CalMac and Scots ministers have come under fire after referring to a world famous festival being put at risk by Scotland's ferry fiasco as "Islay Sex".
The Gaelic grammar howler might have caused amusement in some quarters - but for organisers of the annual Fèis Ìle, or Islay Festival, it is an example of what they called the "ill-informed" response to its calls for action after saying it had been left "high and dry" by the nation's ferry failures.
The annual festival, which was originally part of a plan to revive the Gaelic language, has been left facing "significant difficulties" after CalMac failed to provide the usual additional sailings to allow whisky lovers and festival-goers to attend the nine-day long event at the end of May.
The festival regularly brings 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.
A row has erupted over statements made by both CalMac and the Scottish Government's Transport Scotland agency over the Islay festival which have repeatedly given the Gaelic name for nookie.
READ MORE: Sack the board: Island protest group demand radical CalMac change
The issue surrounds the Gaelic title of the festival which is supposed to be called Fèis Ìle or Islay Festival.
But missing the accent on the ‘e’ in Fèis alters its definition to ‘sex’.
Accents in written Gaelic have always been a crucial part of the language and sometimes is the only difference in spelling between two completely different words.
For instance 'bata' without the accent is a stick. But 'bàta' with the accent is a boat.
Ben Shakespeare of the festival said: "There are people in the Gaelic community do take this very seriously. It is one of those things for us. For the people that should know better it shows a lack of understanding of the festival. It is showing a lack of awareness and that does tend to frustrate. It is a little thing that shows they are not really listening."
In response to the ferry row, Transport Scotland, in a statement said that "the Scottish Government knows the importance of Feis Ile for the Islay economy and has asked CalMac to work with local stakeholders to ensure there is sufficient capacity for the event".
And Robbie Drummond, chief executive of CalMac, in his statement said: “Feis Ile 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 Feis.
“We will continue to monitor demand on capacity for Islay and will consider extra sailings for the Feis 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.”
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".
Islay, the fifth-largest Scottish island has strong links to Gaelic culture and language.
It became part of the Gaelic Kingdom of Dál Riata during the Early Middle Ages before being absorbed into the Norse Kingdom of the Isles.
The Islay Charter, a record of lands granted to Islay resident Brian Vicar MacKay in 1408 by Domhnall of Islay, Lord of the Isles, is one of the earliest records of Gaelic in public use, and is seen as a significant historical document. It is said to be the only Gaelic language land charter in existence.
In the early 2000s 21st century a campus of the Skye-based public higher education college Sabhal Mòr Ostaig was set up on Islay. Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle which opened in 2002, teaches Gaelic language, culture and heritage.
The college was visited by then Prince Charles in 2004 when he expressed hope for the Gaelic language flourishing, stating "Scottish life is greatly enriched by the Gaelic dimension," and added that "if it flourishes here it sends out a message of inspiration and optimism."
The festival of music and malt which showcases the islands' distilleries, community and culture features tastings, tours, beaches, walks, ceilidhs, sunsets and sunrises.
The festival's history goes back to 1984, when it was called the Islay Festival of Malt and Music and it continues to grow in size and stature.
People had been concerned that the Gaelic language was under threat, so a committee was formed to revive it. Because of this the first Gaelic Drama Festival took place and Fèis Ìle was originally part of this, showcasing the talent of local people through music and ceilidhs.
It wasn’t until 1990 that the first whisky tasting event took place.
The festival organisers 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 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.
Ferry capacity was sold out in minutes, leaving many visitors without transportation to accommodation they've had booked up to two years in advance.
And the organisers say some 40% of their thousands of visitors cannot get a sailing at all.
Mr Shakespeare said: "CalMac said they would get it sorted. They are kicking the can down the road and hope that nobody kicks up a fuss.
"It is saying you are doing something when you are actually not. It is saying there might be a ferry available and if there is, great we will stick it on the Islay route, and if there isn't, oh well, never mind, it is only Islay. That's how it feels to us.
"The amount people spend while they are here is astronomical and it is worth so much to the island and because the whole summer timetable is down on capacity the island is already suffering. They need a good festival to carry them through the tough times we are having. But we haven't got the support we need. It is imperative that we get proper support.
"They need to take the hit and expense and find us another ferry or another vessel from somewhere, because this island is due to lose millions of pounds."
Organisers say that despite other island festivals in the summer season having additional ferry support Islay "has been left stranded".
They 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.
Robbie Drummond, chief executive of CalMac, said: "We fully appreciate how important this festival is to the local economy, and that is why we are working hard to identify potential ways to add capacity to the service when it is on. Our aim is to share these with local stakeholders and communities later this week."
Transport Scotland was approached for comment.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel