The ''Vital Spark'' is the best known name associated with

Clyde puffer The Clyde puffer is a type of small coal-fired and single-masted cargo ship, built mainly on the Forth and Clyde Canal, which provided a vital supply link around the west coast and Hebrides of Scotland. Built between 1856 and 1939, these stumpy ...

boats, having been used in the fictional works created by Scottish writer Neil Munro. Several Clyde puffers were used in televised versions of Munro's stories and subsequently for purposes such as events and tourism. As the numbers of surviving puffers diminished the boats ''Auld Reekie'' and ''Eilean Eisdeal'' were both portrayed as ''Vital Spark''.

Background

Puffers seem to have been regarded fondly even before Munro began publishing his short stories in the ''

Glasgow Evening News The ''Glasgow Evening News'' was an important Scottish newspaper in the early 20th century. It was founded as the ''Glasgow Evening Post'' in 1866 and became the ''Evening News'' in 1915. In 1922, Gomer Berry (later 1st Viscount Kemsley) bought ...

'' in 1905. This may not be surprising, for these small

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...

s were then providing a vital supply link around the west coast of Scotland and

Hebrides The Hebrides ( ; , ; ) are the largest archipelago in the United Kingdom, off the west coast of the Scotland, Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Ou ...

. The charming rascality of the stories went well beyond the reality of a commercial shipping business, but they brought widespread fame. They appeared in the newspaper over 20 years, were collected in book form by 1931, inspired the 1953 film ''

The Maggie ''The 'Maggie (U.S. title: ''High and Dry''; also known as ''Highland Fling'') is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Alexander Mackendrick and starring Paul Douglas, Alex Mackenzie and James Copeland. It was written by William Rose and ...

'', and came out as three popular television series, dating from 1959 to 1995.

Description

In her captain's own (islands accented) words, the ''Vital Spark'' is "aal hold, with the boiler behind, four men and a derrick, and a watter-butt and a pan loaf in the foc'sle". The way these ''steam

lighters A lighter is a portable device which uses mechanical or electrical means to create a controlled flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of flammable items, such as cigarettes, butane gas, fireworks, candles, or campfires. A lighter typica ...

'' with their steam-powered derricks could offload at any suitable beach or small pier is featured in many ''Vital Spark'' stories, and allows amusing escapades in the small west coast communities. The cargoes carried in the hold vary from gravel or coal to furniture to livestock, the crew's quarters in the forecastle are taken as lodgings by holidaymakers or lost children and the steam engine struggles on under the dour care of the engineer Macphail. Tales are recounted of improbably dramatic missions in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Others scoff at her as a ''coal gaabbert'', reflecting the origins of the puffers, but an indignant Para Handy is always ready to defend his boat, comparing her speed and her looks with the glamorous

Clyde steamer The Clyde steamer is the collective term for several passenger services that existed on the River Clyde in Scotland, running from Glasgow downstream to Rothesay and other towns, a journey known as going ''doon the watter''. The era of the Cl ...

s. As its captain, the redoubtable

Para Handy Para Handy is a character created by the journalist and writer Neil Munro in a series of stories published in the ''Glasgow Evening News'' between 1905 and 1923 under the pen name of Hugh Foulis. He is the crafty Gaelic skipper of the '' Vital ...

, often says: "the smertest boat in the coastin' tred".

TV series featuring ''Vital Spark''

The original BBC Series '' Para Handy - Master Mariner'', which ran from 1959–60, starred Duncan Macrae (Para Handy),

Roddy McMillan Roddy McMillan OBE (23 March 1923 – 9 July 1979) was a British actor and playwright, possibly most famous for his comedy role as Para Handy for BBC Scotland's television series, ''The Vital Spark''. He also played the lead role in Edwar ...

