Share to ClassroomIsland Welcomes First Baby in 34 Years
A baby has been born on North Ronaldsay, a small island in the north of Scotland. He is the first baby born there in 34 years. Baby Duncan was born on 15 September in his family's old house. Only 59 people live on the island. His parents, Alice and Jorge, live in Costa Rica, where they run a school.
The family was visiting the island in June when Alice decided to have the baby there. The NHS (the UK's health service) agreed to help. Alice's family has a long history on the island. Her family bought it in 1727, and her grandfather, also called Duncan, was the island's Laird, the traditional landowner. The baby is named after him. The island is hard to reach. You need a 20-minute flight or almost three hours on a ferry. Two midwives, nurses who help at births, came by helicopter.
To share the news, the parents followed an old tradition and raised a flag. They also gave every islander a bottle of whisky with a four-leaf clover and a lucky shell on it. Then everyone had a drink together. The family will go back to Costa Rica in November, but Alice says Duncan will come back to the island every year.
