One of the most heartbreaking trawler tragedies to take place off the northwest coast will be remembered at a special 25th anniversary ceremony today.
Relatives and friends of five crew of the Skifjord fishing trawler who lost their lives when it sank on October 31st, 1981, have travelled from as far away as the US for the ceremony near Burtonport, Co Donegal.
The trawler, which had a crew of nine, sank after drifting on to a reef between Burtonport and Arranmore Island during stormy weather. Among the victims were skipper and father of eight Francis Byrne and his 16-year-old son, Jimmie, from Bruckless, Co Donegal. The others victims were Des McGovern (20) from Newport, Co Mayo; Tony O'Brien (21) from Glasnevin, Dublin; and Jimmy Lafferty (26) from Ballycastle, Co Antrim.
Four crewmen survived by swimming half a mile through rough seas to a small island.
A memorial stone erected by the Byrne family will be unveiled at Cloghglass, Burtonport.
A sister and two daughters of Francis Byrne have travelled from New York and New Jersey for the unveiling. Danny Byrne, who was eight-years-old when his father and brother died, said yesterday: "It was a dreadful blow for our mother Winnie and our whole family. Not only did we lose a brother and father, but we lost a family income."
The sinking of the Skifjord came to prominence last year when it emerged that the Byrne family had been disqualified from a scheme set up by former marine minister Frank Fahey to compensate families in replacement tonnage for fishing vessels lost at sea. Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly investigated the Lost at Sea scheme following a complaint from the Byrne family after their compensation application was rejected by the Department of the Marine on the grounds that the closing date had passed.
Of 67 applications to the scheme, just six were successful, including two from the former minister's own constituency. They were allocated the right to catch tonnage worth €2 million, 75 per cent of the total available.
Mr Fahey said last week that he was concerned with inaccurate claims that the scheme was one of financial compensation. He said: "The fact is that no money was allocated to anyone under this scheme. What was allocated was the right to go fishing. They were given the tonnage that they lost at sea when their boats were lost."