Mull Mòd marks 80th anniversary milestone

Hundreds of musicians and storytellers will gather in Tobermory next weekend as Mull Mòd celebrates its 80th anniversary.

Organisers promise a ceilidh trail, songbook and dinner dance to mark the occasion, next Friday and Saturday, September 7 and 8.

The penultimate provincial Mòd, it will be followed by Barra Mòd on September 22 then the Royal National Mòd in Dunoon from October 12-20.

A statement on the Mull Mòd website said: ‘We are delighted so many competitors and supporters continue to enjoy the challenges and atmosphere of our Mòd, and hope this will remain the case for many years to come.’

The event, officially called Mòd Ionadach na Dreòlluinn, began in Tobermory on June 14, 1938, attracting around 100 entries from Mull and Coll.

Since then, the event has expanded to include entrants from across Scotland and further afield, and is now considered a preamble to the Royal National Mòd in October.

The competition was established to promote Gaelic language development through a variety of singing, instrumental and storytelling performances.

This year, 20 provincial Mòds have taken place across Scotland, including in Oban, Lochaber and the Hebrides.

Meanwhile, An Communn Gàidhealach, which organises the Royal National Mòd, has been running new Gaelic drama and music courses in Dunoon to help children and young adults prepare for the national event, funded via Event Scotland.

As part of fundraising efforts to get to the national event, Mull Mòd Club has held a tombola a raffle and a ‘guess the unicorn’s birthday’ competition, all of which helped raise more than £750.

Further details about this year’s Mòd events will be announced on the websites www.mullmod.org.uk and www.ancommunn.co.uk