Une bonne nouvelle.

Hundreds of French tourists will be arriving in Cork every Wednesday between now and November, as Brittany Ferries marks the start of the tourism season with the first call of Armorique to the Port of Cork.

The 30,000 ton, 1500-passenger cruise-ferry docked at Ringaskiddy yesterday morning with 330 holidaymakers on board, returning to Roscoff in Brittany in the afternoon at 4pm.

Armorique will be joined on the Cork/Roscoff route by Brittany Ferries’ 2,400-passenger flagship Pont-Aven, which will visit Ringaskiddy each Saturday starting on April 1st.

Over 50,000 French tourists already booked to visit Ireland via Brittany Ferries this year, with passenger bookings up by over one-third across all routes from Ireland to Spain and France.

Brian O’Flynn of Fáilte Ireland said the spring sight of the ships sailing in and out of Cork was a welcome one:

“Brittany Ferries carry thousands of tourists to Ireland each season, offering a boost to local economies, tourism, and trade,” he said.

“It is so positive to see an increase of 40 percent in French passengers visiting Ireland this season and we look forward to welcoming them.”

Better work on your bonjours and au revoirs.