Full Breakdown
First Newborn on Orkney’s North Ronaldsay in Over Three Decades
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
Parents Jorge Suarez and Alice Traill Ford welcomed their son, Duncan Wilder Thorstein Traill Suarez Ford, on 15 September at 04:05 on North Ronaldsay, the northernmost island of Orkney. The birth marks the first newborn on the remote island since Thomas Brookman arrived in August 1992, ending a thirty-plus-year gap.
Family Background & Motivation
The Suarez-Ford family divides its time between Costa Rica and Orkney and operates a school in Costa Rica. Seeking a “special introduction” for their child, Alice explained that the island’s “energy” and her own childhood memories made it the ideal place for Duncan’s birth. “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 The couple travelled more than 5,000 miles to reach the island for the delivery, a journey the report describes as a deliberate effort to root their child in the family’s ancestral home.
Island Tradition and Celebration
Following historic custom, the family raised a flag at Holland House to announce the birth to island residents. Islanders responded by sharing a dram of whisky, a practice the article notes was accompanied by a unique token: a four-leaf clover and a glued-in Groatie Buckie— a pale pink-white shell believed locally to bring good luck. “Over the years we have found a lot of magical four-leaf clovers here and have kept them in a book,” — Alice Alice added that the family has kept a book of magical four-leaf clovers found on the island over the years.
Data & Statistics
What’s Next
The family plans to return to Costa Rica in November, where they will continue running their school. Alice affirmed that future children will also have the opportunity to spend time on North Ronaldsay, preserving the connection that shaped her own upbringing.
