A Skye student took gold at the Royal National Mòd on Wednesday, singing the same song that his father had performed 40 years ago.
Iain MacCormaig was competing in the Men’s Gold Medal final in Paisley Town Hall’s Main Auditorium, opting to win over the judges with a rendition of ‘Failte do ‘n Eilean Sgitheanach’ (Welcome to the Isle of Skye).
The 21-year-old University of Strathclyde student’s second performance of his chosen song mirrored that of his father Art’s gold medal at the 1983 Mòd in Motherwell.
In the Ladies Gold Medal final held at the same time and venue, Emma NicLeoid from Scalpay took the honours back to the Western Isles in just one of eight demonstrations of incredible musicality and passion for Gaelic.
Women’s Gold Medallist Emma said: “Winning the Gold Medal means so much to me. I’ve been involved with the Mòd since I was very young and it was an honour to win the Traditional Gold Medal a couple of years ago.
“I didn’t know if my style of singing would suit this competition and I couldn’t believe it when I saw the scores come in. My family are all here tonight, and everyone at home will be watching, too, so I just couldn’t be happier.”
The 25-year-old gained the most points in a competition involving four female competitors, which included Oban’s Julie-Anne MacFadyen, who finished third overall.
Julie-Anne had performed the Islay song, ‘Fios chun a’bhaird’ (Message to the bard) and she told the Oban Times that this was fitting as her Ileach great-grandmother had been the first person to teach her Gaelic.
“It’s been a great night and I’m delighted for my good friend Emma (MacLeod). The song I chose was a fitting one for an Argyll girl,” she said.
Earlier on Wednesday morning, each finalist had participated in qualifiers, with initial silverware also on offer as Iain added The Caledonian MacBrayne and The FS Cameron-Head Memorial trophies to his collection.
This meant there were incredible demonstrations of musicality and passion for Gaelic song across both the morning and evening as vocalists sung a prescribed piece and a song of their own choice.
Following his gold medal triumph in the final, Iain MacCormaig said: “I have a lot of my friends and family in the crowd tonight and it’s been nice to have their support.
“The song I sang has always meant a lot to us as a family, it’s almost an anthem for Skye. I was happy with how things went tonight, and I’m absolutely delighted to be taking home the medal.”
Elsewhere, the Silver Pendant title for Gaelic learners was won by Theresa Irving from the Barra Gaelic Choir, while Uist Drama Club triumphed in the PACE drama competition at Paisley’s Art Department.
James Graham, chief executive officer of An Comunn Gàidhealach, James Graham said: “From morning right through to the wee hours, there is music to be heard and enjoyed at this year’s Mòd.
“Our Gold Medal and Silver Pendant medalists showed just how incredibly moving Gaelic song is and represented our culture and language with such esteem.”