THE CARLINGFORD LOUGH ferry service linking counties Louth and Down has been suspended for all of 2026.

A notice published on the ferry’s website stated that no sailings would operate between Greenore, Co Louth and Greencastle, Co Down “on any date in 2026″.

The company said tickets with outstanding trips valid for travel this year would have their expiry dates extended “so they can be used when the ferry is back in service”.

No timeline was given for when the service may resume.

The ferry route, which first launched in 2017, had been promoted as a major cross-border tourism project connecting the Cooley Peninsula and Mourne Mountains regions.

The suspension is expected to impact tourism businesses and visitor numbers on both sides of Carlingford Lough during the peak summer season.

Dundalk-Carlingford councillor Fiona Mhic Conchoille described the ferry as “a really positive example of cross-border tourism cooperation”.

She said the service had helped showcase “the entire Carlingford Lough region as one connected destination”.

“Its absence will be felt across the wider area,” she said.

Mhic Conchoille said local representatives had not been given a reason for the suspension.

“We don’t know whether it was commercial or was it an operational reason behind the decision,” she said.

“All we got was the operators simply confirming that the ferry will not operate at all in 2026″.

She said there was also uncertainty over whether the suspension could become permanent.

“That’s what we don’t know at all,” she said.

Mhic Conchoille said the priority now was ensuring the region does not lose out economically or in tourism terms.

“We work together to ensure Carlingford Lough continues to thrive as a connected destination for visitors and local businesses alike,” she said.

She said she hoped local authorities north and south of the border could engage with the ferry operators in an effort to restore the service.

She noted the ferry’s sunset cruises and tourism offerings had proved popular with visitors in recent years.

“Anything with tourism infrastructure being lost in a particular area is a big loss,” she said.