North Ronaldsay

North Ronaldsay (/ˈrɒnəltsiː/, also /ˈrɒnəldziː/, Scots: North Ronalshee) is the northernmost island in the Orkney archipelago of Scotland. With an area of 690 hectares (2.7 sq mi), it is the fourteenth-largest. It is mentioned in the Orkneyinga saga; in modern times it is known for its historic lighthouse, migratory bird life and unusual breed of sheep.

The earliest written reference to the island appears in the thirteenth century Orkneyinga saga where it is called Rínansey. Schei states that the name means ‘the island of St Ninian’. However, according to Thomson, although Christianity existed in Orkney prior to the arrival of the Norse, and a possible derivation of the name is ‘St Ringan’s island’, the references to Ninian in the Northern Isles date from the 12th century rather than being pre-Norse. Haswell-Smith suggests the more prosaic 'Ringa's Isle' and emphasises that the Norse name precludes a link to the name Rögnvaldr.

Schei states that the name was pronounced "Rinnalsay" and by the 14th century it had become confused with Rognvaldsey, in the south of Orkney and that they were re-named North Ronaldsay and South Ronaldsay to distinguish them from each other.

Irvine's 2006 reprint of Blaeu's Atlas Novus of 1654 contains various references to North Ronaldsay including:-

North Ronaldsay lies around 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) north of its nearest neighbour, Sanday, at grid reference HY759542. It is around 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) long and is defined by two large sandy bays; Linklet Bay on the eastern shoreline and South Bay at the south. The west of the island is very rocky, with many skerries. North Ronaldsay is low-lying and exposed; its climate is extremely changeable and frequently inclement. The surrounding waters are stormy and treacherous, and have been a notorious "graveyard" for ships (hence the unusually early provision of a lighthouse on the island).

Hollandstoun at the south of the island is the most sizable settlement; it lies roughly equidistant from the airfield and the pier. North Ronaldsay is also home to a bird observatory.

A 1.8 m (6 ft) dry stone dyke has been built to surround the island, the purpose of which is to keep the seaweed-eating local sheep off the arable land.

A well-preserved Iron Age broch, known as the Broch of Burrian, is located on the southern tip of the island. Excavations in 1870–71 uncovered a large number of Iron Age and Pictish artefacts, with occupation continuing up to the Norse occupation of the Orkney islands in the 9th century.