Islay, a Scottish island known as ‘The Queen of the Hebrides’, is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides. It lies in Argyll just to the west of Jura and is around 25 miles north of the Irish coast, which can be seen on a clear day. Laggan Bay is on the West coast of the island.

The island's capital is Bowmore, famous for its distillery and distinctive round Kilarrow Parish Church. Port Ellen is the largest settlement.

Islay is the fifth largest Scottish island and the sixth largest island surrounding Britain.

Islay has just over three thousand inhabitants. It has a total area of just over 239 square miles (600 square kilometres). Its main industries are malt whisky distilling, and tourism largely based on whisky and birdwatching.

The island is home to many bird species and is a popular destination throughout the year with bird watchers, notably in February to see a large colony of Barnacle Geese. Resident birds include Chough, Hen Harrier, Oystercatcher, Cormorant and many wading birds. There are many photographs of such birds taken in Islay featured in other collections on this website.