Oban’s Finn MacDonald made a stunning debut at the Royal National Mòd last month, winning a gold medal for his singing in Paisley.
The primary four pupil at the Gaelic Unit of Bun-sgoil Achadh na Creige (Rockfield Primary School) won the gold badge in the Solo Singing Fluent Boys P4 competition on Tuesday October 17.
The seven-year-old also participated in the Poetry Recitation Fluent P4 event in his first experience of the highly competitive Mòd, which took place between Friday October 14 and Saturday October 22.
Finn’s mother, Kirsty MacDonald was proud of the dedication which he showed as he wowed the judges, with his singing and a striking pair of bright yellow wellie boots.
“I’m hugely impressed by how he stuck with it and his performance was pitch perfect, which was brilliant,” she said.
All of the entrants in the competition were asked to recite Na Bòtannan mòra, which is a song about Big Wellie Boots and explains Finn’s unique chose of footwear.
The Rockfield pupil has ADHD and Ms MacDonald explained that he had showed a huge amount of resilience to perform on such a big stage.
She added: “His commitment has been so impressive over the last nine months and it has really paid off, with the help of Mary Catherine MacLean from the Oban Mòd Academy.
“He was struggling to concentrate on the day, but he got through and he is absolutely hooked on singing now, asking when the next Mòd will start. Finn was even recognised in Oban Aldi, while wearing his Mòd hoodie!”
The youngster scored 91/100 for his Gaelic and 92/100 for his singing, getting the opportunity to perform for BBC Alba after he finished first from a field of 10 competitors.
It was also a special event for his family, with Ms MacDonald’s father a native of North Uist and his grandmother a traditional Gaelic speaker, as Oban gears up to host the Mòd next year.