Fèis Ìle organisers angry over ministers' 'ill-informed' response

The festival regularly brings in upwards of £10 million pounds to the local economy, and organisers said it is in "serious jeopardy" if a solution cannot be found.

Up to 20,000 people from around the world are usually expected on Islay and Jura for what is said to be one of the biggest gatherings of its kind on the planet.

In response, Transport Scotland said ministers had called on CalMac to ensure that there is "sufficient capacity" for the event.

READ MORE: 'Overlooked' Scots town's anger at two-year cut to 'lifeline' ferry service

The Scottish Government's Transport Scotland agency said: “CalMac consulted with the Islay community on the summer timetable, which will see the island served by two vessels. They will monitor demand throughout the summer period and consider extra sailings if required," Transport Scotland said.

Robbie Drummond, chief executive of CalMac added: “We will continue to monitor demand on capacity for Islay and will consider extra sailings for the Fèis nearer the time.

But the organisers say extra capacity nearer the time "won't do any good because people are beginning to cancel now" as ferry availability "sold out in minutes".

They have said in a letter to transport minister Fiona Hyslop that while they have been "hugely let down" by CalMac they have been left "utterly incensed by an ill-informed" response from Transport Scotland.

They plan to send a similar letter to Mr Drummond with organisers saying they cannot believe that he doesn't understand the problems.

They have called for an emergency ferry to be brought in.

They say they have been campaigning for weeks for the additional sailings that Islay needs, throughout Fèis and across the summer).

They say ferry capacity was sold out in minutes, leaving many visitors without transportation to accommodation they've had booked up to two years in advance.

They say some 40% of their thousands of visitors cannot get a sailing at all.

And they say the majority of visitors who can get over, cannot bring their vehicles on the ferry which is in turn going to lead to a transport crisis on the island.

They told Ms Hyslop: "The losses here could run into millions for the local economy, but no one at the wheel seems to understand the severity of the situation. Unfortunately least of all the people in charge of Scottish transport."

They say they first raised the issue with Ms Hyslop on February 12 and said for her to "still have no understanding whatsoever of the issues at hand is quite frankly breathtaking".

The committee wrote: "It's time you sat up and listened to the people of the island, the people of the Scotch whisky industry and most importantly for Fèis Ìle, the visitors, many of whom are travelling from across the globe at considerable personal expense to get here for our festival.

"You have not listened to the people of Islay, you have not met the demands for capacity and you have not provided extra sailings."

The festival of music and malt which showcases the islands' distilleries, community and culture features tastings, tours, beaches, walks, ceilidhs, sunsets and sunrises.

It has taken place every May since 1984 and continues to grow in size and stature.

But organisers say that despite other island festivals in the summer season having additional ferry support Islay "has been left stranded".

Organisers have launched an online campaign urging supporters to share social posts on the issues, to email Scottish ministers and to let CalMac know of any problems they have experienced.

A proforma email prepared for ministers says: "I am writing to you due to the issues with the ferry service to the Islay Festival, Fèis Ìle - which does not have enough ferries to service the festival this year. The festival faces having potentially thousands fewer visitors with a devastating impact on the local economy.

"Fèis Ìle is a critical time for local businesses, as well as an important part of the whisky calendar, where friends from across the globe get together.

"As there are so many visitors from further afield, this lack of ferry travel is also damaging for Scotland's economy too - if people do not travel for the lack of ferry sailings, Scotland loses as well as Islay.

"I implore you to find a solution to this, for the sake of the visitors, the Festival, the Island and for Scotland as a whole."

Initially staged to revive the island’s traditional Gaelic culture, it has grown to become the major showcase for Islay’s food and drink operators.

It is organised by a committee of volunteers and the island’s distilleries who say without extra ferry sailings, the festival is going to suffer "widespread ramifications that will seriously affect the island’s economy".

CalMac did not respond directly to the festival criticisms and instead insisted that the response from Mr Drummond remained "relevant".

It was: "Fèis Ìle, is a really important event for Islay and we recognise that as the main transport option for the island, CalMac plays a vital role in supporting it. We have been liaising on a regular basis with the organisers of the Fèis.

"Following the delayed dry dock for MV Caledonian Isles and our recent community consultation with Islay stakeholders, we confirmed that Islay will be served by a two vessel service this summer. We have also been working with the SWA and their members to explore options to best manage capacit.y across the week

"The timing for the deferred dry dock for MV Finlaggan has been carefully planned to avoid Easter and the Fèis.

“We will continue to monitor demand on capacity for Islay and will consider extra sailings for the Fèis nearer the time. However, our service is completely stretched to its absolute limit, and this may not be possible without restricting services on another route.”

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “Scottish Ministers fully understand the frustration of Islay and island communities given the recent disruptions to ferry services. Ministers are aware of requests from communities and business for business support as a result of the ongoing disruption. 

“Advice is being sought across Scottish Government however, any such scheme would need to be carefully considered and would require stark choices to be made about funding priorities set against efforts to provide resilience in the network. 

“Our focus remains on building resilience and reliability into the ferry network and is committed to investing in our ferry services, demonstrated by the six new major vessels either in construction or on order for the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service (CHFS) network by the end of the parliamentary session.”