Calvay
Encyclopedia
Calvay is an uninhabited island situated in the Sound of Eriskay
in the Outer Hebrides
.
It was here that the ship SS Politician
ran aground with a cargo of whisky in 1941 and inadvertently provided the inspiration for Compton MacKenzie
's 1947 novel Whiskey Galore.
off the coast of South Uist
about four miles to the north. This island contains a lighthouse and the ruins of an old castle called Castle Calvay/Caisteal Calbhaigh which is visible from the vehicle ferry at the entrance to the loch.
Eriskay
Eriskay , from the Old Norse for "Eric's Isle", is an island and community council area of the Outer Hebrides in northern Scotland. It lies between South Uist and Barra and is connected to South Uist by a causeway which was opened in 2001. In the same year Eriskay became the ferry terminal for...
in the Outer Hebrides
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...
.
It was here that the ship SS Politician
SS Politician
The SS Politician was an 8000-ton cargo ship owned by T & J Harrison of Liverpool. It left Liverpool on 3 February 1941, bound for Kingston, Jamaica and New Orleans with a cargo including 28,000 cases of malt whisky. The ship sank near the island of Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides, off the west...
ran aground with a cargo of whisky in 1941 and inadvertently provided the inspiration for Compton MacKenzie
Compton Mackenzie
Sir Compton Mackenzie, OBE was a writer and a Scottish nationalist.-Background:Compton Mackenzie was born in West Hartlepool, England, into a theatrical family of Mackenzies, but many of whose members used Compton as their stage surname, starting with his grandfather Henry Compton, a well-known...
's 1947 novel Whiskey Galore.
Other uses
A second island of the same name is located off the mouth of Loch BoisdaleLochboisdale
Lochboisdale is a community and the main population centre on the island of South Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland.The town profited from the herring boom in the 19th century, and a steamer pier was built in 1880...
off the coast of South Uist
South Uist
South Uist is an island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. In the 2001 census it had a usually resident population of 1,818. There is a nature reserve and a number of sites of archaeological interest, including the only location in Great Britain where prehistoric mummies have been found. The...
about four miles to the north. This island contains a lighthouse and the ruins of an old castle called Castle Calvay/Caisteal Calbhaigh which is visible from the vehicle ferry at the entrance to the loch.