Pipe dreams as Mod gets under way
● Shinty, football and foraging all play a part in the modern Mod
Brothers Archie Johnston, 10, and Logie Johnston, 12, both won medals at the Royal National Mòd in Dunoon this weekend, in the under-13 chanter and under-13 novice piper competitions. The festival of Gaelic culture, which includes music, dance and sports events, runs until Saturday
Scotland’s biggest Gaelic cultural festival began in Dunoon last Friday with an opening ceremony of live music, an address by An Comunn Gàidhealach president Allan Campbell, and a nod to Scotland’s Year of Young People.
“Each year, I am struck at how the Gaelic language and culture works to bring so many different people together; and with this year’s focus on young Gaels, I hope this community will continue to thrive”, said John Morrison, chief sxecutive of An Comunn Gàidhealach.
Running until Saturday 20October, The Royal National Mòd brings together visitors and competitors, as it has since it was founded more than a century ago. The event hosts more than 200 competitions, with medals in Gaelic music, song, drama, highland dancing and literature, at all levels of Gaelic.
Friday’s festivities included performances by groups SIAN and Beinn Lee, and an announcement by Campbell that a new lecture will be set up to honor former president John Macleod, who died this year. However, the torchlight procession had to be cancelled due to the weather.
Saturday saw the first ever Primary Schools’ Mòd Shinty Tournament, which was introduced to celebrate Scot- land’s Year of Young People, in which Inveraray beat Kyle and Strachur 1-0. The adults went head-to-head in the Mòd Shinty Cup, with another victory for Inveraray, beating Col Glen 6 -3.
In the Mòd Football Cup, Glasgow Island came through with a 3- 0 win over local team Dunoon Amateurs, which even involved the Glasgow goalkeeper getting on the scoresheet for one of the goals.
The main competitions kicked off with young Gaels vying for medals in fiddle, piano, accordion, melodeon and bagpipes. In the Fringe, guests took a foraging walk to explore the local area and discover Scotland’s edible plants, fungi and berries.
Saturday also saw international guests: Argentine Gaelic choir Ceòlraidh. The group is South America’s only known Gaelic choir, which celebrates Argentina’s ties to Scotland and Gaelic culture.