A baby has been born on Orkney’s most northerly island for the first time in more than three decades.
Parents Jorge Suarez and Alice Traill Ford welcomed baby Duncan Wilder Thorstein Traill Suarez Ford in North Ronaldsay last week.
Islanders toasted the birth with a dram of whisky to celebrate the first newborn in the remote location since Thomas Brookman in August 1992.
The family, who split their time between Costa Rica and Orkney and travelled more than 5,000 miles for the birth, said Duncan was born in a much-loved place.
“North Ronaldsay has always been a very special place for me and I felt alive and free here every summer when I came up as a little girl,” Alice told BBC Scotland News.
“My intuition was telling me this was the right place for us so we spoke to the NHS to see if it would be possible.
“We have this beautiful family home steeped in our history and ancestry so to be surrounded by that felt a very special introduction for him to come to Earth.”
North Ronaldsay is Orkney’s northernmost island and is only accessible from Kirkwall on the main island via a 20-minute plane journey or a ferry, which takes two hours and 40 minutes.
The island is famous for its seaweed-eating sheep, which are mostly confined to the shore by a 13-mile-long drystone wall that encircles the island.
Baby Duncan was born in Holland House, which was built by Alice’s ancestors – the Traill family – who bought the island in 1727.
The house has been passed down through generations and is still owned by her family.
Alice’s grandfather, Duncan, was the former Laird of North Ronaldsay and provided the inspiration for her son’s name.
“I didn’t know I was going to name him after Duncan when we arrived but I was sitting on the sofa and right in front of me was a collage of his pictures with my grandmother, so he has been very present with us,” Alice said.
“He was an incredible man, very kind and really strong and I felt like there would be no better name than his to carry on and continue his legacy in the world.”
Historically when the Laird was on the island, a flag was flown at Holland House to inform the residents.
So when baby Duncan was born at 04:05 on 15 September, Alice and Jorge followed the tradition to share the news.
“Over the years we have found a lot of magical four-leaf clovers here and have kept them in a book,” Alice said.
“We stuck a four-leaf clover to a glass bottle, glued a Groatie Buckie to the lid then filled it with whisky and gave it to each of the islanders.
“We raised the flag and everybody opened their whisky and shared a dram – a celebratory drink – together.”
A Groatie Buckie is a small, pale pink and white shell found on beaches across Orkney, which in local tradition brings good luck and fortune to the keeper.
The family will return to Costa Rica in November, where the couple run a school.
But Alice is certain her children will have the same opportunity to spend time in North Ronaldsay as she did growing up.
“Duncan will absolutely be back every year,” she said.
“One of the things I want to give my children is the gift my mother gave us, bringing us to this island every summer, letting us run wild, explore the island and feel the connection to the community.”