Editing Rockall

{{Short description|Uninhabited islet in the North Atlantic Ocean}}
{{About|the islet|other uses|Rockall (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{use British English|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox islands
| name                            = Rockall
| image_name                      = Rockall - geograph.org.uk - 1048791.jpg
| image_caption                   = Rockall in 2008
| pushpin_map                     =  
| image_map                       = Rockall topographic location map-en.svg
| map_caption                     = Topographic map centred on Rockall
| location                        = North-east [[Atlantic]]
| coordinates                     = {{coord|57|35|46.7|N|13|41|14.3|W|type:isle_region:GB-ELS|display=inline,title}}
| grid_reference                   = MC035165
| elevation_m                     = 17.15
| area_m2                         = 784.3
| population                      = 0
| country                         = [[United Kingdom]]
| country_admin_divisions_title   = [[Countries of the United Kingdom|Country]]
| country_admin_divisions         = [[Scotland]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_1 = [[Subdivisions of Scotland#Council areas|Council area]]
| country_admin_divisions_1       = [[Comhairle nan Eilean Siar]]
}}
'''Rockall''' ({{IPAc-en||ˈ|r|ɒ|k|ɔː|l}}) is an uninhabitable [[granite]] [[islet]] in the North [[Atlantic Ocean]]. The [[United Kingdom]] claims that Rockall lies within its [[territorial sea]]<ref name="whatdotheyknow.com"/> and is part of its territory, but this claim is not recognised by [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]].<ref name="EEZ" /><ref name=":0">{{cite news|date=8 June 2019|title=Who owns Rockall? A history of disputes over a tiny Atlantic island|newspaper=The Irish Times|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/who-owns-rockall-a-history-of-disputes-over-a-tiny-atlantic-island-1.3919668|access-date=16 December 2020}}</ref> It and the nearby [[Skerry|skerries]] of [[Hasselwood Rock]] and [[Helen's Reef]] are the only emergent parts of the [[Rockall Plateau]]. The rock was formed by [[magmatism]] as part of the [[North Atlantic Igneous Province]] during the [[Paleogene]].

It is {{convert|301|km|smi nmi|abbr=off}} west of [[Soay, St Kilda]], [[Scotland]];<ref name="GoogleEarthStKilda" /> {{convert|423|km|smi nmi|abbr=off}} northwest of [[Tory Island]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]];<ref name="GoogleEarthTory" /> and {{convert|700|km|smi nmi|abbr=off}} south of [[Iceland]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cphpost.dk/?p=74931 |title=Watch out for the big rock: Remembering Denmark's greatest maritime disaster |last=Follett |first=Christopher |date=28 November 2016 |website=cphpost.dk |publisher=Copenhagen Post Online |access-date=15 May 2020 }}</ref>
The nearest permanently inhabited place is [[North Uist]], an island in the [[Outer Hebrides]] of Scotland, {{convert|370|km|mi nmi|abbr=out}} to the east.<ref name=":0" />

The United Kingdom claimed Rockall in 1955 and incorporated it as a part of Scotland in 1972. The UK does not make a claim to an extended exclusive economic zone (EEZ) based on Rockall, as it has ratified the [[United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea]] (UNCLOS), which says that "rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf".<ref name="whatdotheyknow.com"/> However, such features are entitled to a [[territorial sea]] extending {{convert|12|nmi|km|abbr=off}}. Ireland's position is that Rockall does not even generate a 12-nautical-mile territorial sea for the United Kingdom owing to the UK's uncertain title to Rockall.<ref>Clive R. Symmons "Ireland and the Rockall Dispute: An Analysis of Recent Developments" contained in IBRU Boundary and Security Bulletin Spring 1998 at page 81 "Ireland has... even rejected imposition of a 12-mile fishery zone (or territorial sea) around the rock."</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Dick |last=Spring |author-link=Dick Spring |url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1996-09-25/50/ |title=Dáil Éireann debate: Written Answers. – UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. |date=25 September 1996 |quote=At present the United Kingdom claims a 12-mile territorial sea around Rockall, a claim which — depending as it does on jurisdiction over the rock – Ireland has likewise not accepted.}}</ref> Ireland does not recognise the UK's claim, although it has never sought to claim sovereignty of Rockall for itself.<ref name="oir-2016"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48616917|title=Fishing row 'political stunt' by SNP|first=Enda|last=McClafferty|work=BBC News|date=13 June 2019}}</ref> The consistent position of successive [[Irish government]]s has been that Rockall and similar rocks and [[skerry|skerries]] have no significance for establishing legal claims to mineral rights in the adjacent seabed or to fishing rights in the surrounding seas.<ref name="oir-2016" />

==Etymology==
The origin and meaning of the islet's name ''Rockall'' is uncertain. The [[Scottish Gaelic]] name for the islet, {{lang|gd|Ròcal}}, may derive from an [[Old Norse]] name that may contain the element {{lang|non|fjall}}, meaning 'mountain'.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.parliament.scot/Gaelic/placenamesP-Z.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=8 June 2020 |archive-date=26 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160526191311/http://www.parliament.scot/Gaelic/placenamesP-Z.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Coates has suggested that the name is from the Norse {{lang|non|*rok}}, meaning 'foaming sea', and {{lang|non|kollr}}, meaning 'bald head'—a word which appears in other placenames in Scandinavian-speaking areas.<ref name="Coates"/> Another idea is that it derives from the Gaelic {{lang|gd|Sgeir Rocail}}, meaning '[[skerry]] of roaring' or 'sea rock of roaring'<ref name=Keay/> (although {{lang|gd|rocail}} can also be translated as 'tearing' or 'ripping').<ref name="ceant"/><ref name="cean4"/>

The Dutch mapmakers [[Petrus Plancius]] and {{ill|Cornelis Claeszoon|nl|Cornelis Claesz (drukker)}}, show an island called ''Rookol'' northwest of Ireland on their ''Map of New France and the Northern Atlantic Ocean'' (Amsterdam, {{circa|1594}}). The first literary reference to the island, which is called ''Rokol'', is found in [[Martin Martin]]'s ''A Late Voyage to St. Kilda'', published in 1698. This book gives an account of a voyage to the [[archipelago]] of [[St Kilda, Scotland|St Kilda]], and Martin states: "...&nbsp;and from it lies Rokol, a small rock {{convert|60|league|km|sigfig=1|spell=in|disp=sqbr}} to the westward of St Kilda; the inhabitants of this place call it ''[[Rocabarraigh|Rokabarra]]''."<ref name="Martin"/>

The name {{lang|gd|Rocabarraigh}} is also used in Scottish [[Scottish folklore|Gaelic folklore]] for a mythical rock which is supposed to appear three times, its last appearance being at the end of the world: "{{lang|gd|Nuair a thig Rocabarra ris, is dual gun tèid an Saoghal a sgrios}}". ('When Rocabarra returns, the world will likely come to be destroyed').<ref name=GP101/>

Rockall's name has also been used in [[Irish mythology]]; one story describes how legendary giant [[Fionn mac Cumhaill]] (Finn McCool) scooped up a chunk of Ireland to fling at a Scottish rival. It instead missed and landed in the [[Irish Sea]] – the pebble left behind formed Rockall, while the clump became the [[Isle of Man]] and the void left behind filled with water and eventually became [[Lough Neagh]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-09-22 |title=Lough Neagh Heritage – Culture |url=http://www.loughneaghheritage.com/Culture/Folklore---Legends.aspx |access-date=2022-01-04 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922091457/http://www.loughneaghheritage.com/Culture/Folklore---Legends.aspx |archive-date=22 September 2013 |url-status=usurped}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Cove|first=Connolly|date=2017-11-23|title=The Legend of Finn McCool and the Isle of Man {{!}} Connolly Cove|url=https://www.connollycove.com/legend-finn-mccool-isle-man/|access-date=2022-01-04|language=en-GB}}</ref>

==History==
{{Rquote |align=right |quote=There can be no place more desolate, despairing and awful. |author=[[Wayland Young, 2nd Baron Kennet|Lord Kennet]], 1971<ref name="The Independent ~ 12 June 1997"/>}}
The {{convert|17.15|m|ft|adj=mid|-high}} rock has been noted in written records since the late 16th century.<ref name="The Rockall Club website's Facts page. Retrieved 12 October 2014."/><ref name="Stornoway Gazette. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014."/> In the 20th century, its location became relevant due to potential oil and fishing rights that might accrue to a nation recognised as having a legitimate claim to it.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

In 1955 the British landed on Rockall and claimed it for the United Kingdom.<ref name=BBC-News-OnThisDay-21Sep>{{cite news |title=21 September 1955: Britain claims Rockall |department=On This Day |website=[[BBC News]] |publisher=[[British Broadcasting Corporation]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/21/newsid_4582000/4582327.stm}}</ref> The United Kingdom formally annexed the islet in 1972.<ref name=Rockall-act-1972-02-10>{{cite web |title=Island Of Rockall Act 1972 |website=[[legislation.gov.uk]] |date=10 February 1972 |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1972/2/pdfs/ukpga_19720002_en.pdf}}</ref> According to Ian Mitchell, Rockall was ''[[terra nullius]]'' (owned by no one) until the 1955 British claim was made.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}<!-- the source for this statement is Ian Mitchell, "Isles of the North", 2012, Birlinn, 978-0-85790-099-9, page 232, {{GBurl|id=QM-8BQAAQBAJ|pg=PT232}}; we don't have a copy at hand at the time of writing-->

Rockall gives its name to one of the sea areas named in the [[shipping forecast]] provided by the [[Met Office|British Meteorological Office]].

