Dhuirnish

In 1967 the Bute Ferry Co. Ltd. acquired a secondhand turntable ferryboat, Dhuirinish, from J & A Gardner Ltd., who run extensive granite quarries at Bonawe and Loch Etive and still operate assorted bow-loading coasters to this day. Dhuirinish, was built, however, for their car ferry service across the narrows of Loch Etive, vehicular use of the railway bridge at Connel Ferry being then very restricted. No doubt she closely resembled other Noble products for the Ballachulish and Strome ferry services, such as the Maid of Glencoe, also built in 1956 and which in 1965 became MacBrayne's Scalpay. Her own name reflects the appalling Gaelic evidently prevalent in ferry circles at the time!

With the closure of the Ballachulish railway line from Oban in the wake of the notorious Beeching Report, the bridge at Connel Ferry was fully integrated into the highway system and the Bonawe ferry closed in 1966. The redundant Dhuirinish was duly sold for operation at Colintraive and converted to bowloading operation. In the winter of 1968-69 she briefly sank, but was raised and repaired.

With the advent of CSP control she was withdrawn for overhaul when Portree came into service on the Kyles of Bute and her green hull was painted CSP black. The newly bowloading Portree had obviously been constructed with the simnilarly remodelled Dhuirinish in mind and the former Bonawe ferry served as secondary vessel on the brief Colintraive-Rhubodach passage until the commissioning of the converted Broadford in June 1971.

Dhuirinish was then offered for sale and was bought early in August 1971 by Mr Robert Beattie of Rothesay, who paid a mere £900 for her. He boldly placed her on a vehicular service from Port Bannatyne on Bute to Ardyne Point on the Argyll mainland, in direct competition to her former owners. It seems to have lasted a mere two days, for in September 1971 it was reported that Mr Mr Peter Kay – laird of Little Cumbrae – had acquired the Dhuirinish.

Dhuirinish was later recorded as having visited Millport to uplift "a vehicle" on Sunday 12 September 1971. She was later noted as a barge/tender on Kerrera, opposite Oban. It appears now that the Dhuirnish became a wreck and was noted lying at Midpark Farm beach, Inchmarnock in a sorry state, her fate inevitable.


Text thanks to John MacLeod