Talk:North Rona

Thanks!
What a wonderful place. It's been really interesting to research and write about North Rona so far and I'm glad so many people want to know about it. I've never been (and maybe never be there) but I'd value any stories, photos and other useful information that you can contribute so that it's better known and looked after. Please keep the conversation positive :) Gecko177 (talk) 11:35, 6 May 2024 (UTC)

Rats & the Tragedy
The story of the rats and how the whole population died within a year is given by Fraser-Darling without attibution, but is in fact based on Martin Martin's retelling of what he was told secondhand. See the link on the Martin page for the original text. However, the story does seem to be based on a number of assumptions. Since everyone died and unlike the Flannens mystery the population would have been illiterate and left no written record of their suffering. --JBellis 21:22, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

Visiting Rona
I've been communicating with some Scottish charters about a trip to Rona and Sula Sgeir. Hand up if you've been and give some details! --ACurrier 22:49, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

I read today March 5 2023 that there are two people and 180 sheep living on the Island. They are looking for an estate worker. Vixen1960 (talk) 16:51, 5 March 2023 (UTC)


 * Wrong Rona, you are thinking about South Rona
 * Zygene (talk) 16:35, 7 March 2023 (UTC)

Closest to Faroes?
How is North Rona the closest island in Scotland to the Faroes? Surely Unst or one of the Shetlands is closer? And how exactly is it more remote than St Kilda? An Muimhneach Machnamhach (talk) 12:59, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

For distance to the Faroes see Faroe Islands. It is not cited but I have no reason to dispute it. As to remoteness and isolation, it is not cited or defined. 'One of the most remote' would be fair enough. Ben MacDuiTalk /  Walk  13:40, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

North Rona is more remote than St Kilda in the sense that it is further from Lewis (or the Scottish mainland) than St Kilda is from Harris. Dhmellor (talk) 15:50, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

You are both right, of course. I suppose I was thinking of the Faroes as being north of the Shetland Islands but they're actually northwest of them, as I can see from my atlas. Thanks for the info. An Muimhneach Machnamhach (talk) 10:18, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

More to the point - how can it possibly be more remote tha Rockall? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.33.134.254 (talk) 12:28, 31 October 2008 (UTC)
 * Rockall has never been permanently inhabited. Warofdreams talk 13:46, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Area & max height
We now have 2 different figures for each - both referenced. Which is the better source?--JBellis (talk) 10:29, 7 March 2009 (UTC)

H-Smith, the OS and Boyd's map all agree on a height of 108m, Boyd's text notwithstanding. Measuring a shape of this size is no easy task so I think going with H-Smith makes sense as at least its consistent with the other islands. I've left Boyd's estimate as a footnote. Thanks for spotting this. Ben  Mac  Dui  19:34, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

British
The island may lie in Scotland, but it seems more correct to describe as British, since Scotland is part of Britain (actually the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, but it's usual to say 'British island' rather than 'UK island'. 92.20.250.42 (talk) 18:57, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

I am not sure why you think that would be useful as it would diminish the information available to the reader. Off hand I can't think of an article about an island in UK waters that is described this way. Ben  Mac  Dui  13:12, 15 September 2012 (UTC)

I am not sure why you think that would not be useful as it diminishes the information available to the reader to describe it as 'Scottish', since Scotland, while having some autonomy, is not an independent state. 92.20.250.42 (talk) 14:53, 15 September 2012 (UTC)

Etymology
The name "Rona" may come from hraun-øy, Old Norse for "rough island", a combination of ròn and øy, Gaelic and Old Norse for "seal" and "island" respectively. Doesn't that suggest "seal island"? We need a WP:RS to decide.

Fun non-RS fact - after Frank Fraser-Darling's sojourn there, whenever the wind blew outside the house he could never sit still but would pace up and down. Info from my father, who knew him. Narky Blert (talk) 19:26, 20 February 2023 (UTC)

I think the etymology just needs to have the word "or" added - "Old Norse for 'rough island, *or* a combination of..." etc.

Those are two different proposed etymologies, not one. One pure Old Norse, one Norse+ Gaelic. I don't think it's meant to be saying that seal + island = rough island, but the missing word makes it seem to say that. Vultur~enwiki (talk) 20:22, 24 February 2023 (UTC)