HUNGRY tourists coming off the numerous cruise ships that dock off Bantry are finding it increasingly hard to find a place to eat, as most restaurants appear to be closed on Mondays, claimed local representatives.
The issue was raised by several councillors at a meeting of the West Cork Municipal District after being told that Cork County Council is preparing for one of their busiest cruise season to date, with 23 calls booked in.
The first ships of the 2025 cruise tourism season docked in both Bantry and Kinsale last week.
Welcoming the arrival of the vessels, Cllr Joe Carroll (FF) pointed out that on a Monday, there are no food places open in Bantry or Glengarriff.
‘Surely if these business owners heard of a busload of tourists coming into the area then they would open up,’ he said.
Meanwhile, Cllr Danny Collins (Ind Ire) suggested that council officials should present a plaque to the captain of the first cruise ship that was comes to Bantry.
‘We have to treat them well. It’s not just Bantry that benefits, as they also go to Mizen Head, Glengarriff and other places across West Cork. Everyone gets a kick out of it,’ he
said.
He said that the Bantry Business Association send out email alerts about the cruise ships to all its members, and not just to food outlets but retail too.
‘Some do open and some don’t. It’s not Bantry alone as a lot of places are closed on Monday across West Cork. More co-ordination would definitely be good among businesses.’
Cllr Brendan McCarthy (FG) agreed that it is ‘totally ridiculous’ that so many food outlets are closed on Monday, and also called for better co-ordination among businesses when cruise ships come into Bantry.
In response, Noreen O’Mahony of the Council said that the cruise ship season is organised by the Port of Cork, but that the Council was happy to link in with them.
She also added that they have in the past made presentations to captains of ships, if it was their inaugural stop at Bantry.
