Hugh Smith’s letter from Islay
Mòd successes
ILICH everywhere were delighted by the successes enjoyed by the island’s competitors in a variety of competitions at the Royal National Mòd at Lochaber two weeks ago.
They shone particularly brightly in the learners’ junior section with top honours going to those who showed their winning ways in the singing, verse speaking and choral music competitions.
More delight was experienced when 21-year-old Alasdair Currie from Ballygrant decisively won the men’s gold medal after establishing a commanding lead over his fellow competitors in the run-up to the final.
Alasdair, who was runner-up in the same competition last year, is the son of Linda and Duncan Currie, smallholders at Ballachlaven in the Kilmeny district, and who also operate a coal merchant’s business.
Linda is a member of a well-known local musical family and Duncan’s father, the late Alastair Currie of Ardnahoe, was also a popular singer on the local concert and ceilidh scene.
He may have gone on to seek gold at national Mòd level but was tragically killed, along with his cousin, Archie Currie from Keills, in an explosives’ accident on the isle of Jura in 1962. Both were involved in preparing the ground for the positioning of electric cable poles when the tragedy occurred.
The Ardnahoe singer’s widow Isobel, nee MacCallum, lives in Bowmore and is a relative of the Mòd medallist George T MacCallum who died three years ago and had his golden success when the national Mòd visited Oban in 1962.
Happily, the current medallist’s grandfather made a number of recordings of Gaelic songs for the School of Scottish Studies at Edinburgh and Tobar an Dualchais have made copies of these available to the Currie family.
As well as possessing a pleasing singing voice, the new medallist, who recently graduated from Sabhal Mòr Ostaig with a degree in Gaelic and traditional music, is a talented piper.
The singing engagements will now be coming in thick and fast as Alasdair has now moved to Glasgow where he has started work as a process operator with the Clydeside Distillery.
The last time the men’s Mòd gold medal came to Islay’s shores was in 1984, when it was won by the late Robert Forrest in Inverness.
Another Ileach achieving gold medal success in Lochaber was Portnahaven singer Dugie Gillespie, who struck gold in Fort William 36 years ago.
GP heads down under
COME next spring island GP Dr Kate Pickering will be heading for Australia where her renal specialist husband, Professor Allan Jardine, is taking up a new post in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland.
She plans to continue her local medical practice duties until the end of the year and will then serve on a locum basis until the time of her departure.
Dr Pickering has been the principal GP at Bowmore for more than four years and is an enthusiastic and dedicated local doctor.
To ensure that the practice does not fall vacant, she will enter into a partnership with the GPs Dr Angus MacTaggart and Dr Matt Jackson, which should result in the Islay medical services continuing with the same staff and remaining doctors.
Dr Jackson will become responsible for the majority of Dr Pickering’s case load and Dr MacTaggart will assume the role of clinical lead for both Islay and Jura.
Everyone wishes Dr Pickering well as she starts her new life in more temperate climes.
Cearcall Chaluim
ISEABAIL Mactaggart, the Islay-born Mòd gold medallist and BBC Alba director of development and partnership, will deliver a Gaelic lecture, ‘How free are we today?’ in Edinburgh’s Scottish Storytelling Centre tomorrow (Friday November 3) at 7pm.
This is part of the capital’s ‘Cearcall Chaluim’ events which commemorate Edinburgh Highlander and Gaelic activist Calum Cameron, who was a noted singer, actor, raconteur and broadcaster.
Of Skye and Soay parentage, he died aged 93 in January of this year in Jersey, where he spent his latter years.
I have many pleasing memories of this splendid Gael who worked tirelessly for the Gaelic cause in his adopted city.
Hugh Smith, 4 Flora Street, Bowmore, Islay PA43 7JX. Tel: 01496 810 658