Bunbeg

Quality 0.50 · 2 views · Updated 2 months ago

Gaeltacht village in County Donegal, Ireland

title: "Bunbeg" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["gaeltacht-places-in-county-donegal", "gaeltacht-towns-and-villages", "geography-of-gweedore", "towns-and-villages-in-county-donegal"] description: "Gaeltacht village in County Donegal, Ireland" topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunbeg" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Gaeltacht village in County Donegal, Ireland ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
nameBunbeg
image_skylineBunbeg3333.jpg
image_captionBunbeg with Errigal in the background and Bád Eddie (Eddie's Boat) on Magheraclogher Strand
native_namega
settlement_typeVillage and townland
etymology"the small river mouth"
pushpin_mapIreland
pushpin_map_altMap showing the location of Bunbeg in Ireland
pushpin_map_captionLocation in Ireland
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameIreland
subdivision_type1Province
subdivision_name1Ulster
subdivision_type2County
subdivision_name2County Donegal
subdivision_type3Parish
subdivision_name3Gweedore
timezone1IST
utc_offset1+1
timezone1_DSTIST
utc_offset1_DST+1
::

|name = Bunbeg |image_skyline = Bunbeg3333.jpg |image_caption = Bunbeg with Errigal in the background and Bád Eddie (Eddie's Boat) on Magheraclogher Strand |native_name = ga |settlement_type = Village and townland |etymology = "the small river mouth" |pushpin_map = Ireland |pushpin_map_alt = Map showing the location of Bunbeg in Ireland |pushpin_map_caption = Location in Ireland |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = Ireland |subdivision_type1 = Province |subdivision_name1 = Ulster |subdivision_type2 = County |subdivision_name2 = County Donegal |subdivision_type3 = Parish |subdivision_name3 = Gweedore |timezone1 = IST |utc_offset1 = +1 |timezone1_DST = IST |utc_offset1_DST = +1

An Bun Beag (anglicised as Bunbeg), meaning "the small river mouth", is a small Gaeltacht village and townland in County Donegal, Ireland. It is officially the smallest townland in Gaoth Dobhair (Gweedore), but today the name Bunbeg is used to describe a large region of the parish. It is situated between Derrybeg and the townland of Dore and is home to many of Gweedore's amenities and businesses. The Clady River (Irish: An Chláidigh) flows into the Crolly River (also known as the Gweedore River) beside Bunbeg Quay, on the south-western outskirts of Bunbeg.

There is a ferry service from Bunbeg to nearby Tory Island.

Storm

On 23 June 2009, a severe thunderstorm struck the villages of Bunbeg and Derrybeg and other parts of Gweedore. It lasted for several hours and caused two rivers to burst their banks, flooding houses and businesses, and damaging roads and bridges. Lightning strikes damaged power lines and mobile phone services, causing those trapped by the floods to be unable to communicate. Described as the worst storm 'in living memory', it was also the most severe since 1880 when 5 people drowned in Derrybeg. While the highly localised nature of the storm meant the bulk of the rainfall missed the network of rain gauges, the Irish Meteorological Service estimated that up to 60 mm of rain fell between 2pm and 6pm on that day.

Amenities

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Hotel_at_Magheraclogher_-geograph.org.uk-_2426068.jpg" caption="Óstan Gaoth Dobhair in 2011."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Hotel,_beach,and_shipwreck_south_of_R257_at_Bunbeg-geograph.org.uk-_1159653.jpg" caption="Aerial view of Óstán Gaoth Dobhair, Magheraclogher beach, bád eddie and some of the surrounding area."] ::

The former Óstán Gaoth Dobhair is situated beside Magheraclogher beach. Built in 1970, it became a well-known attraction in the area, attracting notable guests included George Best and Paddy Crerand. It closed in 2015 and has been abandoned since. The hotel used to be very popular for weddings and other events in the area due to its picturesque location and the size of the function rooms. It was bought by private developer in 2020, with plans to redevelop the hotel and provide apartments.

Another hotel, Óstán Radharc na Mara (Seaview Hotel), also closed in 2015. Like with Óstán Gaoth Dobhair, it too was bought by the same developer in 2020 for redevelopment, with work beginning in 2022. The hotel has been used to accommodate refugees since the Russian Invasion of Ukraine.

There are a number of public houses in the area, such as Teach Hiúdaí Beag. The Irish-American gangster, Vincent 'Mad dog' Coll, was born above Teach Hiúdaí Beag.

There is a pier in the area, built in the 1830s to encourage fishing. It has ferry routes to both Tory Island and Gola Island available. The local coast guard station is also situated at the pier.