(The Mate), and John Grieve (Dan Macphail, the engineer). Six episodes were made, none of which survive. In 1963 Macrae, McMillan and Grieve, accompanied by

Alex Mackenzie Alex MacKenzie (1885 – December 1965) was a Scottish character actor who was born and died in Glasgow. He was a schoolteacher in Clydebank Clydebank () is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Cly ...

and guitarist George Hill, recorded an album of songs, ''Highland Voyage''. A short film was made to accompany the recording, filmed on board a puffer as it cruised around the Firth of Clyde. Macrae and McMillan appear as The Captain and The Mate, while Mackenzie appears as The Engineer, causing Grieve to move to play The Cook. Although very obviously based on Munro's characters, the names of Para Handy, the ''Vital Spark'', etc. are never mentioned, probably due to copyright issues. In the second version, ''

The Vital Spark ''The Vital Spark'' is a BBC Scotland television series set in the western isles of Scotland in the 1930s, based on the Para Handy books by Neil Munro. It starred Roddy McMillan as Peter "Para Handy" MacFarlane, captain of the puffer '' Vita ...

'', McMillan took the role of Para Handy, and Grieve reprised his role as Macphail; Walter Carr (Dougie the Mate) and

Alex McAvoy Alex McAvoy (10 March 1928 – 16 June 2005) was a Scottish actor known for his roles as Sunny Jim in the BBC Scotland adaptation of Neil Munro (writer), Neil Munro's Para Handy stories, ''The Vital Spark'', and as the teacher in Pink Floyd's m ...

(Sunny Jim) completed the crew, and the series ran for three series between 1965 and 1974. The third series, made several years after the first two, was in colour and consisted of remakes of selected earlier episodes. In 1994

BBC Scotland BBC Scotland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. Its headquarters are in Glasgow, employing approximately 1,250 staff as of 2017, to produce 15,000 hours of television and radio programming per year. BBC Scotla ...

produced ''

The Tales of Para Handy ''The Tales of Para Handy'' is a Scottish television series set in the western isles of Scotland in the 1930s, based on the Para Handy books by Neil Munro (Hugh Foulis), Neil Munro. It starred Gregor Fisher as Captain Peter "Para Handy" MacFarla ...

'' which starred

Gregor Fisher Gregor Fisher (born 22 December 1953) is a Scottish comedian and actor. He is best known for his portrayal of the title character in the comedy series '' Rab C. Nesbitt'', a role he has played since the show's first episode in 1988. He has also ...

in the lead role alongside

Sean Scanlan Sean Scanlan (18 August 1948 – 17 April 2017) was a Scottish actor. He is known primarily for his many television and stage roles. Career Scanlan appeared in a large number of plays and television programmes, including as Dougie the shi ...

as Dougie, Andrew Fairlie as Sunny Jim and

Rikki Fulton Robert Kerr "Rikki" Fulton (15 April 1924 – 27 January 2004) was a Scottish comedian and actor best remembered for writing and performing in the long-running BBC Scotland sketch show, ''Scotch and Wry''. He was also known for his appearances ...

as Dan Macphail. This ran for two series, a total of nine episodes, in 1994 and 1995. The series also featured

David Tennant David John Tennant (; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He is best known for portraying the Tenth Doctor, tenth and Fourteenth Doctor, fourteenth incarnations of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction series ''Docto ...

in one of his first acting roles.

, who played Sunny Jim in ''The Vital Spark'', appears in one episode as a fellow captain of Para Handy in the coastal trade.

Ships depicting ''Vital Spark''

The stories sparked considerable interest in the puffers, and many books explore their now vanished world. The Clyde puffer ''Gael'' was used as the ''Vital Spark'' in the series aired in 1959. The puffer ''Saxon'', owned by Walter Kerr was used to film the BBC's 1965-6 television series ''Para Handy'', then scrapped in 1967. The puffer ''Skylight'' was used in the filming for the 1973 and 1974 BBC series. She was renamed ''Vital Spark'' for the filming, then returned to haulage renamed as Sitka. The vessel was saved from the breaker's yard in 1977 when it was purchased by a couple from Gourock. The vessel's steam engine was removed to the Maritime Museum in Irvine. From the early 1980s, the engineless boat was moored in

Bowling, West Dunbartonshire Bowling (,
) is a village in

but within a few years had been vandalised and fallen ito a bad state. There was interest around the potential for it becoming a tourist attraction from both Inverclyde and Bute, despite the cost that would be involved. The vessel was raised in 1987, with the intent for restoration. The puffer ''Auld Reekie'' (VIC 27) was converted to appear as the ''Vital Spark'' at the

