DESPITE living only five minutes away from her competition venue, Banavie clarsach player Holly Dodman and her family had to do a 400-mile round-trip to compete at this year’s Mòd.
But the journey was more than worthwhile as Holly won a special award for being the youngest performer on the day.
Banavie Primary School pupil Holly, aged nine, lives just half a mile away from her competition venue in Caol but had been enjoying a family holiday in the Lake District during Mòd week.
Rather than withdraw her entry from the junior elementary clarsach competition on Wednesday, Holly and her mum made the trip back home to play for the adjudicators.
Although she competed in just one event, Holly’s determination to perform paid off as she won the Lawrence MacDuff Trophy, awarded to the youngest entrant in the clarsach competitions.
She didn’t have long to celebrate, however, as the family made the journey back down south for the rest of their holiday.
Holly is a pupil of Ingrid Henderson and arrived in Fort William just in time to catch Ingrid in action on Tuesday night. Ingrid was performing as part of the Nàdur concert, put together by fellow Lochaber musician Rachel Walker.
Holly said Ingrid was a great clarsach teacher and had been very helpful in her preparations for the Mòd this year.
Left: Esther MacLeod and Issy Sutherland, of Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pàirce, Edinburgh, winners of the Lord Birsay Trophy for clarsach duet. JP_MOD43jp1_MOD
Holly Dodman, nine, from Banavie, won the Lawrence MacDuff Trophy. 21_MOD43nf278_clarsach
Coinneach MacLeod, originally from the Isle of Lewis, won two of the men’s solo singing silver pendant qualifiers. He won the Katie Stewart Memorial Trophy and the Bank of Scotland Cup. Coinneach was then crowned the winner of the Silver Pendant...
Alasdair Currie from Islay, 21, won both trophies in the gold medal qualifier on Wednesday morning – the Caledonian MacBrayne Trophy and the F S Cameron Head Memorial Trophy. He went on to win the coveted Gold Medal competition on Wednesday night....
Eileen Duncan from Lewis won the Catherine M B Dunlop Quaich in the learners’ competitor’s choice silver pendent qualifier, with Tiree’s Ishbel Campbell taking home The Margot Campbell Trophy. Ishbel went on to win the Silver Pendant. 17_MOD43dm01
Morvern couple Heather Brown and Hector MacKechnie, from Samhairidh, competed in the open duet singing competition, performing 'Tha thu daonnan nam smuain'. 21_MOD43nf285_duet
Royal National Mòd stalwarts Joy Dunlop, left, Connel, and Nicola Pearson, Oban, won the open duet singing with a rousing rendition of 'Thig am bàta'. 21_MOD43nf293_duet