Rockall has been a point of interest for adventurers and [[amateur radio]] operators, who have variously landed on or briefly occupied the islet. Fewer than 20 individuals have ever been confirmed to have landed on Rockall,{{cn|date=April 2023}} and the longest known continuous occupation is 45 days (achieved in 2014 by a solo person).<ref name="guar8"/> In a House of Commons debate in 1971, [[Willie Ross, Baron Ross of Marnock|William Ross]], Labour MP for Kilmarnock, said: "More people have [[List of Apollo astronauts#Apollo astronauts who walked on the Moon|landed on the moon]] than have landed on Rockall"<ref name="The Independent ~ 12 June 1997"/>

===Recorded visits to Rockall===
{{Further|topic=HMS Endymion's landing on Rockall|HMS Endymion (1797)}}

[[File:Rockall Basil Hall landing from HMS Endymion 1811.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|An illustration depicting {{HMS|Endymion|1797|6}}'s landing party in their small boat at Rockall in 1810, with ''Endymion'' in the background]]
The earliest recorded date of landing on the island is often given as 8 July 1810, when a [[Royal Navy]] officer named [[Basil Hall]] led a small landing party from the [[frigate]] {{HMS|Endymion|1797|6}} to the summit. However, research by [[James Fisher (naturalist)|James Fisher]] (see below), in the log of ''Endymion'' and elsewhere, indicates that the actual date for this first landing was on Sunday 8 September 1811.<ref name="TCBC"/>

The landing party left ''Endymion'' for the rock by boat. Whilst there, ''Endymion'', which was taking depth measurements around Rockall, lost visual contact with the rock as a haze descended. The ship drifted away, leaving the landing party stranded. The expedition made a brief attempt to return to the ship, but could not find the frigate in the haze, and soon gave up and returned to Rockall. After the haze became a fog, the lookout sent to the top of Rockall spotted the ship again, but it turned away from Rockall before the expedition in their boats reached it. Finally, just before sunset, the frigate was again spotted from the top of Rockall, and the expedition was able to get back on board. The crew of ''Endymion'' reported that they had been searching for five or six hours, firing their cannon every ten minutes. Hall related this experience and other adventures in a book entitled ''Fragment of Voyages and Travels Including Anecdotes of a Naval Life''.

The next landing, in the summer of 1862, was by a Mr Johns of {{HMS|Porcupine|1844|6}} whilst the ship was making a survey of the sea bed prior to the laying of a [[transatlantic telegraph cable]]. Johns managed to gain foothold on the island, but failed to reach the summit.

==== British annexation ====
[[File:Rockall Union flag hoisted 1955.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.9|Lieutenant Commander Desmond Scott hoists the [[Union Flag]] in 1955.]]

On 18 September 1955, Rockall was [[Annexation|annexed]] by the British Crown when [[Lieutenant-Commander]] Desmond Scott [[Royal Navy|RN]], [[Sergeant]] Brian Peel [[Royal Marines|RM]], [[Corporal]] AA Fraser RM, and [[James Fisher (naturalist)|James Fisher]] (a civilian [[natural history|naturalist]] and former Royal Marine), were winched onto the island by a [[Royal Navy helicopter]] from {{HMS|Vidal}} (coincidentally named after the man who first charted the island). The annexation of Rockall was announced by the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]] on 21 September 1955.<ref>{{cite news |title=On This Day: 1955 – Britain claims Rockall |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/21/newsid_4582000/4582327.stm |website=BBC News |date=21 September 1955 |access-date=25 June 2019}}</ref>

The expedition team cemented in a brass plaque on Hall's Ledge and hoisted the [[Union Flag]] to stake the UK's claim. The inscription on the plaque read:
{{quotation|BY AUTHORITY OF HER MAJESTY [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|QUEEN ELIZABETH THE SECOND]], BY THE GRACE OF GOD OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND AND OF HER OTHER [[Commonwealth realms|REALMS]] AND TERRITORIES, QUEEN, [[Head of the Commonwealth|HEAD OF THE COMMONWEALTH]], [[Fidei defensor|DEFENDER OF THE FAITH]], ETC. ETC. ETC. AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH HER MAJESTY'S INSTRUCTIONS DATED 14. 9. 55. A LANDING WAS EFFECTED ON THIS DAY UPON THE ISLAND OF ROCKALL FROM H.M.S. VIDAL. THE UNION FLAG WAS HOISTED AND POSSESSION OF THE ISLAND WAS TAKEN IN THE NAME OF HER MAJESTY. [Signed] R H Connell, [[Captain (Royal Navy)|CAPTAIN]], H.M.S. VIDAL, 18 SEPTEMBER 1955}} It was the final territorial expansion of the British empire.<ref>{{cite web |title=On this day 18 September 1955 |url=https://www.fleetairarmoa.org/news/on-this-day-18-september-1955|publisher=Fleet Air Arm Officers' Association |access-date=23 August 2019}}</ref>

The initial incentive for the annexation was the test-firing of the UK's first guided [[nuclear weapon]], the American-made [[MGM-5 Corporal|Corporal missile]]. The missile was to be launched from [[South Uist]] and sent over the North Atlantic. The [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] was concerned that the unclaimed island would provide an opportunity for the [[Soviet Union]] to spy on the test. Consequently, in April 1955 an order was issued to the Admiralty to seize the island and declare UK sovereignty, lest it become an outpost for foreign observers.

On 7 November 1955, J. Abrach Mackay, an 84-year- old local councillor and member of the [[Clan Mackay]], made a protest about the annexation; he declared: "My old father, God rest his soul, claimed that island for the Clan of Mackay in 1846 and I now demand that the Admiralty hand it back. It's no' theirs." The British Government ignored the protest.<ref name="The Independent ~ 12 June 1997"/><ref name="dokuf"/>

In 1971,<ref name="gov001"/> Captain T. R. Kirkpatrick [[Royal Engineers|RE]] led the landing party on a government expedition named "Operation Top Hat" that was mounted from {{ship|RFA|Engadine|K08|6}} to establish that the rock was part of the United Kingdom and to prepare the islet for the installation of a light beacon. The landing party included Royal Engineers, Royal Marines and civilian members from the Institute of Geological Sciences in London. The party was landed by winch line from the Wessex 5 helicopters of the Royal Naval Air Services Commando Headquarters Squadron, commanded by Lt Cmdr Neil Foster RN. As well as collecting samples of the [[aegirine]] granite, "rockallite", for later analysis in London, the top of the rock was blown off using a newly developed blasting technique, precision pre-splitting. This created a level area that was drilled to take the anchorages for the light beacon that was installed the following year. Two [[phosphor bronze]] plates were chased into the wall above Hall's Ledge, each secured by four 80-tonne rock-anchor bolts; there was no evidence of the brass plate installed in 1955.{{cn|date=January 2024}}

Establishing that the rock is part of the United Kingdom and its development as a light beacon facilitated{{clarify|date=February 2024}} the incorporation of the island into the District of Harris in the County of Inverness under the [[Island of Rockall Act 1972]]. It would have{{clarify|date=February 2024}} reinforced the UK Government's claim with regard to seabed rights in the area at the time.{{cn|date=January 2024}}

In 1978,<ref name="RCT"/> eight members of the [[Dangerous Sports Club]], including [[David Kirke (sportsperson)|David Kirke]], one of its founders, held a cocktail party on the island,<ref name="Telegraph"/> allegedly leaving with the plaque.<ref name="Spectator"/>

Former [[Special Air Service|SAS]] member and [[Survivalism|survival]] expert [[Tom McClean]] decided to live on the island from 26 May 1985 to 4 July 1985 to affirm the UK's claim to the islet.<ref name="oire9"/>

==== Waveland ====
{{anchor|Waveland}}
[[File:Flag of Waveland.svg|thumb|Flag of the self-proclaimed "Global State of Waveland"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://media.greenpeace.org/archive/Greenpeace-putting-up-the-Waveland-flag-up-in-Rockall-Island-27MZIFCO23V.html |title=Greenpeace putting up the Waveland flag up in Rockall Island |author= |date=1 June 1997 |work=Greenpeace |access-date=1 August 2024}}</ref>]]
In 1997, three members of the environmentalist organisation [[Greenpeace]] occupied the islet for 42 days,<ref name="bbc2023may26">{{cite news |title=Army veteran aims to set new world record for longest stay on Rockall |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-65727510 |access-date=27 May 2023 |work=BBC News |date=26 May 2023}}</ref><ref name="schne"/> calling it [[Global State of Waveland|Waveland]], to protest against [[oil exploration]]. Greenpeace declared the island to be a "new Global State" (as a spoof [[micronation]]) and offered citizenship to anyone willing to take their pledge of allegiance. The British Government's response was to state that "Rockall is British territory. It is part of Scotland and anyone is free to go there and can stay as long as they please"<ref name="inde55"/> and otherwise ignore them. The 1955 plaque was unscrewed and refixed back to front, and subsequently it disappeared.<ref name="guar44"/>

==== Recent visits ====
In June 2005 the first [[amateur radio]] (ham radio) activation of Rockall took place when the club station MS0IRC/P was set up and operated for a few hours on HF frequencies before they had to close down due to approaching bad weather. The [[Islands on the Air]] number EU-189 was issued to Rockall as a result of this activation.

