ISLE OF SKYE TOURIST BOARD - VISITOR GUIDANCE No.91

VISITOR GUIDANCE No. 91 𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗢̀𝗗 The Mòd brings people together to celebrate Gaelic language, song and culture. It also brings together people who remember precisely who came second in 1978, and remain dissatisfied with the explanation. Visitors are warmly welcome. The following guidance may help. 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗢̀𝗗? The Royal National Mòd is an annual celebration of Gaelic language and culture, with competitions in singing, choirs, instrumental music, poetry and drama. Children and adults spend months preparing to compete for prestigious medals and trophies. Visitors are welcome to enjoy the performances without taking sides. This is easier if you have no relatives. The standard is exceptionally high. A single mark can separate first and second place, and subsequently two sisters who arrived in the same car. Everyone is delighted to be taking part. You will hear this particularly clearly from people who have not won. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗥𝗜𝗧 Choirs must demonstrate harmony, discipline and a command of Gaelic. They are generally less restrained in English once the marks come out. The winning conductor will thank the adjudicator for their expertise. The runner-up will ask where they’re from. This may sound like polite conversation. It has already become an investigation. Visitors should avoid saying, “They all sounded lovely to me.” You may as well go into the lamb sales and say all the sheep look the same. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗚 Please remain quiet during performances. If a singer closes their eyes, they are concentrating. They have not forgotten the words and do not require you to supply some. Songs may concern love, loss, longing, even more loss, or a place the singer would very much like to return to. Donnie says he understands this. He once spent a fortnight in Dundee. 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗨𝗦𝗘 Wait until the song has finished. A pause is not necessarily the end. There may be further sorrow to come. If unsure, watch the woman in the front row holding the programme. She knows the song, the singer, the singer’s mother and whether that last note was quite what they’d practised. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗜𝗥𝗦 Choirs perform together in carefully balanced harmony. This should not be taken to mean that everyone agreed about the bus departure time. The winning choir will praise the standard of the competition. The others will discuss the acoustics. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗦 The adjudicator’s decision is final. There is no formal appeal, although you may hear one being conducted beside the sandwiches. A choir beaten by one mark in 1983 still maintains it has moved on. They brought the score sheet. Just in case anyone asked. Donnie once congratulated the winners before checking which choir his cousin was in. He now waits until someone tells him whether it was a good result. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗔𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗖 You do not need to speak Gaelic to enjoy the Mòd. Listen, take an interest and don’t be afraid to ask. However, knowing the chorus of one song does not qualify you to correct a woman from South Uist. Nothing in this guidance qualifies you to correct a woman from South Uist. 𝗠𝗘𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘 You may notice that a great many people seem to know one another. Introductions can involve establishing where your family comes from, who your grandmother was and whether your uncle is the one who had the blue van. A simple “nice to meet you” may therefore take twenty minutes. Allow longer if it was the white van. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘 The music may continue after the scheduled events have finished. If someone says, “Just the one song,” do not book a taxi on that basis. Murdo went to put his coat on in 2004. He was persuaded to stay for a chorus and has been extremely careful about making definite arrangements ever since. 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗚𝗨𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 Come for the music. Enjoy the company. Give the performers your full attention. And if someone tells you their choir was robbed, please establish that they mean the result before contacting the police. 𝗜𝗦𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗦𝗞𝗬𝗘 𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗧 𝗕𝗢𝗔𝗥𝗗 “The Mòd. Harmony on stage. A full account of what happened afterwards.” #isleofskyetouristboard #visitscotland #isleofskye