Tradespeople in Birsay, Orkney

Birsay is a parish in the north-west corner of the Orkney Mainland, where the Brough of Birsay - a tidal island accessible at low tide - holds the remains of a Norse settlement and Romanesque church.

In the Norse period, Birsay was the seat of the Earls of Orkney and Earl Thorfinn the Mighty is thought to have built his Christ Church here in the 11th century before the centre of power moved to Kirkwall.

The ruins of the Earl's Palace in the village, built by Robert Stewart, Earl of Orkney, in the late 16th century, are another reminder of the area's historical significance.

Birsay today is a quiet, agricultural parish with dramatic cliff scenery along its western coast, where the Atlantic meets the North Sea at Marwick Head - a nature reserve and the site of the Kitchener Memorial.

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Orkney is an archipelago of around 70 islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland, separated from Caithness by the Pentland Firth - one of the most powerful tidal races in Europe.

Of those 70 islands, roughly 20 are inhabited and most of the population of around 22,000 lives on the largest island, known simply as the Mainland, where the towns of Kirkwall and Stromness serve as the administrative and cultural centres.

Orkney's history stretches back over 5,000 years. The Heart of Neolithic Orkney - a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising Skara Brae, Maeshowe, the Ring of Brodgar and the Stones of Stenness - represents some of the best-preserved prehistoric sites anywhere in northern Europe. The islands were under Norse rule for around 600 years and that Scandinavian heritage remains visible in place names, dialect and culture.

The islands are reached by ferry from Scrabster and Aberdeen and by air from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness. Orkney's economy is built on agriculture, fishing, renewable energy, whisky and tourism and the islands have a quality of life consistently rated among the highest in Scotland.

Orkney is at the forefront of marine renewable energy, home to the European Marine Energy Centre which tests tidal and wave power devices in the waters around the islands. The strong community life, low crime and dramatic landscape make Orkney one of the most distinctive and self-reliant places in Scotland.