In 2010, it was revealed that the plaque had gone missing. [[Andy Strangeway]], a British adventurer, announced his intention to land on the island and affix a replacement plaque in June 2010.<ref name="lette"/> [[Comhairle nan Eilean Siar]], the local authority for Rockall, approved planning permission for the plaque.<ref name="bbc82"/> The 2010 expedition was cancelled, and Strangeway did not replace the plaque.<ref name="island"/>{{needs update|date=July 2020}}

In October 2011 a group of amateur radio operators from Belgium travelled by ship to Rockall. Several of them climbed up the rocks and set up a radio station for some hours. They stayed overnight on top of the island. Radio contacts to all over the world were made using HF frequencies under the call sign "MM0RAI/P".<ref>{{Cite news |date=2011-10-01 |title=Belgian radio enthusiasts make rockfall on Rockall |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-15136783 |access-date=2023-05-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=2011 Rockall DXpedition (DVD) – Swindon & District Amateur Radio Club |url=https://www.sdarc.net/2013/10/08/2011-rockall-dxpedition-dvd/ |access-date=2023-05-10 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In 2013 an occupation of the island by explorer Nick Hancock to raise money for the charity [[Help for Heroes]] was planned. The challenge was to land on Rockall and survive solo for 60 days.<ref name="helpf"/> On 31 May 2013, Hancock, and a TV crew from BBC's ''[[The One Show]]'', sailed to the islet aboard ''Orca III'', and he unsuccessfully attempted to land and survive on the islet, having landed for the first time the previous year on a reconnaissance expedition which coincided with [[Queen Elizabeth II]]'s Diamond Jubilee.<ref name="guar79"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Rockall adventurer Nick Hancock bids to set survival record|date=28 May 2013|format=Video|website=YouTube video from The World News Channel 7|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE6wqdI41o0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/rE6wqdI41o0| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The weather conditions at the time "were not favourable" according to a [[Maritime and Coastguard Agency]] official. Subsequently, Hancock postponed his challenge until 2014.<ref name="guar32"/> On 5 June 2014 Hancock landed on Rockall to begin his 60-day survival attempt.<ref name="bbc67"/> Despite being forced to cut his 60-day goal short after losing supplies in a storm, Hancock did remain on the island for 45 days, beating McClean's occupancy record by five days.<ref name="scotland.gov.uk"/><ref name="grind"/>

In May 2023 Cam Cameron, a science teacher and former [[Gordon Highlanders|Gordon Highlander]], began an attempt to stay 60 days on Rockall to raise funds for military charities. He was accompanied to the rock by a radio operator, Adrian Styles, and Bulgarian mountaineer Emil Bergmann, both of whom planned to stay with him for a week and then leave.<ref name=bbc2023may26 /><ref name="carrell">{{cite news |last1=Carrell |first1=Severin |last2= |first2= |title=Sixty days on a ledge in the Atlantic: teacher aims to break Rockall record |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/may/21/teacher-aims-to-break-rockall-record-sixty-days-on-a-ledge-in-the-atlantic |access-date=27 May 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=21 May 2023}}</ref> The group landed on Rockall on 30 May, having sailed from [[Inverkip]] on the Firth of Clyde.<ref name="carrell2">{{cite news |last1=Carrell |first1=Severin |title=Adventurers reach Rockall in bid to live on north Atlantic islet for 60 days |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/may/31/adventurers-rockall-bid-live-north-atlantic-islet-60-days |access-date=31 May 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=31 May 2023}}</ref> The attempt ended after 30 days when deteriorating weather conditions meant Cameron had to be rescued by HM Coastguard.<ref>{{Cite news |last=BBC |date=28 June 2023 |title=Coastguard rescue for Army veteran in Rockall record attempt |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66047408}}</ref>

=== Circumnavigations ===
The "Round Rockall" sailing race, sponsored by Galway Bay Sailing Club, runs from [[Galway]], Ireland, around Rockall and back. It was held in 2012 to coincide with the finish of the [[2011–12 Volvo Ocean Race]] around the world.<ref name="roun8"/>

The 2015–2016 [[Clipper Round the World Yacht Race]] race 12 from [[New York City|New York]] to [[Derry]] was extended around Rockall despite previous promises to crew from Sir [[Robin Knox-Johnston]] that this would not happen again after the race to Danang{{clarify|date=February 2024}}.<ref name="senti"/> In July, 2022, the 2019–2020 Clipper Round the world race (delayed for 2 years by COVID) was again extended on Leg 8 to go around Rockall before completing the leg at the mouth of the [[River Foyle]] in  Ireland. The fleet had crossed the Atlantic in record time, and the City docks in Derry had no room for the fleet of 11 boats to berth. The race organizers sent the fleet around Rockall in order to extend the leg by approximately one day's sailing time to clear the docks in Derry.{{cn|date=August 2023}}

In 2017, the Safehaven Marine team led by Frank Kowalski set a world record for the Long Way Round Circumnavigation of Ireland via Rockall island. The Barracuda-style naval patrol, search and rescue vessel, ''Thunder Child'', completed the route in 34 hours, 1 minute, and 47 seconds.<ref name="safet"/> Set in an anti-clockwise direction, the new record – the first of its kind – is now subject to ratification by [[Irish Sailing]] and the [[Union Internationale Motonautique]], the world governing board for all powerboat activity.

{{out of date|date=June 2024}}

==Geography==
[[File:N-Atlantic-topo.png|thumb|upright=1.6|The [[Rockall Trough]] separating Ireland and Great Britain from the [[Rockall Plateau]] on which Rockall is situated]]

Rockall is one of the few pinnacles of the surrounding [[Helen's Reef]]; it is located {{convert|301.3|km|nmi|abbr=off}} west of the uninhabited islet of [[Soay, St Kilda|Soay]], [[St Kilda, Scotland|St Kilda]], Scotland,<ref name="GoogleEarthStKilda"/> and {{convert|423.2|km|smi nmi|abbr=off}} northwest of [[Tory Island]], [[County Donegal]], Ireland.<ref name="GoogleEarthTory"/> Its location was precisely determined by Nick Hancock during his 2014 expedition.<ref name="ordan"/> The surrounding elevated seabed is called the [[Rockall Bank]], lying directly south from an area known as the Rockall Plateau. It is separated from the [[Outer Hebrides]] by the [[Rockall Bank and Trough|Rockall Trough]], itself located within the [[Rockall Basin]] (also known as the "Hatton Rockall Basin").{{cn|date=October 2022}}

In 1956 the British scientist [[James Fisher (naturalist)|James Fisher]] referred to the island as "the most isolated small rock in the oceans of the world".<ref name="Fisher, Rockall, 1956"/> The neighbouring [[Hasselwood Rock]] and several other pinnacles of the surrounding [[Helen's Reef]] are smaller, at half the size of Rockall or less, and equally remote, but those formations are legally not islands or points on land, as they are often submerged completely, only revealed momentarily above certain types of [[ocean surface wave]]s.

Rockall is about {{convert|25|m|ft|-1}} wide and {{convert|31|m|ft|abbr=on}} long at its base<ref name="landf"/> and rises sheer to a height of {{convert|17.15|m|ftin|abbr=on}}.<ref name="The Rockall Club website's Facts page. Retrieved 12 October 2014." /><ref name="bbc.co.uk. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014." /><ref name="Stornoway Gazette. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014." /> It is often washed over by large storm waves, particularly in winter. There is a small ledge of {{convert|3.5|by|1.3|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, known as Hall's Ledge, {{convert|4|m|ft|0|spell=in}} from the summit on the rock's western face.<ref name="roccom"/> It is the only named geographical location on the rock.

