Shannon Ferry Group (also known as Shannon Ferries) is an

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private company A privately held company (or simply a private company) is a company whose shares and related rights or obligations are not offered for public subscription or publicly negotiated in the respective listed markets, but rather the company's stock is ...

that operates a

ro-ro ferry Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using ...

crossing of the

Shannon Estuary The Shannon Estuary ( gle, Inbhear na Sionainne) is a large estuary where the River Shannon flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The estuary has Limerick City at its head and its seaward limits are marked by Loop Head to the north and Kerry Head to th ...

between counties

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

and Kerry. The company is based in Killimer Co. Clare, with the service operating between Killimer and Tarbert Co Kerry. It currently operates two

ro-ro Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using ...

ferries, ''Shannon Dolphin'' and ''Shannon Breeze''. It is the busiest domestic ferry service in Ireland. Before the introduction of the service the quickest way to travel between the two locations was via

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2 ...

city, a journey. The service therefore saves hours on the travel time between Kerry and West Clare. It is a popular tourist route as it is the fastest route between the popular tourist destinations of Kerry (i.e.

Dingle Dingle ( Irish: ''An Daingean'' or ''Daingean Uí Chúis'', meaning "fort of Ó Cúis") is a town in County Kerry, Ireland. The only town on the Dingle Peninsula, it sits on the Atlantic coast, about southwest of Tralee and northwest of Kill ...

Killarney Killarney ( ; ga, Cill Airne , meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Ross Cast ...

) and north to Clare (i.e. The Cliffs of Moher,

The Burren The Burren (; ) is a karst/ glaciokarst landscape centred in County Clare, on the west coast of Ireland.
Burr ...

) and County Galway, Galway (i.e.

Galway City Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...

Connemara Connemara (; )( ga, Conamara ) is a region on the Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, ...

). The River Shannon is the largest and deepest river in the British Isles, so a bridge would be difficult and costly to build. The crossing takes about 20 minutes and departures are hourly all year round except

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

, with the frequency doubled in summer. There are toilets on the Tarbert side, and a gift shop, cafe and toilets on the Killimer side. The service was inaugurated in 1969, with six families based on both sides of the crossing investing to create the company.

Fleet

Shannon Ferry Group has had rour ferries in its history. The service is currently provided by ''Shannon Dolphin'' and ''Shannon Breeze''.

References

{{River Shannon 1969 establishments in Ireland Ferry companies of the Republic of Ireland River Shannon