It could have been Isle of Islay or Queen of the Hebrides but CMAL went ahead as planned with the four names shortlisted earlier. In the end, after almost 900 people had voted, Finlaggan was the name most of the voters preferred. This afternoon CMAL issued the following press release:

Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) has announced that the first new ferry to be introduced to the Islay route in almost 40 years will be named Finlaggan (Fionn Lagan). Almost 900 votes were received in the four-week public vote with the winning name FINLAGGAN (Fionn Lagan) receiving more than 70 percent of the vote. The other shortlisted names were Lochiel, Pioneer and Glendale. Voting began on Monday 19th October and closed at midday on Monday 16th November. Members of the public could vote online on CMAL’s website or post their entry directly to CMAL. Continue reading....

Two lucky winners who voted for the winning name have been chosen at random to be special guests at the ferry’s launch in Poland next year and will be contacted shortly. The new Islay ferry will be the first new ship to serve the route in 37 years and marks a major investment in vessels from CMAL. CMAL Chairman Grenville Johnston said: 'This is a first class name for a first class ferry, as chosen by the people of Scotland. We look forward to the launch of the new ship in Poland next year, then welcoming FINLAGGAN to Islay in 2011, a worthy addition to the fleet.' Guy Platten, CMAL Chief Executive, added: “Construction of this new ferry is progressing well with more than 40 percent of steelwork now complete and machinery ordered. We would like to thank all those members of the public who took the time to contribute to the choosing of the new name, a departure from what has happened in the past . We look forward to joining with our two lucky winners in Poland next summer.'

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