[[File:Rockall wave March 1943.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3| Large waves breaking over the islet on 11 March 1943, photographed by [[RAF Coastal Command]]]]
The nearest point on land from Rockall is {{convert|301.3|km|nmi}}, east at the uninhabited Scottish island of [[Soay, St Kilda|Soay]] in the [[St Kilda, Scotland|St Kilda]] archipelago. The nearest inhabited area lies {{convert|303.2|km|nmi}} east at [[Hirta]]<ref name="googea"/>{{dubious|date=February 2024}}{{Original research inline|date=February 2019}}, the largest island in the St. Kilda group, which is populated intermittently at a single military base.<ref name="mac77" /><ref name="kilda" /> The nearest permanently inhabited settlement is {{convert|366.8|km|nmi|abbr=on}} west of the headland of [[Aird an Rùnair]],<ref name="goog3" /> near the [[crofting township]] of Hogha Gearraidh on the island of [[North Uist]] at {{gbmappingsmall|NF705711}} {{nowrap|({{Coord|57|36|33|N|7|31|7|W|display=inline|name=Hogha Gearraidh / Hougharry}})}}. North Uist is part of ''[[Outer Hebrides|Na h-Eileanan Siar]]'' [[council areas of Scotland|council area of Scotland]].

The exact position of Rockall and the size and shape of the Rockall Bank were first charted in 1831 by Captain [[Alexander Thomas Emeric Vidal|A. T. E. Vidal]], a [[Royal Navy]] surveyor. The first scientific expedition to Rockall was led by Miller Christy in 1896 when the [[Royal Irish Academy]] sponsored a study of the flora and fauna.<ref name="ria33"/> They chartered the ''Granuaile''.<ref name="Fisher, Rockall, 1956" /><ref name="Hamilton, Granuaile, 1999"/>

A detailed underwater mapping of the area around Rockall undertaken in 2011–2012 by [[Marine Scotland]] showed that Rockall itself is a minor pinnacle, whilst Helen's Reef extends in a sweeping arc of fissures and ridges to the north-west of the islet. Between the islet and Helen's Reef is a deeper trench much used by squid fishermen.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://marine.gov.scot/information/rockall-bathymetry-2011-and-2012 |title=Marine Scotland Information: Rockall Bathymetry 2011 and 2012|publisher=Marine Scotland|access-date=2018-04-28}}</ref>

Rockall is located in the pathway of the warming and moderating [[Gulf Stream]]. Although the rock has no weather station, the isolated position makes for an extreme [[maritime climate]] without heat or cold extremes.

==Geology==
[[File:Sills_in_Rockall_Trough.jpg|thumb|Seabed oil survey]]

Rockall is made of a type of [[peralkaline]] [[granite]] that is relatively rich in [[sodium]] and [[potassium]]. Within this granite are darker bands richer in iron because they contain two iron-sodium silicate minerals called [[aegirine]] and [[riebeckite]]. The darker bands are a type of granite that geologists have named "'''rockallite'''", although use of this term is now discouraged.<ref name="DSutherland1982"/><ref name="LeMaitre2002"/>

In 1975, a mineral new to science was discovered in a rock sample from Rockall. The mineral is called [[bazirite]], named after the chemical elements [[barium]] and [[zirconium]]. Bazirite has the chemical formula BaZrSi<sub>3</sub>O<sub>9</sub>.<ref name="MinScot"/>

Rockall forms part of the deeply eroded Rockall Igneous Centre that was formed as part of the [[North Atlantic Igneous Province]].<ref name="Ritchie"/> It was formed approximately 52 ± 8 million years ago based on [[rubidium–strontium dating]],<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Stoker|first1=Martyn S.|last2=Kimbell|first2=Geoffrey S.|last3=McInroy|first3=David B.|last4=Morton|first4=Andrew C.|date=February 2012|title=Eocene post-rift tectonostratigraphy of the Rockall Plateau, Atlantic margin of NW Britain: Linking early spreading tectonics and passive margin response|url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S026481721100211X|journal=Marine and Petroleum Geology|language=en|volume=30|issue=1|pages=98–125|doi=10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2011.09.007|bibcode=2012MarPG..30...98S |s2cid=129882933 }}</ref> as part of the breakup of [[Laurasia]]. Greenland and Europe separated and the northeast Atlantic Ocean was formed between them,<ref name=DSutherland1982/> eventually leaving Rockall as an isolated islet.

The [[RV Celtic Explorer|RV ''Celtic Explorer'']] surveyed the Rockall Bank in 2003.<ref name="gsise"/> The Irish Light Vessel ''Granuaile'' (the same name as the steamer on the [[Royal Irish Academy|RIA]] 1896 botany survey) was chartered by the [[Geological Survey of Ireland]], on behalf of the [[Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources|Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources]], to conduct a seismic survey of the Rockall Bank and the Hatton Bank in July 2004,<ref name=Gray/> as part of the [[Irish National Seabed Survey]].<ref name=Gray/>

== Ecology ==
The island's only permanent multicellular inhabitants are [[common periwinkle]]s and other marine [[mollusc]]s. Small numbers of seabirds, mainly [[fulmar]]s, [[northern gannet]]s, [[black-legged kittiwake]]s, and [[common guillemot]]s, use the rock for resting in summer, and gannets and guillemots occasionally breed successfully if the summer is calm with no storm waves washing over the rock. In total there have been just over twenty species of seabird and six other animal species observed (including the aforementioned molluscs) on or near the islet.

Cold-water [[coral]] biogenic reefs have been identified on the wider Rockall Bank,<ref name="marin"/> which are contributing features for the East Rockall Bank and North-West Rockall Bank [[Special Area of Conservation|SACs]].<ref name="defra"/><ref name="def6"/>

===Discovery of new species===
In December 2013 surveys by [[Marine Scotland]] discovered four new species of animal in the sea around Rockall. These are believed to live in an area where hydrocarbons are released from the sea bed, known as a [[cold seep]]. The discovery has raised the issue of restricting some forms of fishery to protect the sea bed.<ref name="BBC"/> The species are:
* ''[[Volutopsius]] scotiae'' Frussen, McKay & Drewery, 2013 – a [[sea snail]] about {{convert|10|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} long
* ''[[Thyasira]] scotiana'' Zelaya, 2009 – a [[clam]]
* ''[[Isorropodon]] mackayi'' – a [[clam]] in the order [[Veneroida]]
* ''[[Antonbruunia]] sociabilis'' sp. – a [[marine worm]] in the order [[Phyllodocida]]

==Claims and ownership==
{{For|details of the competing sea-bed claims|Rockall Bank dispute}}

===Ireland===
<!-- [[File:Rockall, Irish EEZ.png|thumb|upright|The position of Rockall (centre of grey disc) with respect to the UK and Irish EEZs.<ref name="irishstatutebook.ie"/>]] -->
[[File:LE Roisin at Rockall.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.7|The [[Naval Service (Ireland)|Irish Naval Service]] vessel [[LÉ Róisín (P51)|''Róisín'']] at Rockall conducting routine maritime security patrols {{convert|230|nmi|km|abbr=on}} off the north-west coast of Ireland]]

Irish claims to Rockall are based on its proximity to the Irish mainland;<ref name="Symmons, 1993, 35"/> however, the country has never formally claimed sovereignty over the rock. Although Rockall is closer to the UK coast than to the Irish coast,<ref name=GoogleEarthStKilda/><ref name=GoogleEarthTory/> Ireland does not recognise the UK's territorial claim to Rockall, "which would be the basis for a claim to a 12-mile territorial sea".<ref name="oir-2016" /><ref name="Volume453"/>

Ireland regards Rockall as irrelevant when determining the boundaries of the [[exclusive economic zone]]s (EEZ) as the rock is uninhabitable<ref name="EEZ"/><ref name="TrevesPineschi1997"/><ref name="Volume384"/> and in signing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1997, the UK has agreed that "Rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf". In 1988, Ireland and the United Kingdom signed an EEZ boundary agreement, ignoring the rock per UNCLOS.<ref name="EEZ"/> With effect from 31 March 2014, the UK and Ireland published EEZ limits which include Rockall within the UK's EEZ.<ref name="legislation.gov.uk"/><ref name="irishstatutebook.ie"/>

In October 2012, the ''[[Irish Independent]]'' published a picture of the [[Irish Naval Service|Irish Navy]] ship [[LÉ Róisín (P51)|''LÉ Róisín'']] sailing past Rockall conducting routine maritime security patrols, and claimed that it was exercising Ireland's sovereign rights over the rock.<ref name="inde45"/>

=== United Kingdom ===

[[File:Rockall EEZ topographic map-en.svg|thumb|[[Exclusive economic zone]]s of the UK, Ireland, Faroe Islands (Denmark), and Iceland around Rockall]]

