Irish Ferries Holidays has launched its 2008 brochure with new hotel and self-catering options and a wide choice of self-drive tours, either with pre-booked accommodation or ‘Go As You Please’.

The launch comes hot on the heels of Ireland being named as the ‘friendliest country in the world’ on the Lonely Planet Bluelist for 2008.

Irish Ferries boasts the most modern cruise ferries on the Irish Sea and is confident that with its wider selection of accommodation for 2008 and the Lonely Planet accolade, even more travellers will opt for the freedom and flexibility of a self-drive holiday to Ireland.

On offer for 2008 is a wide selection of hotels in city and rural locations together with many self-catering holiday villages in popular locations including Wicklow, Kerry and Mayo. However, choice is not limited to the brochure pages as the reservations’ team also has access to many more hotels, B&Bs and farmhouse accommodation countrywide.

New hotels include the Academy Plaza in Dublin, the Castle Hotel & Leisure Centre in Macroom, Cork, the Carlton Shearwater in Balinasloe, Galway and the Glasshouse Hotel in Sligo.

At all hotels there are special ‘free night’ offers for selected dates which means, for example, that a three-night stay with breakfast at the four-star Glasshouse Hotel between January - May 2008 is from just £128 per person (twin share) with return cruise ferry crossing for car and passengers on either the Holyhead/Dublin or Pembroke/Rosslare route.

For self-catering holidays, into the programme come the Brittas Bay cottages in Wicklow, Sam Maguire’s Cottages in West Cork and Lorretto Chapel Holiday Homes in Killarney. A second-week free offer is available at all holiday villages for selected dates which brings the price of a two-week self-catering holiday in Wicklow for four adults to a total of just £402 - again with return cruise ferry for car and passengers.

For more details call 08705 17 17 17 or see Irish Ferries Holidays