Bád Eddie, Sunday 5th March, TG4 at 5.55pm
Date Posted: March 2, 2017
Bád Eddie, is the story of the famous shipwreck that lies on the beautiful sandy Magheraclogher Beach in Bunbeg, Co. Donegal.
The Documentary airs this coming Sunday 5th March at 17:55 on TG4.
Bád Eddie is a LIGID Productions production for TG4, with support from Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund.
In 1977, a boat called ‘Cara na Mara’ was towed into the Magheraclogher beach in Gweedore. It was a large fishing boat and it was brought in to repair two planks that had broken on her bow. Fast forward to 2017 and the boat is still lying on the beach but now she is better known as ‘Bád Eddie’
Since 1977, she was in the video ‘In a Lifetime’ by Clannad and BONO, she appeared in VOGUE magazine and she inspired Michael Moore to finish his book ‘Dude Where’s my Country’ while he looked out at her beauty. In the 70’s for the local children in the area however she was their playpark, a place where they were pirates aboard their own ship.
Thousands of people have visited Gweedore over the years and there isn’t many who did not go down to see ‘Bád Eddie’ and most of those who did go to the boat took their picture beside her.
Though there are thousands of images of ‘Bád Eddie’ spread across the world, her story is unknown. Where did she come from? What happened to her? And why was she left lying on the beach as she was? What connection does she have with France and what is her future now that there are only the bones of her left?
‘Bád Eddie’s’ story is told by those living closest to her, the fishermen who remember her at sea along the Gweedore coastline, the man who repaired her when she broke down are all intercut with beautiful archive and stunning pictures. The documentary ‘Bád Eddie’ tells for the first time the story of ‘Bád Eddie’ from 1970 to the present day.
‘Bád Eddie’ has become part of the landscape on the beach at Bunbeg, Co Donegal – part of the folklore and legend of the place.
Coming to TG4 on 5th March at 17:55 is a documentary by LIGID TV Productions telling the story of ‘Bád Eddie’s’ Boat “Cara na Mara”.
Producer / Director Sonia Nic Giolla Easbuig said “It was a privelege to get to tell ‘Bád Eddie’s’ story, I grew up beside her and I was one of the children who had her as a play area. She is so important to the area, iconic and yet her story was never told. It was such a pleasure to document the memories of the local people who all played a part in the boats story. The journey the boat took to get to Bunbeg and her story thereafter is told through the local characters who watched her arrive, fixed her planks, towed her into the beach and those who have seen the thousands of people who have taken pictures, visited, painted and played on the boat down the years.
We also chat with Moya Brennan about her memory of filming the boat with Bono in the early 1980’s and find out how people reacted to their video. There are but the bare bones left of the boat now and the area has gone into decline over the last few years, it was important to relect on the then and now in this programme and to do so through ‘Bád Eddie’. I am very proud of being able to remind people through the beautiful shots in this programme of the stunningness of the Donegal coastline and in particular Gaoth Dobhair and ‘Bád Eddie’”
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Den chéad uair riamh, insítear scéal ‘Bád Eddie’ an bád clúiteach atá ina luí ar an trá galánta i Machaire Chlochair, An Bun Beag, Gaoth Dobhair.
Craolfar an clár ar an Domhnach 5 Márta ag 17:55 ar TG4.
Is léiriú de chuid LIGID Productions é ‘Bád Eddie’ a chraolfar ar TG4, clár a fuair maoiniú ón Chiste Craoltóireachta Gaeilge, Scáileán Thuaisceart Éireann.
In 1977, tháinig bád darbh ainm ‘Cara na Mara’ isteach ar an trá i Machaire Chlochair, Gaoth Dobhair. Bád mór iascaireachta a bhí ann agus tugadh isteach í lena cóiriú mar go raibh cúpla planc briste uirthi. Gabhaimis ar aghaidh go dtí 2017 agus tá Cara na Mara’ ansin go fóill, nó ‘Bád Eddie’ mar is fearr aithne uirthi.
Idir an dá linn, bhí sí le feiceáil san fhíseán ceoil “In a Lifetime” de chuid Clannad, bhí sí ar leathanaigh VOGUE agus spreag sí Michael Moore lena leabhar ‘Dude Where’s My Country’ a chríochnú agus é ag breathnú síos ar a háilleacht. Ach ba shuíomh súgartha í ag páistí na háite de chuid na 70í í, áit a raibh siad ábalta a bheith ina bhfoghlaithe mara ar bhord a loinge féin.
Tá na mílte duine tar éis cuairt a thabhairt ar Ghaoth Dobhair thar na blianta agus má chuaigh féin is beag acu nach ndeachaigh ar cuairt ag ‘Bád Eddie’ agus is lú arís na daoine nár ghlac pictiúr di.
Cé go bhfuil na mílte íomhá de ‘Bád Eddie’ scaipthe fud fad na cruinne, níl a scéal ar eolas ag mórán daoine. Cérbh as di? Cad a tharla di? Agus cén fáth ar fágadh ina luí mar atá ar an trá í? Cad é an bhaint atá aici leis an Fhrainc agus cad é atá i ndán di gan fágtha di ach a cnámha?
Insítear scéal ‘Bád Eddie’ trí shúile na ndaoine sin is cóngaraí di, na hiascairí ar cuimhin leo í ar chósta Ghaoth Dobhair, an fear a chuir bail uirthi nuair a briseadh í. Déantar seo uilig a insint agus ábhar álainn cartlainne agus pictiúir iontacha in úsáid ann. Insíonn ‘Bád Eddie’ scéal an bháid ó 1970 go dtí an lá atá inniu ann, scéal nár insíodh go dtí seo.
Is cuid de tírdhreach na háite ar thrá an Bhuna Bhig, Co. Dhún na Gall í – mar aon le cuid de bhéaloideas agus de sheanchas na tíre.
Insíonn “Bád Eddie” scéal “Cara na Mara”, clár de chuid LIGID TV Productions a chraolfar ar TG4 ar 5 Márta ar 17:55.
Arsa Sonia Nic Giolla Easbuig, Léiritheoir / Stiúrthóir, “Ba mhór an onóir dom a bheith ábalta scéal ‘Bád Eddie’ a insint. Tógadh in aice an bháid mé agus bhí mise ar dhuine de na páistí sin a rinne ionad súgartha di. Tá ríthábhacht léi sa cheantar cé nár insíodh a scéal riamh roimhe. Ba phléisiúr é cuimhní mhuintir na háite a thaifeadadh agus is trína súilesean a insítear an t-aistear a rinne sí a fhad leis an Bhun Bheag, na daoine céanna a chonaic í ag teacht, gur chóirigh í agus gur thug i dtír í go dtí an trá agus atá anois i ndiaidh na mílte duine a fheiceáil ag glacadh pictiúr di, ag súgradh uirthi agus ag péinteáil uirthi.”
Chomh maith leis sin, labhraímid le Moya Brennan faoina cuimhní agus í ag taifeadadh an bháid le Bono siar sna 1980í go bhfaighimid amach cad é mar a ghlac daoine lena bhfíseán ag an am. Níl fágtha di anois ach na seanchnámha agus tá meath tagtha ar an cheantar le blianta beaga anuas. Tá sé tábhachtach mar sin, machnamh ar an am i láthair mar aon leis an am atá caite. Tá mé bródúil a bheith ábalta a chur i gcuimhne do dhaoine a áille atá cósta Dhún na Gall, go háirithe Gaoth Dobhair agus ‘Bád Eddie’ trí na radhairc iontacha atá sa chlár.