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland claims Rockall along with a {{convert|12|nmi|km|0|adj=mid|-radius}} territorial sea around the islet inside the country's [[exclusive economic zone]] (EEZ).<ref name="whatdotheyknow.com"/> The UK also claims "a circle of UK sovereign airspace over the islet of Rockall".<ref name="whatdotheyknow.com"/>

The UK claimed Rockall on 18 September 1955 when "Two Royal Marines and [[James Fisher (naturalist)|a civilian naturalist]], led by Royal Navy officer Lieutenant Commander Desmond Scott, raised a Union flag on the islet and cemented a plaque into the rock".<ref name="bbc70"/> Prior to this Rockall was legally ''[[terra nullius]]''.<ref name="isles"/> The British [[Island of Rockall Act 1972]] (c. 2) formally [[annexed]] Rockall to the United Kingdom.<ref name=isles /> In May 2017, declassified documents revealed that the 1955 decision to claim the rock as UK territory was motivated by worries that it could otherwise be used by "hostile agents" to spy on the future [[South Uist#Missile testing|South Uist]] [[Deep Sea Range|missile testing range]].<ref name="bcc31"/>

The UK considers the rock administratively part of the Isle of [[Harris, Outer Hebrides|Harris]]. A [[radio beacon|navigational beacon]] was installed on the island in 1982<ref name="heavy"/> and the UK declared that no ship would be allowed within a {{convert|50|nmi|km|adj=on}} radius of the rock.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}} However, in 1988, the United Kingdom and Ireland signed an EEZ boundary agreement for which "the location of Rockall was irrelevant to the determination of the boundary".<ref name="EEZ"/>   In 1997, the UK ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which states that "Rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf". This limits territorial sea claims to a {{convert|12|nmi|km|adj=on}} radius, and therefore allows free passage in waters beyond this. Under the [[Scottish Adjacent Waters Boundaries Order 1999]] the area around it was declared to be under the [[jurisdiction]] of [[Scots law]] rather than English law.

As the rock lies within the United Kingdom's EEZ, the UK has sovereign rights for the purpose of exploring and exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources of the area, including jurisdiction over the protection and preservation of the marine environment.<ref name="legislation.gov.uk"/><ref name="unorg"/>

Early in January 2021, after [[Brexit|the UK left the EU]] and the [[EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement]] came into force, the ''Northern Celt'', an Irish fishing boat based out of [[Greencastle, County Donegal]], was ordered to leave the 12-nautical-mile zone around Rockall by officers of [[Marine Scotland]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55552455 |title=Irish boat blocked from fishing off Rockall |publisher=BBC |date=6 January 2021 |access-date=8 January 2021}}</ref>  Since 2021, fishing licences issued by the UK to EU vessels have excluded access to the 12 nautical mile zone around Rockall. In 2023, Irish [[Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine]] [[Charlie McConalogue]] stated that this action was costing the Irish fishing industry up to €7 million per year.<ref name=dj-20230315>{{cite news |url=https://www.derryjournal.com/news/politics/greencastle-fishers-losing-up-to-30-of-income-due-to-britains-outrageous-rockall-blockade-4065172 |title=Greencastle fishers losing up to 30% of income due to Britain's 'outrageous' Rockall blockade |last=Mullan |first=Kevin |website=Derry Journal |date=15 March 2023 |access-date=25 March 2023}}</ref><ref name=dj-20230209>{{cite news |url=https://www.derryjournal.com/news/environment/rockall-blockade-is-costing-donegal-fishermen-millions-of-euro-deputy-maclochlainn-4021447 |title=Rockall blockade is costing Donegal fishermen 'millions' of euro - Deputy MacLochlainn |last=Glenn |first=Laura |website=Derry Journal |date=9 February 2023 |access-date=25 March 2023}}</ref> In 2024, a proposed bilateral agreement between the governments of Ireland and Scotland that would have allowed Irish fishing vessels to return to the 12 nautical mile zone was vetoed by United Kingdom [[Foreign Secretary (United Kingdom)|Foreign Secretary]] [[David Cameron]].<ref name="FishingNews">{{cite news |url=https://fishingnews.co.uk/news/rockall-deal-vetoed-by-david-cameron/ |title=Rockall deal vetoed by David Cameron |website=FishingNews.co.uk |date=4 June 2024 |access-date=11 March 2025 }}</ref>

== Shipping disasters ==
[[File:IMRAY(1884) p0231 ROCKALL.jpg|thumb|ROCKALL – Nautical chart – Atlantic Sea Pilot, 1884]]
There have been various disasters on the neighbouring [[Hasselwood Rock]] and [[Helen's Reef]] (the latter having been named in 1830).

* 1686&nbsp;– a Spanish, French or Spanish-French ship ran aground around Rockall. Several men of the crew, Spanish and French, were able to reach [[St. Kilda, Scotland|St. Kilda]] in a [[pinnace (ship's boat)|pinnace]] and saved their lives. Some details of this event were recounted by [[Martin Martin]] in his ''A late voyage to St Kilda'', published in 1698.<ref name="Martin" /> The ship was perhaps a fishing vessel based in the [[Bay of Biscay]] and bound for North Atlantic [[cod]] fisheries.
* 1812&nbsp;– a survey vessel ''Leonidas'' foundered on Helen's Reef.
* 1824&nbsp;– [[Brigantine]] ''Helen'' of [[Dundee]], bound for [[Quebec City|Quebec]], foundered on Helen's Reef with fatalities.
* 1904&nbsp;– Danish ship [[SS Norge|SS ''Norge'']] foundered on Hasselwood Rock with the loss of more than 635 of its 750 passengers. This led to a proposal by [[David Alan Stevenson|D. & C. Stevenson]] for an unattended lightship to be moored close to the rock.<ref name="arch2"/>

== In popular culture ==
* English poet [[Michael Roberts (writer)|Michael Roberts]] published a poem "Rockall" in his 1939 collection, ''Orion Marches''. The poem describes a shipwrecked traveller on the rock.
* In the 1951 novel ''[[The Cruel Sea (novel)|The Cruel Sea]]'' by [[Nicholas Monsarrat]] the island features as the place of the final act of HMS ''Saltash''{{'}}s war. It is here the ship takes the surrender of two German U-boats on the last day of World War Two in Europe.
* The 1955 British landing, complete with the trappings such as hoisting the flag, caused a certain amount of popular amusement, with some seeing it as a sort of farcical end to imperial expansion. The satirists [[Flanders and Swann]] sang a successful piece entitled "Rockall", playing on the similarity of the word to the vulgar expression 'fuck all', meaning "nothing": "The fleet set sail for Rockall, Rockall, Rockall, To free the isle of Rockall, From fear of foreign foe. We sped across the planet, To find this lump of granite, One rather startled gannet; In fact, we found Rockall."<ref name="arch2"/>
* In ''[[The Goon Show]]'' episode "Napoleon's Piano" (first broadcast October 1955), Bluebottle lands on the piano as it is floating in the English Channel and cements a brass plate to it in the belief that it is Rockall.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thegoonshow.net/scripts_show.asp?title=s06e04_napoleons_piano|title=The Goon Show Site – Script – Napoleon's Piano (Series 6, Episode 4)|website=Thegoonshow.net|access-date=4 November 2021|archive-date=10 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220110214443/http://www.thegoonshow.net/scripts_show.asp?title=s06e04_napoleons_piano|url-status=dead}}</ref> Rockall was the launching site for the prototype "Jet propelled guided [[Navy, Army and Air Force Institute|NAAFI]]" in the ''Goon Show'' episode of the same name (January 1956).
* It has been suggested by several critics that Rockall is the rock that forms the setting for [[William Golding]]'s 1956 novel ''[[Pincher Martin]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Redpath |first=Philip |date=1986 |title=William Golding: A Structural Reading of His Fiction |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bpsIAtB_j0UC&pg=PA152 |location=London |publisher=Vision Press / Barnes & Noble |page=152 |isbn=978-0854781461 }}</ref> 
* ''[[The Master: An Adventure Story|The Master]]'', a 1957 novel by [[T. H. White]], is set inside Rockall.<ref name="netdo"/> 
* [[David Frost]], when hosting the 1962-1963 BBC satirical TV programme ''[[That Was the Week That Was]]'', recited a list of the dwindling British colonial possessions, ending with the words, "...&nbsp;and sweet Rockall."<ref name="frasr"/>
* ''Storm Over Rockall'' was a 1965 novel by W. Howard Baker, part of a series of novels based on the espionage television series ''[[Danger Man]]''.
* The Icelandic instrumental jazz-funk fusion band [[Mezzoforte (band)|Mezzoforte]]'s track ''Rockall'' was a minor hit in Europe in 1983 and was used as a signature tune by several European radio chart shows.<ref>
{{cite book
| first= David
| last= Roberts
| year= 2006
| title= British Hit Singles & Albums
| edition= 19th
| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited 
| location= London
| isbn= 1-904994-10-5
| page= 362}}</ref><ref>Larkin, Colin (1997) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music'', Virgin Books, {{ISBN|0-7535-0159-7}}, p. 321</ref>
* The Irish folk group [[The Wolfe Tones]] made Rockall the subject of their 1976 song "Rock on, Rockall", which asserted an Irish claim to the island.<ref name="iris11"/><ref name="irish43"/>
* ‘Ether’, the opening track of the English post-punk band [[Gang of Four (band)|Gang of Four]]'s 1979 debut album, ''[[Entertainment!]]'', features the satirical line "There may be oil under Rockall". The bulk of the song deals with the then ongoing [[The Troubles|Troubles]] in [[Northern Ireland]] and is critical of British actions there; the line alludes anticlimactically to the dispute between Ireland and the UK over Rockall.
* A club, The Rockall Club, has been established for people who have landed there.<ref name="rocka28"/>
* In series 2, episode 2, of the television series ''[[The Ambassador (TV series)|The Ambassador]]'', "Vacant Possession" (first broadcast on 25 April 1999), an Irish protester lands on Rockall and claims it for his nation, sparking a diplomatic row.
* [[BBC Choice]] broadcast two series of a topical panel show titled ''Good Evening Rockall''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/2a32967afdfb40c4a75fbeb2c374ba32|title=Broadcast – BBC Programme Index|website=Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk|date=11 April 2000 |access-date=4 November 2021}}</ref> in which panellists put forward events to be included in a news bulletin ostensibly targeting the island. [[Sue Perkins]] hosted the second series.
* The duo and solo project of Runrig songwriters Calum and Rory MacDonald is called [[The Band from Rockall]].
* Rockall is the only island claimed by Ireland that is not included on the course of the [[Round Ireland Yacht Race]] being excluded since the race's inception in 1980. <ref>{{Cite web |last=admin |title=The Course |url=https://roundireland.ie/wp/index.php/about-the-race/the-course/ |access-date=2024-04-22 |website=SSE Renewables Round Ireland Yacht Race 2024 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Scottish islands}}
* [[List of islands of Scotland]]
* [[List of outlying islands of Scotland]]
* [[Seán Dublin Bay Rockall Loftus]]

