Anticipation for Mòd Phàislig 2023 is ramping up and preparation is already underway in Renfrewshire. The Royal National Mòd is the premier festival of Gaelic song, which takes place annually in the October holidays. This year, the Mòd will take place in Paisley between the 13th and 21st October and Fèisean nan Gàidheal are delighted to be working once again with An Comunn Gàidhealach (the organisation responsible for the running of the Mòd) and with Renfrewshire Council to support young people in the area in preparing.
Fèisean nan Gàidheal will be delivering Mòd Academy face to face for the first time since 2019, following support online for the last two years in Inverness and Perth. Prior to the summer holidays, whole classes will receive a taster in Gaelic song to encourage them to take part and, after the summer holidays, the focus will be on pupils who have entered and the pieces set before them for the festival.
This year, five tutors will visit up to 40 classes across 16 primary schools in the area to encourage around 930 pupils to take part in the Mòd.
James Graham, Chief Executive Officer of An Comunn Gàidhealach, said: “Young people are the future of Gaelic in Scotland and developing and nurturing their talent is always a key focus of the Royal National Mòd. It’s tremendous to see the Mòd Academy being rolled out to hundreds of pupils across Renfrewshire in person; we hope it will inspire many of them to give Gaelic song a go and get involved in this year’s event. We’re thankful to all of the Mòd Phàislig partners who have made this important activity possible.”
Chair of Mòd Phàislig Local Organising Group, Angus Ferguson, said: “It’s absolutely phenomenal that nearly a thousand students in Renfrewshire will receive face-to-face exposure to Gaelic through the Mòd Academy initiative. It shows the depth of interest in Gaelic language and culture and the Local Organising Group looks forward to welcoming many of these young people to Mòd Phàislig in October.”
In addition to regular funders Creative Scotland and Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Fèisean nan Gàidheal is grateful to Renfrewshire Council for supporting this initiative.
“We are delighted to welcome Mòd Academy to our schools. 2023 is a hugely exciting year as we prepare to welcome the Royal National Mòd to Paisley. This exciting project with our delivery partners from Fèisean nan Gàidheal will provide our learners with an opportunity to learn more about Gaelic culture and music through a high quality program of work,” said James Cunningham, Arts & Learning Officer for Renfrewshire Council.
The deadline for entries to Mòd Phàislig is 31st May 2023, and entries can be made online at https://enter.ancomunn.co.uk For more information about Mòd Academy and our work in schools, contact Fèisgoil Manager Eilidh Mackenzie at eilidh@feisean.scot
