British and Irish Steam Packet Company

It was taken over by the Kylsant Royal Mail Company in 1917 and renamed Coast Lines which by the end of 1917 held all the shares in the B&I.

Among the operations of this group were, The 1930s was a difficult period for the B&I, and Coast Lines offered the Irish Government a share in the company but they declined.

During the war, the company sustained casualties with the separate losses of two vessels in Liverpool in 1940: the Innisfallen, and Munster sunk by a mine.

The new management commenced a major programme of modernisation, launching the car ferries MV Munster (1968), Innisfallen and Leinster (1969).

On 25 April 1980 a jetfoil service from Dublin to Liverpool started but was withdrawn as it was not a commercial success.

British & Irish Steampacket Company Office Building at 27 Sir John Rogerson's Quay which still bears the company name
Leinster departing Dublin in 1989
Innisfallen sunk by a mine in River Mersey, 21 December 1940, shown here as passengers escape on lifeboats, all passengers survived, four crew died
Oil by Kenneth King, Maritime Institute of Ireland