka on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Check-in is not the same for both

This catches people who have used the terminal before. Brittany Ferries asks for 45 minutes, or 90 with a pet. Hibernia Line asks you to arrive two hours ahead and closes check-in hard at 45 minutes, and it requires every passenger to hold a cabin or a Pullman reclining seat before boarding — sleeping in the lounges is not allowed on that service.

Getting there

Ringaskiddy is signposted from the N28 off the Jack Lynch Tunnel, about 25 minutes from Cork city centre and a similar run from Cork Airport. Freight uses the Deep Water Quay entrance; the passenger terminal is separate.