Since launching in February 2019, Irish Ferries’ W.B. Yeats has been delighting passengers with her onboard spaces, engineering prowess and gentle reminders of her world-renowned Irish poet namesake. As the operator’s first new ferry since 2000, W.B. Yeats is brimming with innovation – such as energy-efficient LED lighting – and built-in comfort. “Passengers will feel the full benefits of the ship’s state-of-the-art engineering through unsurpassed levels of quietness and vibration,” said Andrew Sheen, managing director of Irish Ferries. “Every aspect of W.B. Yeats, including her calming interior colour schemes and hard and soft furnishings, is designed to deliver contemporary comfort. The company’s Irish heritage is reflected by Yeats’s poetry around the ship and in natural fibres where possible.” Irish Ferries worked with Danish naval architecture and marine engineering firm OSK-ShipTech on the interior architectural design, while Dublin-based design company Minima was responsible for the aesthetics of public areas and deluxe suites. Both companies made many pragmatic decisions during the design process. “The finishes had to be extremely durable, so they remain modern and timeless throughout the ship’s working life,” said Helen Kilmartin, owner of Minima. “To achieve the ‘contemporary comfort’ aesthetic, we used hard-wearing materials, such as neutral blond oak and almond laminate finishes on the walls and doors, alongside beige and black carpets. We also chose beds that fit flush with the ceiling to allow the standard cabins to feel larger and less cluttered. All cabins SUSTAINABLE COMFORT Foxford throws like those that feature in some of W.B. Yeats’ suites epitomise Irish sustainability. The woollen mill in County Mayo was founded by nuns in the late 1890s to provide the famineaffected community with a living in the weaving industry. Design note: INTERIOR V IEW W.B. Yeats Jon Ingleton was in Dublin as Irish Ferries launched W.B. Yeats and asked Andrew Sheen and Helen Kilmartin about her poetic interiors 6 9
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