Glasgow Garden Festival The Glasgow Garden Festival was the third of the five national garden festivals, and the only one to take place in Scotland. It was held in Glasgow between 28 April and 26 September 1988. It was the first event of its type to be held in the ci ...

which was held in 1988. A community project had helped restore it. She then appeared as the ''Vital Spark'' in the BBC's third television series, ''The Tales of Para Handy''. By 2016, she was moored at Crinan awaiting restoration. A three-part

BBC Alba BBC Alba is a Scottish Gaelic-language free-to-air public broadcast television channel jointly owned by the BBC and MG Alba. The channel was launched on 19 September 2008 and is on-air for up to seven hours a day. The name ' is the Scottish Gae ...

television documentary series followed restoration efforts on the vessel. Vital Spark December 2006 at Crinan

The vessel ''VIC 72'' later sailed under the name ''Eldesa''. She was purchased by

Easdale Easdale () is one of the Slate Islands, in the Firth of Lorn, Scotland. Once the centre of the Scottish slate industry, there has been some recent island regeneration by the owners. This is the smallest of the Inner Hebrides' inhabited islands ...

's laird Chris Nicholson to be used as a tourist attraction. After a £30,000 refit, she was launched in 1984 and renamed ''Eilean Eisdeal''. It continued to operate as a commercial vessel until 1995. She was then on permanent loan to the Inveraray Maritime Museum. The vessel ventured from her home at the

Inveraray Inveraray ( or ; meaning "mouth of the Aray") is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Located on the western shore of Loch Fyne, near its head, Inveraray is a former royal burgh and known affectionately as "The Capital of Argyll." It is the ...

Maritime Museum to visit the

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

River Festival in 2005 and 2006, bearing the name ''Vital Spark''. In 2006 she was re-registered as the ''Vital Spark of Glasgow''. In December 2007, as part of celebrations of the 150th anniversary since the first puffer was launched, the vessel returned to the

Forth and Clyde Canal The Forth and Clyde Canal is a canal opened in 1790, crossing central Scotland; it provided a route for the seagoing vessels of the day between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde at the narrowest part of the Scottish Lowlands. This allow ...

, to be moored at

Bowling, West Dunbartonshire Bowling (,
) is a village in

The vessel was used by BBC for filming a programme about the original Vital Spark series. In 2023 it was having further refurbishment.

In popular culture

The

Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle; , ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county of western Scotland. The county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975 and most of the area ...

brewer Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with yeast. It may be done in a brewery by a commercial brewer, ...

Fyne Ales, near Inveraray, where the current boat rests and Neil Munro was born, have since 2010 brewed a dark ale that they named Vital Spark in tribute to the series. A sculpture of a Clyde puffer ''The Vital Spark'' by

George Wyllie George Ralston Wyllie MBE (31 December 1921 – 15 May 2012) was a Scottish artist. Wyllie produced a number of notable public works, such as the Straw Locomotive and the Paper Boat. Life Wyllie was born in Shettleston, in the east end o ...

is displayed outside

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is a museum and art gallery in Glasgow, Scotland, managed by Glasgow Museums. The building is located in Kelvingrove Park in the West End of the city, adjacent to Argyle Street. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Mu ...

Notes

References

*Donald, Stuart (1994). ''In the Wake of the Vital Spark''. Johnston & Bacon Books Ltd. ( paperback) *McDonald, Dan (1977). ''The Clyde Puffer''. David & Charles (Publishers) Ltd.

External links

{{Commons category, Vital Spark (ship, 1944)
VIC 27 The steam puffer "Auld Reekie"Archive
of Neil Munro page at visitscotland.com
BBC Scotland - the wireless to the web''The Vital Spark''
at www.phill.co.uk
''The New Tales of Para Handy''
Three new adventures for the crew of the ''Vital Spark'', staged and filmed in front of a live audience at The Warehouse Theatre, Lossiemouth, Scotland (available on DVD) Fictional ships Ships of Scotland