This week,
just as the Annual National Conference of the Scottish National Party
finishes in Perth, the Gaelic language comes into its own as the 103rd
Royal National Mod opens in Dunoon. From today (Friday 13 October 2006)
the Cowal peninsula will resound to the sound of Gaelic until Saturday
21 October, as Gaels, young and old, enjoy what is Scotland’s second
largest festival.
An Comunn
Gaidhealach was formed in 1891 to promote the use and teaching of Gaelic
and held its first Mod in Oban the following year. Now the Royal
National Mod, it is the Scotland’s premier festival of the Gaelic
language, arts and culture, and is held annually in October at different
venues throughout Scotland. Next year the Mod goes to Lochaber where
Fort William will host the event from the 12th to 20th
October and in 2008 it will move to the Central Belt where Falkirk will
be the Gaels destination from the 10tth to 18th October. The
Mod is competition-based festival which celebrates the Gaelic language
through music, dance, arts and literature. The Children’s competitions,
in particular, attract great attention, and are obviously much enjoyed
by the young Gaels taking part.
Mod 2006
will be on a far greater scale than its 1892 counterpart which was
restricted to a one day event and like all modern festivals, The Mod has
its own fringe! Visit
www.the-mod.co.uk for details of all activities at Dunoon.
Some
unfair commentators dismiss The Mod as the ‘Whisky Olympics’ and while
it is true that a dram or two will oil the success of the event, there
is much more to The Mod and Gaeldom would be much the poorer without its
showcase. The annual Mod acts as a reminder of our Gaelic heritage and
acts as a visible reminder to all Scots of the important part Gaelic
still plays in Scottish life and what it means to be Scottish. The
recent opening of the new Gaelic school in Glasgow, which takes pupils
from nursery school right through to secondary shows that Gaelic is not
yet, thankfully, a dead language.
But whisky
does play a part in this week’s recipe as you can enjoy a taste of
Gaelic in Gaelic Coffee.
Gaelic Coffee
Ingredients: 3 dessertspoons Scotch Whisky; 1 level dessertspoon
light brown sugar; fresh, strong coffee; double cream
Method:
Heat a stemmed wine glass with hot water and dry quickly. Add the Whisky
and stir in the sugar. Pour in the coffee, leaving an inch below the
rim. Keep stirring until the sugar has dissolved and pour in the cream
over the back of a teaspoon so that it floats on the surface to the
depth of about half an inch. Enjoy.
