A BOAT wreck which has become an iconic image of Gweedore in west Donegal could fall victim to the elements if action is not taken quickly, it has been claimed.
The wreck of “Bád Eddie” (Eddie’s Boat) on Magheraclogher Beach in Bunbeg, with Mount Errigal in the background, presents an image of the Gaeltacht parish which has been seen around the world.
However councillor, John Seamais O Fearraigh said people in the area fear the wreck, which lies before the now closed Ostan Gweedore Hotel, has become so unstable it is now a health hazard.
“The boat came from France and was bought by a local fisherman but was washed up on the shore in bad weather in the 1970s.
“Local people use it for wedding pictures and tourists photograph it. But, because it’s made of wood, it has become really unstable and people fear now that it could be dangerous for tourists or children playing around it,” Mr O Fearraigh said.
The Donegal Sinn Féin councillor said “Bád Eddie” had also become a marketing tool for local businesses and even featured as an album cover picture for Donegal group, Clannad.
“If it’s unsafe, it might have to be removed completely. If it can be preserved or sealed off that might be another option but what I’d like is to see if there was money to restore it, not to its former glory, but to a state where it can remain.”
Mr O Fearraigh said it was imperative that action be taken sooner rather than later.
“It’s deteriorating and I would fear that, now that we’re heading into the winter again, that a winter storm might wreck it completely,” he said.
The boat wreck was originally called “Cara na Mara,” Irish for “Friend of the Sea.”