Education

There is an Irish-medium primary school in the area called Scoil Chonaill (Connell's School) with around 100 pupils.

The secondary school for the wider Gweedore area is Pobalscoil Gaoth Dobhair, which is also an Irish-medium school.

Bád Eddie

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Bád_Eddie_(Eddie's_boat)_-geograph.org.uk-_2426077.jpg" caption="Bád Eddie in 2011"] ::

There is an iconic shipwreck on the beach known as Bád Eddie (Eddie's boat). The large fishing boat, originally built in Brittany, France, was called "Ami Des Flots" (friend of the waves). At some point its name was changed to Cara Na Mara (friend of the sea), before finally being called Bád Eddie after its final owner. In 1977, it came ashore for minor repairs and remained there for unknown reasons.

The shipwreck is best known for featuring in Bono and Clannad's 1985 hit song In A Lifetime in which it was struck by lightning. It has also featured in Vogue magazine. Michael Moore also stated it was his view of the ship that inspired him to finish his book 'Dude Where's my Country'.

As of 2020, some efforts had been taken to preserve and salvage the ship, as decades of exposure to the elements and the sea have led to its degradation.

Appearances in music

Bunbeg is mentioned in the song "Left in Peace" from the album Finisterres (1997) by Héritage des Celtes.

References

References

  1. [http://www.commissioner.ie/downloads/An_tOrdu_Logainmneacha_(Ceantair_Ghaeltachta)_2004.pdf Placenames (Ceantair Ghaeltachta) Order 2004]
  2. ''Discovery Series'' Sheet 1 (Fourth Edition). [[Ordnance Survey of Ireland]] (O.S.I.), [[Dublin]], 2012.
  3. "Tory island ferry".
  4. [http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/horror-storms-flood-west-donegal-14359110.html "Horror storms flood west Donegal"]
  5. [http://www.donegaldemocrat.ie/donegalnews/Cleanup-gets-underway-in-Gweedore.5397213.jp Donegal Democrat, Clean up underway after freak flash flood in Gweedore, 24 June 2009] {{webarchive. link. (17 February 2013)
  6. [http://www.met.ie/news/display.asp?ID=19 Met Service report on the flood]
  7. Walsh, Harry. (2015-06-26). "Well known Gaoth Dobhair hotel for sale at €250,000". Donegal News.
  8. NicPhaidin, Michelle. (2020-09-21). "A huge investment of €15m announced for Gaoth Dobhair which includes the sale of Óstán Ghaoth Dobhair and Seaview Hotel".
  9. NicPhaidin, Michelle. "A huge investment of €15m announced for Gaoth Dobhair which includes the sale of Óstán Ghaoth Dobhair and Seaview Hotel".
  10. (2020-09-21). "‘Lá iontach’ don Ghaeltacht – plean €15m seolta chun Óstán Ghaoth Dobhair agus an Seaview a oscailt arís".
  11. (2022-09-01). "Seaview Hotel set for major redevelopment". Tírconáill Tribune.
  12. (2015-01-07). "Seaview Hotel in Bunbeg to close with immediate effect".
  13. (2022-08-31). "Green light for major redevelopment of iconic Gweedore hotel".
  14. (2022-09-15). "Donegal Ukraine numbers to top 6%". Tírconáill Tribune.
  15. (2013-02-15). "Altan's Mairéad looks forward to a special weekend in her favourite pub Teach Hiúdaí Beag".
  16. "Irish Resistance Books - Bookreview: Mad Dog Coll".
  17. (2022-02-07). "Bunbeg Harbour - A Wild Atlantic Way Discovery Point - built in the late 1830s".
  18. (2021-07-07). "SN CHONAILL".
  19. "Cúlra na Scoile".
  20. (2020-09-06). "Bád Eddie: 'Race against time' to save Donegal shipwreck". [[BBC]].
  21. "Bád Eddie, County Donegal - QUB".
  22. Maguire, Stephen. (2016-04-23). "CALLS TO SAVE 'BÁD EDDIE' AS COUNCIL ERECTS DANGER SIGNS ON FAMOUS SHIPWRECK".
  23. McLaughlin, Rachel. (2017-06-28). "Another chance to see documentary on iconic Bád Eddie tonight".
  24. (2020-09-06). "Bád Eddie: 'Race against time' to save Donegal shipwreck".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

gaeltacht-places-in-county-donegalgaeltacht-towns-and-villagesgeography-of-gweedoretowns-and-villages-in-county-donegal