The Travel Partners Group hosted a group of travel agents from Ireland on board MV Ulysses for a short trip to Wales, hosted by Maarie McCarthy, Dave O’Connor and Maria Caceres of Irish Ferries.
Presentations took place in the onboard and agents sampled the Club Class lounge, fine dining in the freight facilities and a visit to the bridge hosted by captain Maciej Sienkiewicz.
TPG (Travel Partners Group) is a prominent alliance of ten major Irish-based travel trade suppliers. They collaborate primarily to network with and support Irish travel agents, famously organizing nationwide “Agent Appreciation Events” and roadshows in association with regional hubs. They host highly popular, presentation-free networking dinners and day trips for trade agents across Ireland.
- Airlines & Transit: United Airlines, Irish Ferries, Hertz Car Rental.
- Tour Operators & Specialists: Crystal Ski, Discover Travel, Travel Focus, Disneyland Paris (Abbey Travel), MSC Cruises.
- Tech & Trade Support: Amadeus Ireland, Bookabed / TBO, Blue Insurance, and ASM Ireland.[1, 2, 3]
Upcoming 2026 Event Schedule:
- September 3, 2026: Galway Agent Event & Sunset Cruise (River Corrib / Radisson RED)
- September 10, 2026: Dundalk Agent Event (McGeough’s Restaurant)
MV Ulysses
Irish Ferries’ massive roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) car ferry MV Ulysses currently services the primary Dublin to Holyhead route across the Irish Sea, completing the crossing in approximately 2 hours. When it was launched in 2000 at the Aker Finnyards shipyard in Finland, it was celebrated as the world’s largest car ferry in terms of vehicle capacity.
It accommodates 1,938 passengers, 1,342 cars, and 240 heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), measures 209.2 meters in length, 31.84 meters in breadth, with a gross tonnage of 50,938, features 12 decks in total, including 4 fixed freight decks and a hoistable mezzanine vehicle deck used during peak holiday seasons and is powered by 4 MaK M43 diesel engines, reaching a service speed of 22 knots.
The ship’s interior theme is heavily inspired by James Joyce’s famous novel Ulysses: [1, 2]
Lounges and bars include the Leopold Bloom Bar, a dedicated Club Class Lounge, and the panoramic Sky/Martello Observation Lounge on Deck. Passengers can dine at Nora Barnacle’s Food Emporium, the Boylan’s Brasserie, or the Café Lafayette. Entertainment offerings include the Volta Twin-Screen Cinema, a gaming arcade, children’s play areas, and the Grafton shopping area. Accommodations includes 117 en-suite cabins (ranging from single/twin layouts to wheelchair-accessible cabins on Deck 10) and a dedicated Pet Den area.