== References ==
'''Notes'''
{{Reflist | refs =

<ref name="whatdotheyknow.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/97923/response/262438/attach/html/3/0109%2012.pdf.html|title=Foreign & Commonwealth Office Response to Freedom of Information request regarding Rockall|website=Whatdotheyknow.com |date=8 March 2012}}</ref>

<ref name="EEZ">[https://www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=2011-03-24.365.0 Written Answers – Rockall Island]. Oireachtas, Dublin, 24 March 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2018.</ref>

<ref name="oir-2016">{{Citation | title = Written answers| publisher = Oireachtas | location = Dublin | url = https://www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=2016-10-26a.250 | access-date = 29 January 2018 }}</ref>

<ref name="legislation.gov.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/3161/contents/made |title=The Exclusive Economic Zone Order 2013|website= legislation.gov.uk|access-date= 20 July 2014}}</ref>

<ref name="irishstatutebook.ie">{{cite web|url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2014/en/si/0086.html |title=Maritime Jurisdiction (Boundaries of Exclusive Economic Zone) Order 2014|website= irishstatutebook.ie|access-date=20 July 2014}}</ref>

<ref name="GP101">{{Gaelic Placenames}} p. 101</ref>

<ref name="Coates">Coates (1990) pp. 49–54, esp. 51-2.</ref>
.
<ref name=Keay>Keay and Keay (1994) p. 817.</ref>

<ref name="ceant">[http://www.ceantar.org/Dicts/MB2/mb33.html#sgeir "Sgeir"] ceantar.org. Retrieved 18 January 2008.</ref>

<ref name="cean4">[http://www.ceantar.org/Dicts/MB2/mb31.html#rocail "Rocail"] ceantar.org. Retrieved 18 January 2008.</ref>

<ref name="Martin">{{cite book|last=Martin |first=Martin |author-link=Martin Martin |title=A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland Circa 1695 |date=1703 |url=http://www.appins.org/martin.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070313003106/http://www.appins.org/martin.htm |archive-date=13 March 2007 }}</ref>

<ref name="The Rockall Club website's Facts page. Retrieved 12 October 2014.">[http://www.therockallclub.org/The_Rockall_Club_Facts.html The Rockall Club website's Facts page]. Retrieved 12 October 2014.</ref><ref name="bbc.co.uk. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-29539119 bbc.co.uk]. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.</ref>

<ref name="Stornoway Gazette. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.">[http://www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/what-s-on/leisure/adventurer-changes-height-of-rockall-1-3566732 Stornoway Gazette] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018054139/http://www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/what-s-on/leisure/adventurer-changes-height-of-rockall-1-3566732 |date=18 October 2014 }}. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.</ref>

<ref name="The Independent ~ 12 June 1997">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/a-hard-place-for-a-protest-as-invaders-raise-the-flag-on-rockall-1255452.html|title=A hard place for a protest as invaders raise the flag on Rockall|author=James Mellor|date=23 October 2011|newspaper=[[The Independent]]}}</ref>

<ref name="guar8">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/scotland-blog/2014/jul/23/rockall-record-vicious-storm |title=The Guardian – Record occupation of Rockall |website=Theguardian.com |access-date=26 March 2015 |date=26 March 2015}}</ref>

<ref name="GoogleEarthStKilda">[[Google Earth]]. Rockall ETRS89 57°35'46.695"N 13°41'14.308"W to Gob a' Ghaill, Soay, St Kilda at approximately WGS84 57°49'40.8"N 8°38'59.4"W is approximately {{convert|301.3|km|smi nmi|abbr=off}}.</ref>

<ref name="GoogleEarthTory">[[Google Earth]]. Rockall ETRS89 57°35'46.695"N 13°41'14.308"W to Tory Island at approximately WGS84 55°16'29.73"N 8°15'00.92"W is approximately {{convert|423.2|km|smi nmi|abbr=off}}.</ref>

<ref name="ordan">{{cite web |date=9 October 2014 |title=Nick Hancock guest blog Ordnance Survey |url=http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/blog/2014/10/the-longest-solo-occupation-of-rockall/ |access-date=14 October 2014}}</ref>

<ref name="Fisher, Rockall, 1956">{{cite book |last=Fisher |first=James |author-link=James Fisher (naturalist) |date=1956 |title=Rockall |publisher=Geoffrey Bles |location=London |pages=12–13}}</ref>

<ref name="landf">MacDonald, Fraser (2006) [http://www.landfood.unimelb.edu.au/rmg/geography/papers/Rockall.pdf 'The last outpost of Empire: Rockall and the Cold War"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122002531/http://www.landfood.unimelb.edu.au/rmg/geography/papers/Rockall.pdf |date=22 January 2009 }}, (pdf) ''Journal of Historical Geography'', '''32''' 627–647. University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.</ref>

<ref name="roccom">[http://rockall2011.com/About_Rockall.html "About Rockall"] Rockall2011.com. Accessed 12 December 2010</ref>

<ref name="googea">Google Earth. Rockall ETRS89 57°35'46.695"N 13°41'14.308"W to An Campar, Hirta, St Kilda at approximately WGS84 57°49'30.4"N 8°37'03.6"W is approximately {{convert|303195|km|smi nmi|abbr=off}}.</ref>

<ref name="mac77">Maclean (1977) p. 142</ref>

<ref name="kilda">[http://www.kilda.org.uk/visitor-advice.htm "Advice for visitors"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070416054436/http://www.kilda.org.uk/visitor-advice.htm |date=16 April 2007 }} (2004) National Trust for Scotland. Retrieved 18 March 2007.</ref>

<ref name="goog3">Google Earth. Rockall ETRS89 57°35'46.695"N 13°41'14.308"W to Aird an Runair, North Uist at approximately WGS84 57°36'11.4"N 7°32'59.3"W is approximately {{convert|366843|km|smi nmi|abbr=off}}.</ref>

<ref name="ria33">
 {{cite web |title=Brochure |publisher=The Royal Irish Academy |url=http://www.ria.ie/about/pdfs/brochure.pdf |access-date=13 December 2010 |via=Internet Archive |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528193024/http://www.ria.ie/about/pdfs/brochure.pdf |archive-date = 28 May 2008}}</ref>

<ref name="Hamilton, Granuaile, 1999">{{cite journal|last=Hamilton |first=John |date=2000 |orig-year=1999 |title=Granuaile&nbsp;– Not the Irish Lights tender.. |journal=BEAM Magazine |volume=28 |url=http://www.cil.ie/sh618x4138.html |access-date=1 August 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070805110514/http://www.cil.ie/sh618x4138.html |archive-date= 5 August 2007 }}</ref>

<ref name="DSutherland1982">{{cite book | title=Igneous Rocks of the British Isles | publisher=John Wiley and Sons | editor=Sutherland, D. S. | year=1982 | pages=413, 541, 542 | location=Chichester | isbn=978-0-471-27810-8}}</ref>

