Ireland ready to reignite fishing dispute with Scotland

Irish fishery leaders have warned of fresh conflicts with Scotland over fishing rights around the north Atlantic islet of Rockall as new evidence emerged about the roots of the long-running sovereignty dispute.

- Severin Carrell, Rory Carroll

Scotland and Ireland have been at loggerheads over access to fishing grounds within 12 nautical miles of Rockall since the Brexit referendum in 2016, which signalled an end to the UK's membership of the common fisheries policy.

Scottish fishery protection vessels have intercepted and boarded Irish trawlers caught fishing for squid and haddock around the uninhabited islet, with skippers facing arrest and a total ban from fishing in British waters if they are caught.

The crisis abated in early 2021 after the EU signed the Brexit agreement with Boris Johnson's government. That confirmed the UK's rights to restrict access to British coastal waters - a measure Scottish ministers are now enforcing around Rockall, which lies 230 miles (370km) west of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides and 260 mile north-west of Tory Island in Donegal.