A detailed look at the passenger facilities onboard the Irish Ferries Dublin to Holyhead and Dublin to Cherbourg ferry W.B. YEATS.
This is the ‘Look Inside’ interior feature on W.B. YEATS. For the vessel profile including a summary of the build process, vessel history, technical information, etc please see the W.B. YEATS vessel profile on NI Ferry Site here.
The following photographs were taken onboard while the vessel was in service, apart from images credited to Irish Ferries.
NI Ferry Site would like to thank Scott Mackey, David Faerder and Gordon Hislip for the use of their images, without which this feature would not have been possible. Our friends over at Ferry Shipping News also have an alternative presentation of W.B YEAT’s interior which can be viewed here.
About W.B. Yeats
W.B. YEATS is an Irish Ferries ferry which was completed in late 2018 and entered service during January 2019. She is named after the Irish poet William Butler Yeats (1865 – 1939), a name chosen after a public competition. Although she was designed primarily for the Dublin to Cherbourg service, W.B. YEATS has spent the first few months of her operational life on the shorter Dublin to Holyhead route. From mid-March 2019 she joined the French route, swapping places with the Visentini Ro-Pax EPSILON until the autumn when the ships will swap back over.
The passenger facilities on W.B. YEATS are spread over decks 8 to 11, with the public facilities all housed on deck 10 and 11. Cabin accommodation is spread out over decks 8, 9, and 10. There is a copy of the official deck plan further down this page.
This feature is broken up with a separate page for each area to aid navigation and can be navigated either using the menu near the top of the pages or the next/previous links at the bottom of each page. Due to the number of images used in this
W.B. Yeats deck plan
The full pdf version of this deck plan along with the official descriptions of the facilities can be downloaded from the Irish Ferries website here.
The W.B Yeats trail
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[nextpage title=”Deck 11 – The Maud Gonne Bar & Lounge and Crazy Janes Games Room”]
The Maud Gonne Bar and Lounge is the main bar space on W.B.
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Crazy Janes Games Room
Crazy Jane’s is located to the side of “The Maude Gonne” Bar and Lounge on the starboard side of the vessel.
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[nextpage title=”Deck 11 – The Shop”]
“The Shop” is located midships on Deck 11.
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[nextpage title=”Deck 11 – The Drumcliff Promenade Deck”]
Drumcliff (or Drumcliffe) is a village in County Sligo which is the final resting place of William Butler Yeats. Although Yeats died in France, his remains were brought back to Ireland by the Irish Naval Service and re-interred at Drumcliff in 1948 almost a decade after his death. He is now buried in the Graveyard of St Columba’s Church of Ireland in the village.
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[nextpage title=”Deck 10 – The Innisfree Club Class Lounge”]
Innisfree is a small uninhabited Island located in Lough Gill, County Sligo. It is the subject of the 12-line W.B. Yeats poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”. The Interislander ferry KAITAKI was originally named ISLE OF INNISFREE when she was originally constructed for Irish Ferries.
I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
The Lake Isle of Innisfree, W.B Yeats (1888)
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.
And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.
I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.
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[nextpage title=”Deck 10 – The Wild Swans Freight Drivers Lounge and Restaurant”]
“The Wild Swans” is located on the starboard side of decks 10 and 11 and accessed from Deck 10. The restaurant is located on the lower level with the lounge above.
The Wild Swans takes its name from the lyric poem “The Wild Swans at Coole” which was published in 1917. It was written when Yeats was staying with Lady Gregory at her home near Coole Park in Galway.
[nextpage title=”Deck 10 – Cafe Lafayette”]
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[nextpage title=”Deck 10 – The Lady Gregory À la carte restaurant”]
Lady Gregory was a friend of W.B. Yeats and his patron. He wrote “The Wild Swans at Coole” while staying at her home in Galway.
[nextpage title=”Deck 10 – Salley Gardens kids area”]
The “Salley Gardens” kids area is located on Deck 10 between “Cafe Lafayette” and “The Abbey and The Peacock”. “Down by the Salley Gardens” is a well-known poem and folk song written by Yeats which was first published in 1889 as “An Old Song Re-sung” then again in 1895 as “Down by the Salley Gardens”. Yeats originally named it “An Old Song Re-sung” as he had actually reconstructed it from a song he remembered an old woman signing in Ballysodare, County Sligo. The song is also known as “The Maids of Mourne Shore” or “The Mourne Shore”.
[nextpage title=”Deck 10 – Boylan’s Brasserie and reception area”]
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[nextpage title=”Deck 10 – The Hazel Wood Quiet Lounge”]
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[nextpage title=”Deck 10 – The Abbey and The Peacock Cinemas (and Lounge)”]
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[nextpage title=”Deck 9 – The Bridge”]
The bridge on W.B. YEATS is located on Deck 9 forward of the cabin accommodation on the deck and below the two public decks on the vessel.
[nextpage title=”Deck 8 – Premium Suites”]
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[nextpage title=”Miscellaneous and car deck”]Some pictures which didn’t fit in the other categories.
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Last Updated 09.03.19 (added official deck plan in place of photos)