<ref name="LeMaitre2002">{{cite book | title=Igneous Rocks — A Classification and Glossary of Terms | publisher=Cambridge University Press | editor=Le Maitre, R.W.  | year=2002 | location=Cambridge | pages=44, 137 | isbn=978-0-521-66215-4| edition=2nd }}</ref>

<ref name="MinScot">{{cite book | title=Minerals of Scotland | publisher=National Museums of Scotland | author=Livingstone, Alec | year=2002 | isbn=978-1901663464}}</ref>

<ref name="Ritchie">{{cite book|last1=Ritchie|first1=J.D.|last2=Gatliff|first2=R.W.|last3=Richards|first3=P.C.|editor=Fleet A.J. & Boldy S.A.R.|title=Petroleum geology of Northwest Europe: proceedings of the 5th conference, held at the Barbican Centre, London, 26–29 October 1997, Volume 1|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YTqHqJfXwYEC&pg=PA581 |access-date=28 April 2011|year=1999|publisher=Geological Society|location=London|isbn=978-1-86239-039-3|page=581|chapter=Early Tertiary magmatism in the offshore NW UK margin and surrounds}}</ref>

<ref name="gsise">{{cite web|url=http://www.gsiseabed.ie/progress.htm |title=Irish National Seabed Survey |year=2004 |access-date=1 August 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070812040132/http://www.gsiseabed.ie/progress.htm |archive-date=12 August 2007 }}</ref>

<ref name=Gray>{{cite journal|last=Gray |first=Dermot |url=http://www.cil.ie/downloads/1105986489/Beam_2005.pdf |title=Granuaile carries out seismic survey at Rockall |journal=Beam |volume=33 |pages=14–16 |date=2004–2005 |access-date=1 August 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070710165609/http://www.cil.ie/downloads/1105986489/Beam_2005.pdf |archive-date=10 July 2007 }}</ref>

<ref name="marin">{{cite web |url=http://marine.gov.scot/node/12718 |title=Marine Scotland Information: Cold Water Coral Reef |publisher=Marine Scotland|access-date=2018-04-28}}</ref>

<ref name="defra">{{cite web |url=http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/protectedsites/sacselection/sac.asp?EUCode=UK0030389 |title=East Rockall Bank SAC |publisher=JNCC |access-date=2018-04-28 |archive-date=28 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428181031/http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/protectedsites/sacselection/sac.asp?EUCode=UK0030389 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

<ref name="def6">{{cite web |url=http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/protectedsites/sacselection/sac.asp?EUCode=UK0030363 |title=North West Rockall Bank SAC |publisher=JNCC |access-date=2018-04-28 |archive-date=28 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428181705/http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/protectedsites/sacselection/sac.asp?EUCode=UK0030363 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

<ref name="BBC">{{cite news |publisher=BBC |title=Deep sea creatures found off Rockall 'new to science' |work=News Highlands and Islands |date=28 December 2013 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-25528522 |access-date=28 December 2013}}</ref>

<ref name="TCBC">{{cite book |title=Rockall |last=Fisher |first=James |author-link=James Fisher (naturalist) |year=1957 |publisher=The Country Book Club |pages=23–35 }}</ref>

<ref name="dokuf">{{cite web|url=http://dokufunk.org/upload/rockall_en.pdf|title=Ondřej Daněk "Rockall" 2009|website=Dokufunk.org}}</ref>

<ref name="gov001">{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/599002/Report_on_Operational_Top_Hat_government_expedition_to_Rockall_in_1970.pdf|title=Report on Operational Top Hat government expedition to Rockall in 1970 [sic]|website=Gov.uk}}</ref>

<ref name="RCT">{{cite web
|url=http://www.therockallclub.org/The_Rockall_Club_Timeline.html
|title=Timeline
|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->
|date=2015
|website=The Rockall Club
|access-date=2016-09-06
}}</ref>

<ref name="Telegraph">{{cite news
|last=Llewellyn-Smith
|first=Julia
|date=2004-06-06
|title=An endangered species
|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3620215/An-endangered-species.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3620215/An-endangered-species.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live
|newspaper=Daily Telegraph
|location=London
|access-date=2016-09-06}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

<ref name="Spectator">{{cite news
|last=Butterfield
|first=David
|date=2020-02-29
|title=Notes on...Rockall
|url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/-desolate-despairing-and-awful-britain-s-uninhabitable-island
|newspaper=The Spectator
|location=London
|access-date=2020-05-16}}
</ref>

<ref name="oire9">{{cite journal|url=http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0358/D.0358.198505220015.html |journal=Dáil Éireann |volume=358 |date=22 May 1985 |title=Written Answers&nbsp;– Rockall Island |access-date=1 August 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060718003931/http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0358/D.0358.198505220015.html |archive-date=18 July 2006 }}</ref>

<ref name="schne">[http://www.schnews.org.uk/archive/news131.htm SchNews issue 131] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612214926/http://www.schnews.org.uk/archive/news131.htm |date=12 June 2007 }}, Justice?, Brighton, 22 August 1997; see also ''SchNEWS Annual'', Justice?, Brighton, 1998, {{ISBN|0-9529748-1-9}}</ref>

<ref name="inde55">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/a-hard-place-for-a-protest-as-invaders-raise-the-flag-on-rockall-1255452.html|title=A hard place for a protest as invaders raise the flag on Rockall|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=12 June 1997}}</ref>

<ref name="guar44">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2011/jan/01/john-vidal-rockall|title='Hello Mum, I'm on Rockall': The £100bn piece of rock|author=John Vidal|work=The Guardian|date=January 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="lette">{{cite web |url=http://www.letterkennypost.com/2010/02/25/rockall-bid-to-erect-queens-plaque/ |title=Rockall bid&nbsp;– to erect Queen's plaque |date=25 February 2010 |work=Letterkenny Post |access-date=11 April 2010 |archive-date=19 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419162841/http://www.letterkennypost.com/2010/02/25/rockall-bid-to-erect-queens-plaque/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

<ref name="bbc82">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/8677045.stm |title=BBC article on 2010 planning permission |work=BBC News |date=12 May 2010 |access-date=24 August 2010}}</ref>

<ref name="island">{{cite web |url=http://www.island-man.co.uk/news.html |title=Island Man News |publisher=Andy Strangeway |date=20 July 2010 |access-date=7 December 2010}}</ref>

<ref name="helpf">{{cite web |url=http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/events/the_rockall_solo_endurance_expedition.html |title=Help for Heroes - the Rockall Solo Endurance Expedition |access-date=2012-09-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130129092601/http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/events/the_rockall_solo_endurance_expedition.html |archive-date=29 January 2013}}</ref>

<ref name="guar79">{{cite news|author=Severin Carrell |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/may/31/rockall-adventurer-nick-hancock-fails |title=Rockall adventurer fails in first attempt to land on remote Atlantic islet &#124; UK news &#124; guardian.co.uk |work=The Guardian |access-date=31 May 2013 |location=London |date=31 May 2013}}</ref>

<ref name="guar32">{{cite news|author=Severin Carrell |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/jun/03/rockall-adventurer-hancock-abandons-attempt|title=Rockall occupation bid postponed until 2014 after weather prevents landing &#124; UK news |newspaper=The Guardian |date=1 June 2013|access-date=6 June 2013 |location=London}}</ref>

<ref name="bbc67">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-27711957|title=Ratho adventurer Nick Hancock begins Rockall solo bid|website=Bbc.com|date=5 June 2014}}</ref>

<ref name="scotland.gov.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/marine/marine-environment/ecosystems/Rockall|title=Rockall|publisher=Scotland.gov}}</ref>

<ref name="grind">[http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/excursions/post/nick-hancock-sets-world-record-on-rockall/ Nick Hancock sets world records on Rockall], Grindtv; accessed 18 July 2014.</ref>

<ref name="roun8">{{Cite web|url=http://www.roundrockallrace.com/about-the-race/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127230814/http://www.roundrockallrace.com/about-the-race/|url-status=dead|title=Round Rockall Race|archive-date=27 January 2013|access-date=4 November 2021}}</ref>

<ref name="senti">{{Cite web|url=http://www.londonderrysentinel.co.uk/news/londonderry-news/clippers-to-head-for-disputed-rockall-to-give-londonderry-time-to-get-ready-for-the-party-1-7456193|title=Clippers to head for disputed Rockall to give Londonderry time to get ready for the party|website=Londonderrysentinel.co.uk|date=30 June 2016 |access-date=2016-08-24}}</ref>

<ref name="safet">{{Cite web|url=https://thunderchild.safetrxapp.com/|title=Thunderchild Route|website=thunderchild.safetrxapp.com|access-date=2017-07-06|archive-date=13 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713032438/https://thunderchild.safetrxapp.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

