Young Gaelic voices and up-and-coming musical talent took over the Royal National Mòd on Tuesday, with big wins for Oban, Mull and Harris.
The halls and corridors of Paisley North Church were packed with primary school pupils and their families, hoping for medals in junior singing and poetry competitions.
Oban’s Mia Duff from Bun-sgoil Achadh na Creige (Rockfield Primary School) triumphed against 14 competitors in the solo singing for fluent girls in P3.
Aggie Renton from Còisir Òg Mhuile (Mull Junior Gaelic Choir) also did very well finishing in second place, ahead of Anna Hagerty from Bun-sgoil Chondobhrait (Condorrat Primary School) in third.
One judge Ruairidh McIntyre said: “It was a fantastic competition. It is a credit to our Gaelic schools. The level of Gaelic has been so high.”
Another, Mischa MacPherson, added: “You have such beautiful voices. What a strong competition. The amount of hard work that went in. Everyone sang so well.”
Mia’s dad, Gary Duff, said: “She has worked so hard. She enjoys performing so much.” He thanked those who helped Mia with her Gaelic, especially her Mòd Academy tutor Mary-Catherine MacLean.
In the fluent boys’ solo singing for P5s, Nathan MacDonald from Sgoil nan Loch (Lochs School, Lewis) finished first, followed by Ronan Carmichael from Comunn Gàidhealach Mhuile in second, and Samuel Duke of Bun-sgoil Chondobhrait in third.
A judge Avril Allen, conductor of Back Gaelic Choir, said: “Well done to all the boys. Everybody got good marks. You were all fantastic. I hope we had a trophy for all of you.”
Mull’s Emily Wood from Comunn Gàidhealach Mhuile (Mull Mòd Club) came top out of 35 entrants in the poetry recitation for fluent P3 pupils.
The pupil at Salen Primary School’s Gaelic Medium Unit was just in front of Mia Duff in second place, and Eimhir Penelope Mackay from Bun-sgoil Innis an Uillt (Meadowburn Primary School) in third. “Everybody was very close together,” the judge said.
Emily’s mum, Claire Wood, said: “I am proud, drained. I am ecstatic for her. She sounded amazing.”
Emily is the youngest member of Comunn Gàidhealach Mhuile (Mull Mòd Club) which had a clean sweep on Monday, winning both the Choral Unison Learner Under-13 and the Choral Puirt-à-Beul Learner Under-13 competitions. They took a total of five trophies and cups across the two events.
Comunn Gàidhealach Mhuile’s Hannah Greig celebrated winning gold in the poetry recitation for P6&7 learners – and the Cowal Trophy – followed by the Mull Mòd Club’s Aela Tangny taking silver.
At Paisley Town Hall, Sir E Scott School Choir from the Isle of Harris took home a host of trophies in the junior choir competitions. In the under 13s, they won Aberfoyle and District Branch Trophy for the Choral Unison Fluent event, the Mrs Schroder Cup in the Choral Puirt-à-Beul competition and the Mrs Ann Grant of Laggan Memorial Trophy for the Choral Harmony Fluent event.
The talented youngsters also nabbed the Susan Paterson Caledonian MacBrayne Trophy as the highest achievers across all categories. In the morning’s 13-18 choir competitions, Sir E Scott School Choir also won the Choral Unison Open, Puirt-à-Beul Open and Choral Harmony Open events.