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Lochaber has been selected as the host area for The Royal National Mòd 2025, bringing the annual celebration of Gaelic language and culture to Fort William for the ninth time. The announcement comes as plans for the 2023 event ramp up, with just days to go until the competition entry deadline.
Confirmed to run between 10 – 18 October 2025, Gaeldom’s premiere event will take over the scenic area with prestigious competitions, performances and cultural activities.
Lochaber last hosted the event in 2017, when more than 10,000 people flocked to the area to compete in competitions and take in the array of events on offer, generating over £2.6 million for the local economy. Looking forward to the 2025 event, organisers are confident the festival will see an equally, if not increased, beneficial impact on the West Highland community.
The Royal National Mòd attracts Gaelic communities from across the UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada and the USA and has a legacy which lasts far beyond its eight-day programme of competitions and events.
The annual festival facilitates the largest platform on which to promote and celebrate Gaelic language, arts, sport and culture, and with the vast visitor numbers it also significantly boosts the local economy of each year’s host destination.
Lochaber is well-renowned for its links to Gaelic language and culture, with a huge number of Scotland’s leading musicians hailing from the area, including past Mòd Gold Medallists Robert Robertson, Rachel Walker, Calum MacColl and Margaret MacLellan-Ford.
This news comes ahead of the online entry system for this year’s Royal National Mòd closing on Wednesday 31st May 2023. Competitors wishing to take part in the 2023 event have until midnight on the last day of this month to submit their entries.
The full list of competitions taking place including singing, bàrdachd, instrumental, drama and Highland dancing categories can be found in the Mòd syllabuses at ancomunn.co.uk/nationalmod/syllabus and entries can be submitted at https://enter.ancomunn.co.uk.
The online element remains a popular way for those wishing to take part in the event from afar and allows competitors to enter, record and upload their performances through the digital system. The online competitions and performances will be showcased via The Royal National Mòd’s social media channels as part of the event in October.
James Graham, Chief Executive Officer of An Comunn Gàidhealach, said: “We are thrilled to announce the return of The Royal National Mòd to Lochaber in 2025. The last Mòd held there in 2017 was a huge success with a record number of over 3600 competitors taking part. The Lochaber branch of An Comunn Gàidhealach are an active and experienced group who deliver Lochaber Provincial Mòd each year to a consistently high standard. Lochaber, of course, has a strong Gaelic heritage and I have no doubt that 2025 Mòd will be just as successful with thousands of Gaels gathering for the celebrations and competitions in the beautiful backdrop of Lochaber. The only entry system for competitions at this year’s Mòd will also close at the end of this month so we would encourage everyone to get their submission in as soon as possible.”
Chair of The Highland Council’s Gaelic Committee, Cllr Calum Munro said: “The Highland Council supports the very important role the Mòd plays in promoting the use of Gaelic and the positive image for the language created by this flagship gathering of the Gaelic community. The Mòd provides an important opportunity for speakers of all abilities to use Gaelic informally during the event and contributes highly to the social, economic and cultural value of the host community. Highland Council is delighted that it is returning to Lochaber where the community is renowned for its Gaelic and cultural heritage, especially in relation to traditional music.”
This year’s Royal National Mòd will take place in Paisley from 13-21 October 2023. It will be the second time the town has hosted the esteemed celebration of Gaelic language and culture, having last hosted the event in 2013. The Mòd will then go to Oban in 2024, before heading to Lochaber the following year.
For more information, visit www.ancomunn.co.uk
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