<ref name="bbc70">{{cite news|author=BBC staff |year=2008 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/21/newsid_4582000/4582327.stm |title=1955: Britain claims Rockall |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

<ref name="isles">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QM-8BQAAQBAJ&pg=PT232 |title=Isles of the North |author=Ian Mitchell |author-link=Ian Mitchell (author) |publisher=[[Birlinn (publisher)|Birlinn]] |date=2012 |page=232|isbn=9780857900999 }}</ref>

<ref name="heavy">{{cite web|url=http://heavywhalley.wordpress.com/2012/06/11/rockall-the-jubilee-landing-and-a-bit-of-history/|title=Rockall – The Jubilee landing and a bit of history. &#124; heavywhalley |publisher=Heavywhalley.wordpress.com |date=11 June 2012 |access-date=31 May 2013}}</ref>

<ref name="unorg">{{cite web |url=http://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf |title=United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Part V |author=<!--Not stated--> |access-date=30 January 2018 }}</ref>

<ref name="bcc31">{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-39920686| work=BBC News | title=UK government spy base fears over remote Rockall| date=15 May 2017| access-date=21 May 2017}}</ref>

<ref name="Symmons, 1993, 35">[[#Symmons, 1993|Symmons (1993)]], p. 35. "As a matter of international law fall within Irish jurisdiction" and "which are closer to the Irish than the British coast"</ref>

<ref name="Volume453">{{cite web | url = http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/takes/dail1995052300032?opendocument | title=Written Answers. – Ownership of Rockall | publisher=Dáil Éireann |access-date=1 December 2015}}</ref>

<ref name="TrevesPineschi1997">{{cite book|author1=Tullio Treves|author2=Laura Pineschi|title=The Law of the Sea: The European Union and Its Member States|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x4uZat_RmpUC&pg=PA305|access-date=21 November 2012|year=1997|publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers|isbn=978-90-411-0326-0|pages=305–}}</ref>

<ref name="Volume384">{{cite web|url=http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0384/D.0384.198811290213.html |title=Dáil Éireann&nbsp;– Volume 384&nbsp;– 29 November 1988 Continental Shelf Delimitation Agreement between Ireland and Britain: Motion |publisher=Historical-debates.oireachtas.ie |access-date=24 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607140852/http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0384/D.0384.198811290213.html |archive-date= 7 June 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="inde45">{{cite news|last=Heffernan|first=Breda|title=Our Navy's show of force off Rockall|url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/our-navys-show-of-force-off-rockall-3258013.html|publisher=Independent.ie |date=13 October 2012 }}</ref>

<ref name="arch2">{{cite book|last=Talbot|first=Frederick A. A.|title=Lightships and Lighthouses|url=https://archive.org/details/lightshipslighth00talbuoft|access-date=8 July 2015|date=1913|pages=[https://archive.org/details/lightshipslighth00talbuoft/page/299 299]–300}}</ref>

<ref name="netdo">White, T. H., [http://www2.netdoor.com/~moulder/thwhite/tm_b.html "England Have My Bones"] ''The Master: An Adventure Story'' (1957) J. Moulder and M. Schaefer. Retrieved 28 March 2008.</ref>

<ref name="frasr">{{cite journal|url=http://www.frasermacdonald.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/MacDonald-F-JHG-2006.pdf|title=The last outpost of Empire: Rockall and the Cold War|author=Fraser MacDonald|journal=Journal of Historical Geography|volume=32|date=2006|issue=3|pages=627–647|doi=10.1016/j.jhg.2005.10.009}}</ref>

<ref name="iris11">{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/ownership-of-rockall-1.1049130|title=OWNERSHIP OF ROCKALL|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|access-date=4 November 2021}}</ref>

<ref name="irish43">{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/why-the-end-of-the-wolfe-tones-is-music-to-my-ears-1.1046483|title=Why the end of the Wolfe Tones is music to my ears|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|access-date=4 November 2021}}</ref>

<ref name="rocka28">{{cite web|url=http://www.therockallclub.org/|title=Home – The Rockall Club|website=Therockallclub.org}}</ref>

}}

'''Bibliography'''
{{refbegin}}
* Coates, Richard (1990) ''The place-names of St Kilda''. Lewiston, etc.: Edwin Mellen Press. {{ISBN|0-88946-077-9}}.
* Harvie-Brown, J. A. & Buckley, T. E. (1889) ''A Vertebrate Fauna of the Outer Hebrides.'' Edinburgh. David Douglas.
* Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004) ''The Scottish Islands''. Edinburgh. Canongate {{ISBN|1-84195-454-3}}
* Keay, J., and Keay, J. (1994) ''Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland''. London. HarperCollins {{ISBN|0-00-255082-2}}
* Maclean, Charles (1977) ''Island on the Edge of the World: the Story of St. Kilda'', Edinburgh, Canongate {{ISBN|0-903937-41-7}}
* Martin, Martin (1703) [https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/A52112.0001.001/1:7?rgn=div1;view=toc;q1=leagues ''A Late Voyage to St. Kilda''], D. Brown and T. Goodwin, London (1698)
* {{cite book
  | title = Ireland and the law of the sea
  | last = Symmons
  | first = Clive Ralph
  | year = 1993
  | isbn = 978-1-85800-022-0
  | ref = Symmons, 1993
  | publisher = Round Hall Press
  | location = Blackrock
  }}
* {{cite book
  | title = The maritime zones of islands in international law
  | last = Symmons
  | first = Clive Ralph
  | year = 1978
  | isbn = 9789024721719
  | ref = Symmons, 1978
  | publisher = M. Nijhoff
  | location = The Hague; Boston
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=s7aaDOcGDskC&pg=PA162
  }}
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
* [[British Birds (magazine)|British Birds]], birds breeding on Rockall. '''86''': 16–17, 320–321 (1993).
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060822145436/http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0268/D.0268.197311010090.html Houses of the Oireachtas, Parliament of Ireland&nbsp;– Tithe an Oireachtais] debate with the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the [[Dáil Éireann]], 1 November 1973.
* [[Martin Martin|Martin, Martin]] ''A Description of the Western isles of Scotland'' (1716).
* W. Sporswood Green ''et al'', [https://www.jstor.org/stable/30079066 ''Notes on Rockall Island and Bank, etc''], ''The Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy'', Vol. 31, pp. 39-98. RIA, Dublin (1896)

== External links ==
{{sisterlinks|d=Q206137|c=Category:Rockall|voy=Next-to-impossible_destinations|n=no|b=no|s=no|v=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no|q=no}}
* [http://www.ondrejdanek.cz/rockall Rockall.name]&nbsp;– a complex website about the islet available in both English and Czech
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060616102950/http://www.rockallisland.co.uk/ RockallIsland.co.uk]&nbsp;– a website detailing the MSØIRC/p amateur radio expedition of 16 June 2005
* [http://www.rockall2011.com/ Rockall2011.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170221110949/http://www.rockall2011.com/ |date=21 February 2017 }}&nbsp;– a website advocating a charitable fund for soldiers based on a pending expedition to Rockall in 2011
* [http://www.rockall.be/ Rockall.be]&nbsp;– a website on the MMØRAI/p amateur radio expedition to Rockall in 2011
* [http://www.waveland.org/ Waveland.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821115428/http://www.waveland.org/ |date=21 August 2009 }}&nbsp;– official website of the former micronation Waveland based on Rockall
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/21/newsid_4582000/4582327.stm 1955: Britain claims Rockall]&nbsp;– "''On This Day''" story of British claim to Rockall from BBC's official website
* [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3641123/I-will-be-king-of-Rockall.html British journalist Ben Fogle attempts to claim Rockall]
* [http://utanrikisraduneyti.is/media/Frettamyndir/landgrunnsk_hatton_rockall.jpg Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs map] showing all parties' claims to the continental shelf around Rockall.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20161117025218/http://showcase.uhi.ac.uk/resources/GSP_T14_structures5/gsp_structures_24.htm Cross-section of the geology around Rockall]
* [https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/19900688.rockall-scottish-adventurer-launches-expedition-edge-existence/ Article in The Herald Scotland about the next attempt]
* [https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/lifestyle/3886293/stranded-in-the-atlantic-ocean-meet-the-men-training-for-rockall-2022/ Article in the Press and Journal about the Rockall attempt in 2022]

{{United Kingdom topics}}
{{Micronations}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Rockall| ]]
[[Category:Geological type localities]]
[[Category:Greenpeace campaigns]]
[[Category:Individual rocks]]
[[Category:Islands of the North Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:Seabird colonies]]
[[Category:Shipping Forecast areas]]
[[Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Western Isles South]]
[[Category:Skerries of Scotland]]
[[Category:Stacks of Scotland]]
[[Category:Uninhabited islands of the Outer Hebrides]]
[[Category:Volcanoes of Europe]]
[[Category:Uninhabited islands of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Extreme points of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Micronations in Europe]]