North Ronaldsay, the most northerly of the Orkney Islands, is home to a population of fewer than 60 residents.
Now the remote island is marking a rare and joyful occasion: the birth of its first baby in more than 30 years.
Duncan Wilder Thorstein Traill Suarez Ford arrived last week at Holland House, the historic property with which his family has been connected for centuries.
Weighing 8lb 9oz, he was born to Alice Traill Ford and Jorge Suarez and is the couple’s fourth child.
Alice and Jorge normally live in Nosara, Costa Rica, where they run a school. During a June visit to Alice’s ancestral home in Orkney with their three older children, the couple made the unexpected decision to welcome their new baby on North Ronaldsay.
Ms Ford’s ancestors, the Traill family, purchased the island in 1727 and built Holland House. She said: ‘It wasn’t our plan, but we came here to the island and felt that it was right to have the baby here.
Alice Ford and her partner Jorge Suarez travelled from Costa Rica before welcoming their fourth child
‘We contacted the NHS and they were incredibly supportive of our wishes to have the baby on the island.’
She added: ‘I felt so alive here, being in this wild environment, and I knew it instantly when we arrived.’
Before Duncan’s arrival, the last baby born on North Ronaldsay had come into the world in August 1992.
To support the delivery, two midwives travelled to the island by coastguard helicopter.
The midwives were due to spend two nights at the island’s Bird Observatory during a six-day visit, but Duncan made an early appearance the evening before his expected arrival.
Ms Ford described the delivery as a joyful experience, saying: ‘It was a really fun birth. The girls who ended up being out here with me made it really fun. We were laughing a lot and it was just a beautiful experience.’
The 41-year-old has spent time on North Ronaldsay every year of her life. ‘I think my first one was inside mum’s womb,’ she said.
‘It’s my favourite place in the world to come visit. Wherever I’ve lived in the world, I’ve always made sure that I’ve come back every summer.’
Alice plans to remain in Orkney with Duncan until November, when she will return to Costa Rica. Jorge has already gone back so that two of their children can begin school.
The journey from the family’s home in Nosara to North Ronaldsay involves 12 flights.
Born and raised in London, Ms Ford is the granddaughter of the island’s former laird, who was also named Duncan.
Although the name had not initially been a strong contender, she said it became the obvious choice after she noticed a collage of her grandfather and grandmother while sitting on the sofa. ‘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.
‘He was an incredible man, very kind and really strong, and I felt there would be no better name than his to carry on his legacy and continue it in the world.’
She admitted she felt for the islanders, who would have been nervous for the birth after a 34-year absence, but said she was ‘completely safe with the decision, especially with the NHS support’.
The mother-of-four contacted The Balfour hospital, in Kirkwall, mainland Orkney, with her wishes and said they were ‘just so cool about it’.
Ms Ford’s ancestors bought the remote island in the Orkneys in 1727
She added: ‘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.
‘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.’
Historically when the Laird was on the island, a flag was flown at Holland House to inform the residents and when baby Duncan made his appearance at 4.05am on Tuesday, September 15, Ms Ford and her partner followed the tradition to share the news.
She said: ‘Over the years we have found a lot of magical four-leaf clovers here and have kept them in a book.
‘We stuck a four-leaf clover to a glass bottle, glued a Groatie Buckie [a type of shell] 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.’
North Ronaldsay, which has a population of 59 according to the last Census, is known for its historic lighthouse, migratory bird life and unusual breed of seaweed-eating sheep.
