Highland Council sponsors Mod Competition

The Màiri Mhòr Gaelic Song Fellowship through The Highland Council, this year sponsored one of the major Gaelic Learners Solo Vocal competitions at the Mod in Dunoon.

The Fellowship sponsored the Adult Learners Traditional Singing Competitions, an area of Gaelic Song which has been growing in popularity in the last several years. The winner was presented with a specially commissioned silver kilt pin incorporating the Fellowship logo, designed and made by South Uist Jeweller Roddy Johnson of Dingwall.

The winner of the Fellowship Kilt pin was Catriona Watt from Lewis who has previously won a Màiri Mhòr sponsored prize as a junior. Runners up Nicola Pearson from Angus and Lynn Phipps from West Yorkshire were also presented with copies of the works of Màiri Mhòr. The prizes were presented by Councillor Andy Anderson, Chairman of Education, Culture and Sport for  Highland Council.

Fiona Mackenzie, the Màiri Mhòr Fellow said: “The Highland Council is very keen to encourage Gaelic learners of all ages to sing traditional songs, much in the style that the great Gaelic Bardess Màiri Mhòr nan Òran would have herself sung. Although it is reputed that she was no great singer herself, she had a gift with her bàrdachd( poetry)  and would certainly have encouraged people to sing these great traditional songs today. This is the fourth year we have sponsored this competitions and the number of competitors has continued to grow every year, showing the popularity of the style. We hope that next year , being the Year of Highland 2007, the competition will be even stronger than it is now, becoming as prestigious as those competitions for Fluent Gaelic speakers.”