Bobby Holden writes: I have been quite surprised by the number of folks (most of a certain age, and nearly all ex-pat Ileachs!) who stop me in the street at Ardrishaig and like to talk about the Lochiel, and the old days, so much so that my own mind … [Read more...] about Tribute to Crew of Islay Ferry MV Lochiel
Islay Blog by Ron
Islay Ferry History
The Islay Ferry History started in the 19th century, when the era of the early steamships started. The first ever seagoing ship in Scotland was Henry Bell's Comet. A wooden ship sailing on the route between Glasgow, Greenock and Helensburgh in 1812 … [Read more...] about Islay Ferry History
The Sinking of Islay Ferry Lochiel
Robert Holden recalls the sinking of Islay Ferry Lochiel sixty years on for the Ileach, a fascinating story I might add. It came as a shock to realise that the MV Lochiel sank over 60 years ago last October. I remember so much of it quite … [Read more...] about The Sinking of Islay Ferry Lochiel
The Pibroch – Islay and Hebridean workhorse
The Pibroch was a Clyde puffer, built for the Distillers Company Ltd and was involved in the weekly run to the Islay Distilleries. Built in 1957 at Scott & Sons in Glasgow she was the second puffer to have the name Pibroch. The first Pibroch had been … [Read more...] about The Pibroch – Islay and Hebridean workhorse
RMS Pioneer in the Sound of Islay
I came across a very old Islay postcard, posted in 1908, of the good old steamer ferry days. The photo on the postcard is from Islay photographer Cameron and shows one of the mail steamers that visited Islay in the early 1900s, the RMS Pioneer, in … [Read more...] about RMS Pioneer in the Sound of Islay