May 3rd 2018
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Justice at last for the “Lost at Sea” Campaign Burtonport by Margaret Gallagher
After a gruelling decades-long campaign, the Byrne family from Bruckless are finally set to receive compensation under the “Lost at Sea” Scheme. On the night of the 31st October 1981 five men drowned off Burtonport. Francis Byrne (40) a boat owner from St John’s Point, lost his life along with his 16 year old son Jimmie and three other crew members, Desmond McGovern, Mayo; Jimmy Lafferty, Antrim; and Tony O’Brien, Dublin, when their trawler MFV Skifjord sank after striking a reef between Burtonport and Arranmore Island during stormy weather. Four other crew members, Gerry Laverty, Dunkineely; John McGuinness, Killybegs; Eamon Mullin, Killybegs and the boat’s chef Standish O’Grady, Dublin survived by swimming half a mile through rough seas to a small island. It was an awful tragedy to hit the local fishing community and Winnie Byrne was left a young widow suffering the
Memorial to Skifjord in Burtonport
immeasurable loss of her husband and son. The family income was gone and Winnie faced the challenge of bringing up eight young children on her own. The Byrne family had previously suffered other terrible losses on the seas over the years - Francis Byrne’s father James and uncle Danny had died in a fishing tragedy off St John’s Point 26 years previously and his uncle Anthony drowned aged 18 near Killala, Co. Mayo. The Byrne family was denied a grant under the 2001 “Lost at Sea” Scheme, which was set up by former Fianna Fail Fisheries Minister Frank Fahy to help fishing families who had lost boats at sea to get back into the industry. Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed officially announced this week that the family will finally receive their entitlement under the scheme following a tireless campaign by Danny Byrne over the years. Emily O’Reilly, European Ombudsman,
Danny Byrne
said she was delighted for the family and paid tribute to Danny Byrne for keeping the campaign alive all these years when hope seemed to have been lost. She said, “It is extraordinary and fantastic for them to get this compensation after that length of time. People forget there was a huge tragedy at the root of this.” The Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, has confirmed that the Government will make an ex-gratia payment to the Byrne family. Talking to The Eye on Donegal Danny Byrne, who was only 8 years old at the time of the tragedy, said “At long last a fishery minister has kept his word and done the right thing - which was to implement the Ombudsman’s Special Report on the “Lost at Sea Scheme” - for this my family and I are eternally grateful to former MEP Jim Higgins, European Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, to Minister Michael Creed and to the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. Many said it couldn’t be done, but they have done it.”
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