A FASCINATING film show and talk by an expert on the iconic Waverley paddle steamer is coming to Irvine next month. 

Iain Quinn will dive into the early years of Caledonian MacBrayne and the famous paddle steamer - sold into preservation in 1973 after just one season sailing for CalMac - in the talk at the Scottish Maritime Museum.

Visitors will enjoy never-before-seen archive footage of the famous paddle steamer sailing around Bute in the 1970s. 

The film show will include footage of ferries from the early days of Caledonian MacBrayne, including the 1957 car ferry Glen Sannox and the passenger vessel Maid of Cumbrae - which was converted in the early 1970s to carry vehicles as the car ferry revolution swept across the Clyde and Hebrides.

Visitors will also enjoy scenes of two of the west coast's best known turbine steamers, King George V and Queen Mary, cruising to Iona and on the Clyde respectively.

'CalMac and The Waverley in the 1970s' takes place at the Scottish Maritime Museum on Thursday October 19 at 7pm. 

Tickets are priced at £6 and can be purchased on the museum website at  www.scottishmaritimemuseum.org.