成人快手

Last week, between June 7th and 9th, the Lewis Local Mod took place in Stornoway. Pupils from primary and secondary schools across the island competed in various aspects of Gaelic culture, much along the lines of the National Mod. This, incidentally, will be taking place at Dunoon later in the year.

I attended three competitions (and caught the tail-end of a fourth), focusing on the musical aspects, as Gaelic is (as yet) beyond me. I recorded the efforts of folk groups, school choirs and instrumentalists. I would like to commend all competitors for the standards displayed, the courage to stand on a stage in front of a (large) audience and the commitment to the culture of the island and the region as a whole. It is heartening to see children as young as 5 or 6 taking part in an event like this, which hopefully bodes well for the future of Gaelic culture. As Inverness MSP John Farquhar Munro said at the formal opening of the new An Lanntair arts centre, back in September 2005: It is an opportunity, an opening to be grasped. We have to work hard to make it blossom and grow. At any rate, that was the gist of what he said.

Recordings of the Local Mod are available on http://modmusic.bravehost.com/localmod.html