Drop in children’s entries at Mòd bucks recent upward trend
● But numbers are ahead of last time Gaelic festival was held in Stornoway
0 Twin sisters Rowan and Rebecca Morris from Port Ellen won the under-13 duet for Gaelic learners Royal National Mòd organisers expressed surprise yesterday at a year-on-year drop in the number of children’s competitors at Scotland’s biggest Gaelic cultural festival, being held in Stornoway this week.
As events got under way in 33 poetry,drama,songandmusic contests for young Gaels aged 5 to 19, it was revealed that the 1,700 children entered this year is a slight fall on last year’s Mòd in Oban, and ends a trend of increased numbers over recent years.
In contrast, adult participants have experienced a slight rise, to 1,400 this year. The unexpected fall in the number of young performers also comes at time of rising numbers of pupils in Gaelic medium education. But this year’s entries in children’s categories are an increase on the numbers recorded when the Mòd was last held in Stornoway, five years ago.
In addition, the last four Mòds have been on the mainland, offering easier accessibility for many competitors.
“As usual the (overall) numbers are healthy,” said John Morrison, chief executive of Mòd organisers An Comunn Gàidhealach. “There has been a slight decrease in youth numbers but we are not quite sure why and we will have to look at that.”
One of the highlights of the children’s competitions yesterday came in duet singing, when the under-13 learners section was won by nine-yearold twins Rowan and Rebecca Morris, of Port Ellen Pri- mary School, Islay. The Murdo Macfarlane Trophy for under-13 folk music was won by Na Rudhaich, a folk group from Point, Isle of Lewis. The award is named after a Lewisborn Bard whose Gaelic poetry, songs and pipe tunes, has been an inspiration for Gaelic artists and musicians.
The children’s competitions continue today, and adult competitions begin tomorrow, with this year’s Gold Medal Final taking place on Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, the National Library of Scotland announced yesterday that historic information about the history of 125-year-old An Comunn Gàidhealach is being made available online.
The Library is digitising An Comunn’s publications in its collection, including all the Mòd programmes – allowing people to search for names of competitors in years gone by.