Special - Histories of Caledonian MacBrayne

Back in the studio, Coinneach and Nati speak to special guests. In this episode we hear from: 

• Mary Morrison (Port Manager at Lochmaddy) 

• John MacDonald (Owner of the exhibition artefacts, CalMac employee and enthusiast) 

• Norman MacLeod (Operations Manager at Taigh Chearsabhagh and Curator of the exhibition) 

• Iain Quinn (Volunteers on the world's last remaining sea-faring paddle-steamer, The Waverley) 

John MacDonald, who has worked with CalMac for the last 20 years, began his career as a Night Watchman at Lochmaddy. However, his involvement began as a child when he helped his father on the pier. As a regular feature on the pier, he was gifted a wooden shield from David MacBrayne, and this sparked an interest in researching objects connected to the company. 

And so, for over 48 years, John has been diligently documenting the history of the organisation, and with it, the important maritime history of the Outer Hebrides and the west coast of Scotland in his spare time. 

Since then, he’s brought together an incredible collection of documents, maps, models, flags and memorabilia that chart the history and some remarkable chapters of Caledonian MacBrayne’s role in the maritime history of Scotland. 

Discover more about the fascinating history of Caledonian MacBrayne … 

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