THERE have been calls to replace a Donegal shipwreck made famous in a Bono music video with a replica monument before the weather destroys it for good.
Bád Eddie - or Eddie’s Boat - is a wrecked fishing vessel which has lain on the scenic Magheraclogher Beach in Bunbeg in west Donegal since the 1970s.
Pictures of the boat with Mount Errigal in the background have become one of the most famous images of the west Donegal Gaeltacht.
Originally called 'Cara na Mara' (Friend of the Sea), it was built in France and bought by a local fisherman named Eddie.
However, it was wrecked and washed up on the shore 40 years ago.
Since then it has become a landmark and is often used by newly-married couples for wedding photographs as well as a coastal stop by tourists.
In 1985, Bád Eddie also found worldwide fame when it featured in the music video for In a Lifetime, a hit for west Donegal group Clannad along with U2 frontman Bono.
However, in recent years the vessel’s exposure to the elements has left it in a dangerous state.
The future of the vessel has been raised at a meeting of Donegal county council.
West Donegal Sinn Féin councillor John Seamais O Fearraigh called on the authority to find money to build a monument to the boat before it rots away for ever.
Following the meeting, Mr O Fearraigh said there are a number of monuments in County Donegal which had proved huge tourist attractions.
He said a statue of rock guitarist Rory Gallagher in his native Ballyshannon is a particular draw for visitors.
“My motion was to try to get funding for Bád Eddie which is in Gweedore and it’s in a bad shape at the moment," he said.
"Over the last number of years it’s deteriorated due to the elements and the sea."
Mr O Fearraigh said he now believes the only way to attract funding for the vessel is to have a monument built.
“If we wait another year or two it will disintegrate; now is the time to have a plan that there is some kind of monument left and replica of Bád Eddie for the local people and also tourists."
