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Gaelic story about alien visiting Lewis during Covid pandemic secures gold at Mod

Magnus Montgomery of Back, Lewis with the Alasdair Macinnes Memorial Cup for storytelling in the five to eight age category. Image: Sandy McCook/ DC Thomson.
Magnus Montgomery of Back, Lewis with the Alasdair Macinnes Memorial Cup for storytelling in the five to eight age category. Image: Sandy McCook/ DC Thomson.

A young lad from Lewis shared a unique Gaelic tale to earn him the Alasdair Macinnes Memorial Cup.

Magnus Montgomery, from the village of Back, competed at North Inch Community Campus in Perth in the five to eight years old open storytelling contest.

Competitors shared a story of their own choice to help secure them first prize.

The eight-year-old shared a signature story, written by his mother Anne Montgomery, about an alien and his reaction to the Covid pandemic.

The story, narrated in Gaelic, was about an alien who came to Lewis to find out what was going on during the pandemic, having watched events unfold from above.

The tale earned him the gold badge and the Alasdair Macinnes Memorial Cup.

A real family affair

Magnus is following in the footsteps of his older brother Finlay who won the same award at the 2019 Mod in Glasgow, who was also just eight at the time.

Magnus said he was delighted to have won the award.

His mother Mrs Montgomery explained how her son had grown up around Gaelic and how it was her wish for her children to follow in her footsteps.

Magnus won the Alasdair Macinnes Memorial Cup; the same award his brother Finlay won for storytelling in 2019 at the same age. Image: Sandy McCook/ DC Thomson.

Mrs Montgomery previously competed at the Royal National Mod in both choral singing and storytelling.

She said: “I’m a Gaelic speaker and he has been hearing Gaelic since day one. He’s come along to the Mods and enjoys it.

“Having been brought up speaking Gaelic myself, I was very keen that my children have the same opportunity.

“It is not just the language and speaking it every day which is important, as it keeps the language alive, but the culture is so rich and the opportunity to come along and participate in things like this every year. It is a real experience.

“I did it myself growing up and it was something I always loved. Thankfully they seem to enjoy it too.”

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