The area looks a bit bleak at present but the Dun Laoghaire Ferry Terminal is to become into a new hub for technology, marine and design businesses. The proposed Harbour Innovation Campus, will house a state-of-the-art shared innovation space for local & international companies and directly inject in the region of €20 million euro into the building and local economy over the next 10 years.

From the 19th century the town was the principal passenger port for ferries between Ireland and Britain, with a frequent service to Holyhead in Anglesey, Wales. Among the ships which operated this route were 'Banshee', 'Llewellyn', 'Ulster', 'Munster', 'Leinster', 'Connaught', 'Cambria', 'Hibernia', 'Holyhead Ferry 1', 'St. Columba' and 'Stena Cambria'.

At the beginning of the 21st century the route, operated by Stena Line's Stena Explorer ran three times daily in each direction, but competition from low-cost airlines and increasing fuel costs resulted in the service being reduced to once-daily in 2008, and becoming a seasonal (summer-only plus Christmas/New Year) from 2010. From early 2015 Stena Line concentrated their Holyhead routes on Dublin Port, and withdrew the service to Dún Laoghaire.