A Letter from North Ronaldsay 1990-1999

In 1990 Orkney islander Ian Scott wrote his first article for The Orcadian newspaper under the title "A Letter from North Ronaldsay". This and subsequent articles document community life in the most northerly island of the Orkney (Scotland) archipelago. Over a span of nearly thirty-five years, Ian's musings of times and ways past and present combine to create an unusual memoir as well as a valuable archive preserving the social and natural history of the Scottish island of North Ronaldsay.

Over the decades, Ian's letters have allowed us to glimpse the changing world of this island played out against a backdrop of land, sea and sky. His letters reflect the turning of seasons, they note the activities of wildlife and humans alike and astutely describe traditional rural work carried out on both land and sea, work such as twisting simmans rope, sheep dyke building and lobster fishing.

Culturally more Nordic than Scottish, the North Ronaldsay community cling to as many strong old traditions as they can, though many are irretrievably lost. The passing of time has changed the way these islanders live, though much of the independent Viking spirit remains. Ian reminisces about these changes with poignancy and recalls with great tenderness generations that came before.

Combined with a large selection of personal photographs gleaned from former times, Ian's often poetic descriptions in these letters paint a charming view of island life without neglecting harsher realities. Ian Scott's letters from North Ronaldsay capture a changing world from the unique viewpoint of an island man whose knowledge and memories leave him with one foot planted fondly in the past and yet able to observe the present with a keen eye.