The Oban Passenger Terminal was the venue for the launch of a prestigious new book entitled The Kingdom of MacBrayne on Friday 10th November.

Written by Nick S Robins and Donald E Meek and published by Birlinn Limited, the book tells the story of David MacBrayne, his ships, his company, his predecessors and his successors.

The book tells of the introduction of steam ships, the success and failures, and their influence on the social fabric of the Highlands and Islands. A chapter is devoted to the steamships of Martin Orme and John McCallum.

Motor ships were introduced in the early 1900s and in 1928 the Company was revitalised by Coast Lines and the London Midland Scottish Railway. There then followed the rebuilding of the Company, from a mixture of cargo and passenger ships, to the fleet of modern car ferries of Caledonian MacBrayne, which serves the Highlands and Islands today. Donald’s favourite ship, CLAYMORE of 1955, is well documented.

The Kingdom of MacBrayne is well illustrated with drawings, paintings and photographs, many of them shown in this book for the first time. The front cover, painted by Gordon Bauwens, shows CLAYMORE (1955) arriving at Oban with KING GEORGE V in the background.

The book is written from two different perspectives. The wider development of British shipping is covered by Nick Robins while Donald Meek, born and brought up on Tiree, displays the Kingdom from the perspective of the Gaelic people although he does not attempt to cover the entire Hebrides.

Nick has written many books on the history of British shipping including Ferry Powerful: A history of the modern British diesel ferry, which was published in 2003.

Donald is Professor of Scottish and Gaelic Studies at the University of Edinburgh. He first made contact with Nick, having read and enjoyed his book Ferry Powerful. The result is this collaborative venture.

Hugh Dan MacLennan, Head of Communications and Customer Care, Caledonian MacBrayne, presented the event.

The book was formally launched by Baroness Michie of Gallanach. Before the launching, Baroness Michie paid a warm tribute to the management, staff and crew of Caledonian MacBrayne. While not dwelling on the subject, she referred to the tendering process currently underway and sincerely hoped that the Company would remain in its present form with all ferry services remaining intact.

It is perhaps fortunate, given the circumstances, that the weather took a turn for the worse on Friday. The assembled guests were treated to the spectacular sight of CLANSMAN moored, only a few yards away, at the newly extended pier built in preparation for the second linkspan.

Of course she should not have been there. At 1300 on Friday CLANSMAN should have been well on the way to Lochboisdale returning to Oban via Castlebay at 2230.

However the strong winds, which swept across the west coast throughout the weekend, meant that many ferry services were cancelled.

The cancellation of the services meant that the ship’s crews were on hand to serve wine and canapés. They were friendly, helpful and happy to exchange a few words with the guests.

The book, The Kingdom of MacBrayne, has already received excellent reviews. Indeed all the copies at the launch were snapped up. Such a lavish and important production requires a high profile event to mark its publication.

There is no doubt that, before long, The Kingdom of MacBrayne will be mentioned in the same breath as Duckworth and Langmuir’s West Highland Steamers and will be essential reading for shipping historians and enthusiasts alike.