Ferry services between Dublin and Holyhead face ongoing disruptions due to weather. Many sailings were cancelled or brought forward for operational reasons, including the 01:15, 07:30, and 13:15 departures from Dublin and corresponding Holyhead services. Irish Ferries delays and cancellations today:
- Cancelled: 01:15 Dublin to Holyhead (James Joyce). Passengers may be accommodated on the 19:45 (12/03) or 07:30 (13/03) sailings.
- Cancelled: 07:30 Holyhead to Dublin (James Joyce). Passengers can use the earlier 01:30 or later 13:15 Ulysses sailings.
- Rosslare Harbour, County Wexford
- Delayed: 08:45 Rosslare to Pembroke (Innisfree) is now estimated to depart at 17:00. Latest check-in is 16:00.
- Cancelled: 20:45 Rosslare to Pembroke (Innisfree). Passengers can be accommodated on the revised 17:00 sailing.
- Rescheduled: 02:45 Pembroke to Rosslare (Innisfree) will now sail at 10:30. Latest check-in is 09:30.
- Cancelled: 14:45 Pembroke to Rosslare (Innisfree). Passengers may be accommodated on the 02:45 or 14:45 sailings on 14 March
- Dublin to Cherbourg
- Cancelled: 18:30 (Inisheer). Alternative accommodation was offered on the 16:30 WB Yeats sailing on Thursday, 12 March.
If your sailing is cancelled by Irish Ferries, you are generally entitled to be transferred to the next available sailing or receive a full refund. You can manage changes or cancellations via My Account on the Irish Ferries website or by emailing bookings@irishferries.com.
- Economy: Generally non-refundable if cancelled by the passenger.
- Flexi / Flexi+: Refundable if cancelled more than 24 hours before travel.
- Compensation: Note that compensation for delays is typically not payable when the disruption is caused by adverse weathe
Holyehaad’s capacity remains constrained from an earlier technical incident, though it appears mostly resolved in terms of berth access. Travellers experience cumulative delays, and operators advise checking official websites for real-time updates before heading to ports.
Passengers should monitor Irish Ferries and Stena Line sailing updates directly, as services continue under variable conditions. No full port closure exists currently, but weather warnings and residual effects from the vessel breakdown sustain instability on this key Irish Sea route.
The “extraordinary circumstances” reported earlier this week (starting March 8) were caused by a major technical failure on the Stena Adventurer while it was berthed at Holyhead. This incident blocked the berth, preventing other ships like the Ulysses and WB Yeats from docking, forced some services to divert to Birkenhead (Liverpool), with passengers being bussed back to Holyhead.
It has been mostly resolved in terms of port access, but the cumulative effect and new weather warnings have continued the instability.
Passengers are advised to verify your specific sailing on the Irish Ferries Sailing Updates or Stena Line Latest Updates pages. Both operators are allowing passengers on cancelled sailings to transfer to alternative times or routes without additional fees. For operational sailings, ensure you arrive at least 30–40 minutes before the revised departure times
