Rockall Island Ownership
Dail Éireann — 2022-02-10
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Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (SF), Donegal

We are one year on. I warned the Minister last year when he passed legislation that formally accepted Britain's claim over the Rockall area, which is exactly what it did, that he was strengthening the British case to block our fishermen. I watched him and the Minister for Foreign Affairs shaking their heads. Here we are, all this time later, and we still have an outrageous scenario whereby Irish fishermen are blocked from fishing in their traditional fishing grounds around Rockall, costing us millions of euro. The Minister knows the impact in Greencastle, Killybegs and Castletownbere. It is absolutely outrageous that this is allowed to happen. No harm to him and the Minister for Foreign Affairs but their efforts have not succeeded. I see no passion or outrage from them on this issue. It needs to be sorted out. If it needs to go to international arbitration to shame the British Government internationally, then so be it. What is happening cannot stand.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2022-02-10/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:50:07+00:00
Sitting date: 2022-02-10