1091. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will provide an update in respect of the Carlingford ferry service in the context of the shared island unit's plans to restore the service. [63669/26]

Louth County Council commissioned an independent assessment and business case, completed in October 2025, on a ‘Loop the Lough’ touring route including a ferry service around Carlingford Lough and requested support to examine the viability of such a tourism offering.

Following consideration of the Council’s report and proposal by my Department and Tourism Agencies, the Government on 23 June approved funding of up to €170,000 from the Shared Island Fund for a feasibility assessment and economic appraisal of the ‘Loop of the Lough’ concept.

This work is being commissioned by Fáilte Ireland. A company has recently been appointed to undertake the feasibility study and work on the project is expected to commence later this month.

The purpose of the study is to assess key tourism policy considerations, including market demand, route definition and experience design, orientation and signage requirements and operational and financial feasibility of a route and to provide an evidence base to inform any future decisions by all stakeholders , complementing strong investment by the Government to date for development of sustainable tourism in the region with the Narrow Water Bridge as a lynchpin.