Ferry company defends holiday poster for France

Irish Ferries has said it has no plans to withdraw or amend its new advertising campaign which pictures a couple driving through glorious, open French countryside . . . on the wrong side of the road.

The picture, which has been used across the State in a poster campaign in travel agents' windows, press advertising and other Irish Ferries material features the couple in their right-hand-drive, open-topped sports car. The backdrop is the legendary French countryside, flat and sunny with trees blurred to create a sense of speed and movement on the long, otherwise traffic-free road.

Unfortunately for Irish Ferries the couple depicted in the picture appear to have made the familiar, but exceptionally dangerous, mistake of not driving on the right on the Continent.

Irish Ferries' marketing manager, Mr Teddy Daly, said there was "nothing to suggest that they couldn't have been overtaking another car". When it was put to him that there is no other car - near or far - visible in the poster, Mr Daly said he thought the car was "not on the left hand side of the road. If you look at it it's really in the middle of the road."

Mr Daly added that the picture was a stock picture taken from a photo-library in the United Kingdom and had been used by McConnells Advertising agency to promote Irish Ferries as well as by the company itself in its in-house promotional work.

A spokesman for Maison de la France, the French tourism agency, said the poster was "not helpful" and said he planned to raise the issue with Irish Ferries executives at a meeting yesterday.

Ms Ann O'Brien, a student at University College Galway, originally from Co Carlow, whose fiance and two American tourists were killed in a crash several years ago, said she also thought the issue was unhelpful.

Ms O'Brien who is recovering from injuries she received in the accident said she had not seen the poster but was disappointed that more thought had not been employed by those who designed it.

"We have been campaigning to have car-hire companies do more to remind people of the importance of driving on the correct side of the road. It is a very important issue and shouldn't be ignored."

Ms O'Brien said she started her campaign "as a very simple thing. But as I learnt of others - three children left orphaned in Donegal after a crash with Italians - I saw there are many people affected. I take it very seriously. Obviously it is the same on the other side as here and it shouldn't be treated lightly. This kind of thing doesn't help."

Mr Conor Faughnan of the AA said: "It is a serious issue for foreigners here and the Irish abroad. It doesn't happen when people pick up the car or when they leave an airport, or in a town when you are really following the car in front, but on a quiet rural road."

Mr Faughnan said the AA had supported a number of recommendations from Ms O'Brien's campaign and these included more warning signs in areas away from ports and airports as well a call for hotel-owners to put up signs on gateposts so drivers could see them when leaving.