Rocabarra or Rocabarraigh is a

phantom island A phantom island is a purported island which was included on maps for a period of time, but was later found not to exist. They usually originate from the reports of early sailors exploring new regions, and are commonly the result of navigati ...

or rock in

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

myth, which is supposed to appear three times, the last being at the end of the world. :"''Nuair a thig Rocabarra ris, is dual gun tèid an Saoghal a sgrios''" :("When Rocabarra returns, the world will likely come to be destroyed/ruined") The name has also been used to refer to

Rockall Rockall () is an uninhabitable granite islet situated in the North Atlantic Ocean. The United Kingdom claims that Rockall lies within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and is part of its territory, but this claim is not recognised by Ireland. ...

, a real

islet An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanent ...

in the

North Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe and ...

. When

Martin Martin Martin Martin (Scottish Gaelic: Màrtainn MacGilleMhàrtainn) (-9 October 1718) was a Scottish writer best known for his work '' A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland'' (1703; second edition 1716). This book is particularly noted for ...

visited St Kilda in 1716, he refers to it as ''Rockoll'', but goes on to mention that the locals also knew Rockall as ''Rockabarra'' (''Rocabarraigh''). The name has hints of a Norse origin, ''barraigh'' (''bar-ey'') being a common element in Scottish placenames. ''Roca'' may come from the

Goidelic The Goidelic or Gaelic languages ( ga, teangacha Gaelacha; gd, cànanan Goidhealach; gv, çhengaghyn Gaelgagh) form one of the two groups of Insular Celtic languages, the other being the Brittonic languages. Goidelic languages historically ...

language.

References

* Martin Martin ''A Description of the Western isles of Scotland'' (1716) * Phantom islands of the Atlantic Eschatology Fictional locations in Scotland St Kilda, Scotland Rockall Scottish toponymy Scottish mythology Mythological islands {{scotland-stub

See also

References