The Royal National Mod isn’t just Scotland’s premier event to celebrate the language, music, culture and heritage of Gaeldom, it’s a very good excuse for a jolly old knees-up.
As those who live in Paisley are about to discover for themselves, the eight-day celebration brings people together from all corners of the world – people who love talking, singing and dancing and enjoy being together and making new friends.
The Royal National Mod, now in its 121st year, opens in Paisley tomorrow – the first time it has visited the town.
Organised by An Comunn Gàidhealach, the world’s oldest and most respected national Gaelic organisation, the event known simply as the Mod, is a competition-based event which attracts Highland dancers, pipers, musicians, singers and many more competitors from communities throughout the world.
It is the most important festival of the Gaelic language in Scotland, regularly playing host to Gaelic speakers and competitors from as far afield as Australia, the US and Canada.
The celebration of Gaelic music, dance, drama, arts and literature, takes place from tomorrow, October 11, until Saturday, October 19.
John Morrison, chief executive of An Comunn Gàidhealach, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to bring the Royal National Mod to Paisley for the very first time.
“It’s really encouraging to see that, even though this is the first time we’ve brought the Mod to Paisley, we are seeing such high entries to competitions from adults and children from all over Scotland and farther afield.
“With almost 3,000 participants registered to take part already, we can see that this Mod is going to be a really busy, lively event, with the numbers of entries close to the numbers achieved at the 2009 Mod, which was held in Oban.”
First held in 1892, the Royal National Mod has evolved to be the second most important festival in Scotland, with ever-increasing popularity and visitors coming from around the world.
The Mod offers a huge range of opportunities for people to compete, from fluent Gaelic speakers to those in the fledgling stages of learning the language.
The event kicks off tomorrow night with a torchlight procession organised by the local committee and involving the many competitors and members of the local community as they walk from Paisley Museum to the Town Hall.
A grand opening ceremony will then take place in the newly refurbished Town Hall, followed by performances from Cruinn, the Angus Nicolson Trio and also Sabhal Mòr Ostaig’s music students.
Traditionally, Saturday plays host to the annual shinty match, which this year sees Kyles Athletic play Glasgow Mid Argyll.
There will also be a fiercely fought-out football competition, with Paisley FC taking on Gaels of Glasgow Island FC. The fiddlers rally is also hosted over the weekend, with hundreds of musicians demonstrating their skills in a musical maelstrom.
Children’s competitions take place at the start of the week, with nearly 1,735 children from across the country taking part.
Since 1912, the Mod has been associated with the Royal Family; the Queen is a patron of the Mod’s parent body, An Comunn Gàidhealach.
On Tuesday, October 15, The Princess Royal will visit the town with John Macleod, president of An Comunn Gàidhealach, acting as host as the princess visits what is known traditionally as children’s day, during which numerous junior competitions take place, with prizes for choirs, individual singers and duets, as well as linguistic skills.
The adult Traditional and Gold Medal qualifying rounds take place on Wednesday, October 16, with the finals on Thursday, October 17.
The coveted Lovat & Tullibardine and Margaret Duncan titles will be awarded on Friday, October 18, before the final concert takes place.
The grand finale of the 2013 Royal National Mod will take place on Saturday, October 19, when the massed choirs will gather and perform in front of Paisley Town Hall.
The fringe activities also offer an annual opportunity for Gaels and non-Gaels to gather and renew old friendships as well as forging new ones.
Fringe activities for this year includes ceilidhs, music and comedy events.
Paisley Museum is presenting three exhibitions, collectively titled A Celebration of Gaeldom, which run until October 27.
The exhibition A Wing and a Prayer: Paisley’s Gaelic Chapel Graveyard will reveal how research into a secluded former graveyard has illuminated the rich cultural heritage of Gaelic-speaking people who migrated to Paisley in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
A View of Gaeldom is an art exhibition, featuring works from the Paisley Museum collection that depict the beautiful scenery of those parts of Scotland in which Gaelic was traditionally spoken, while Weaving and Waulking will look at the traditional methods and skills of producing cloth in Scotland.
Contact: for full event programme and details, visit www.acgmod.org or call 01463 708705.