The Queen Elizabeth cruise liner has moored just outside Dún Laoghaire harbour and will remain until 6pm today. The ship belongs to the Cunard Line and is decorated in an art deco style reminiscent of 1930s ocean liners.
The Queen Elizabeth, which can carry more than 2,000 passengers, is the second-largest ship built for Cunard, exceeded only by the Queen Mary 2, which moored at Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin last May.
Dún Laoghaire will be the fifth port of call for the ship since it set sail from Southampton a week ago on a 10-day cruise of Britain and Ireland. The passengers will arrive by tender into Dún Laoghaire harbour today .
Speaking ahead of the arrival, chief executive of Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company Gerry Dunne said: “It is a tremendous boost for the harbour to have a visit from a ship of her calibre.”
When the Queen Mary ocean liner moored at Dún Laoghaire in May it brought more than 3,000 passengers to the area. Locals celebrated thevisit by running a "mini cruise-festival". A total of 14 cruise ships will dock there this year compared to two last year. The harbour has implemented a marketing campaign to encourage tourism as part of its "harbour master plan" launched in 2011.