Irish country music star Declan Nerney has been removed from the line-up of the Gertrude Byrne Promotions All-Star Irish sea cruise on the Meditteranean due to an alleged “conflict of interest”.
Nerney’s fans can still catch him at his annual “Hooley in The Sun” music festival in Huelva, Spain, organised by Cassidy Travel, which is going ahead.
The popular Co. Longford singer was dropped from the high-profile music cruise after booking his own competing event, the “Inaugural Declan Nerney River Cruise,” scheduled to depart from Amsterdam in April 2027 and Declan on the Danube from Budapest in 2028, also with Cassidy travel and using Riviera cruises.
Promoter Gertrude Byrne issued an email to ticket holders confirming Nerney’s removal. erney expressed deep disappointment over the decision, noting he had provided 30 years of reliable service to Byrne’s cruise events. Promoter Gertrude Byrne declined to comment further, stating the matter had been handled directly with the artist.
The All-Star Irish Charter Cruise is an annual luxury sailing experience organizsed by Gertrude Byrne Promotions due to take place on September 5th – 12th, 2026 aboard Holland America’s 1,916 passenger MS Oosterdam. The upcoming September sailing as scheduled to take place on the MS Oosterdam, accommodating nearly 2,000 guests, departing from and returns to Barcelona with stops in Marseille, Nice, Rome, and Portofino.
The sold-out event still features major Irish stars like Daniel O’Donnell, Nathan Carter, and Celtic Thunder. It is organized by Gertrude Byrne, an Irish-born entrepreneur and promoter who is widely known for founding Gertrude Byrne Promotions, a company that specializes in organizing prominent Irish cultural events, music festivals, and luxury themed cruises.
A native of Cong, County Mayo, Byrne emigrated to the United States in the late 1960s. Based out of Leeds, New York, she built a highly successful career catering to the global Irish diaspora and fans of traditional Irish culture.
Many similar music ‘festival at sea” cruises have been established in the meantime. Joanie Madden of Cherish the Ladies, also based in New York, is offering a similar Irish music themed cruise on board Norwegian Epic from Port Canaveral on February 11-18th 2028.
Unlike Cassidy Travel, the offshore organisers of these package trips do not offer flights as part of the package and are not subject to the package holidays directive.
