The islet of Rockall captured the public interest last month as the periodic claims of its nearest neighbours (ourselves and Scotland mainly) were laid out in stark detail.

The Minister expects high-level “engagement” on the diplomatic row to take place in the next few days and the issue to be resolved without international courts getting involved as EU Common Fishery Policy still applies to the territory pre-Brexit.

The Irish government has announced a process of intensified engagement over the Rockall fisheries dispute has been agreed with the Scottish government.

Brexit has put massive strain on Irish-UK relations but could a tiny islet be the rock on which they perish? Caroline O'Doherty looks at the background to the Rockall dispute.

So that’s nearly Monday wrapped up. Here’s some of the stories we published on irishexaminer.com today which we hope will help you make sense of it all this evening.

Irish fisherman have a legal right to fish in the waters around Rockall, the Tánaiste and Agriculture Minister have insisted - though there is no intention of sending naval ships to protect Irish boats.

Tánaiste Simon Coveney has said that the Irish Government was informed last September about Scotland’s intentions to enforce its claim to the territorial waters around Rockall.

The Government has warned Scotland it will not back down over the deepening Rockall fishing rights stand-off and will take EU court action if the Scottish threaten fishermen with navy vessels.

The 17.15m-high lump of granite — Rockall — and the fish-rich North Atlantic waters around it, are the cause of trouble yet again.

Opposition politicians are urging the Government to defend the interests of the Irish fishing community over Rockall.

So that’s nearly Saturday wrapped up. Here’s some of the stories we published on irishexaminer.com today which we hope will help you make sense of it all this evening.

Latest: Ireland is rejecting a threat of 'enforcement action' by Scotland over the long-disputed Rockall fishing grounds.

Adventurer Jamie Young has traversed the Atlantic twice as a solo sailor, kayaked around Cape Horn, raced around Rockall and taken a kite buggy to the Antarctic.

In 2017, the team set a record in their Thunder Child boat for the circumnavigation of Ireland via Rockall, an islet 500km into the North Atlantic, one of the most dangerous seas on Earth.

The fourth anniversary of Seamus Heaney’s death falls next Wednesday but the service he celebrated in The Shipping Forecast is celebrating 150 years of saving lives.

FOR much longer than millennia, islands have been a source of intrigue, writes Dan MacCarthy. Someone gazes out from the mainland wondering: “What is out there?”

Five lucky people are set to experience the thrill of a high-speed boat ride around Cork Harbour in a €1m wave-piercing vessel just days before its world-record bid.

A sleek €1m wave-piercing boat has sailed through its first rough weather sea trials ahead of an ambitious record attempt this summer.

Ireland is recalculating its claim to potentially oil and gas-rich Atlantic waters — right down to the very last centimetre.

Irish fishermen have claimed 350 jobs will be lost and more fish will be dumped into the sea following a new European deal on how much they are allowed to land.

Dublin-headquartered oil and gas company, San Leon Energy has reached agreement to sell the bulk of its Irish assets to Ardilaun Energy — a vehicle controlled by exploration investor, John McKeon — for $3m (€2.2m).

Dublin-headquartered oil and gas company, San Leon Energy has reached agreement to sell the bulk of its Irish assets to Ardilaun Energy — a vehicle controlled by exploration investor, John McKeon — for $3m (€2.2m).

The green light has been given for a major seismic survey off Ireland’s Atlantic coast to assess the true potential for oil and gas resources.

The green light has been given for a major seismic survey off Ireland’s Atlantic coast to assess the true potential for oil and gas resources.

Tremors were felt in parts of parts south Sligo and Mayo this morning after a magnitude 4 earthquake hit off the west coast.

RAVINES and canyons that plunge two kilometres in depth, colourful flora and corals – just some of the features of Ireland’s seabed, as shown in a new atlas showing the Ireland beneath the ocean.

EVERY day in this country there is talk from the main opposition parties of the need to get Fianna Fáil out of office.

Irish oil and gas companies are being invited to attempt to find fossil fuel in the Rockall basin in the West of Ireland.

Crunch talks between four countries – including Ireland and the UK – on territorial rights to a massive oil rich area in the north Atlantic have been postponed due to elections, it was confirmed today.

The Government has expressed satisfaction with the latest deal on EU fish quotas negotiated during lengthy talks in Brussels overnight.

Fishing fleets will boost their livelihoods by monitoring conservation and avoiding the dumping of dead fish over the side under a deal hammered out in Brussels today.

Irish diplomats today secured the basis of a deal which could resolve a decades-old dispute over territorial rights to a massive oil-rich area in the north Atlantic.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern tonight vowed to secure the country’s right to exploit a massive area of seabed rich in oil and gas in the north Atlantic.

IRISH fishermen are confident of hauling in an extra €14 million to €20m in 2007 following annual quota-fixing talks in Brussels which ended early yesterday.

ISLAND Oil & Gas incurred losses before tax of £400,000 (€591,900) for the year to the end of July, up from £100,000 (€149,000) the previous year, as increased exploration costs swamped earnings from gas sales.

THE recent call by the Government’s think tank for the State to at least look at the nuclear option in terms of future energy needs should have sent shockwaves across the country.

ROCHESTOWN Rise in Cork was cutting edge when the development first appeared in the 1970s.