A bit of a sore throat proved to be no impediment to Inverness teenager Eilidh Cormack as she became one of the youngest singers to achieve Mod gold medal success.
Miss Cormack said: “After doing well in the qualifying, I just relaxed and sang.
“I love singing, and the fact I was in the final so young took the pressure off to some extent.
“I was nervous during the qualifying but once I qualified I think I just relaxed and despite a wee sore throat I won through.
“I am totally stunned.”
Miss Cormack is from a famous Skye Gaelic family, and her father Arthur was also 18 when he won the men’s gold medal in 1983 in Motherwell.
Miss Cormack said this did add a bit of extra pressure, but at the same time being from a Gaelic singing family meant that she knew what competition was all about.
She is studying Gaelic at Glasgow University, and as yet is unsure if she will continue her love of Gaelic singing to make it a career.
Her personal song of choice was a Skye air, MacLeod’s Lament which Eilidh has heard so often throughout her singing career.
Brother Ruairidh was last night singing in the traditional final.
Proud father Arthur said: “Eilidh was more or less self taught in Gaelic.
“I began being interested in Gaelic when I was eight or nine, and just kept going with it.”
The male gold medal winner was Angus MacLeod, 39, a solicitor from Inverness.
Appropriately for a Mod in Inverness, he is one of only eight from the city to take the top males solo singing prize in the 122-year history of the competition.
It is also the first time he has gone for gold at the Royal National Mod.
Mr MacLeod, who works for Wright, Johnston and Mackenzie, said: “My father was from Lewis and my mother from Skye and Uist.
“The Uist connection is very important to me as one of my songs was from there.
“I used to sing at the local mods, but when I returned to Inverness I joined Inverness Gaelic Choir and I think my singing just blossomed from then on.”