Gaels will gather in the heart of Perth this afternoon to give thanks at the Mod’s annual church service.
Festival-goers will gather at St John’s Kirk to pause for thought among the busy nine-day programme of events.
The service will commence from 3pm and will be broadcast live on BBC Radio nan Gaidheal.
Gaels will then reconvene for an informal evening of Celtic Praise which will take place at St Mathew’s Church Sanctuary from 7pm.
Renowned Lewis singer-songwriter Norrie MacIver and acclaimed vocalist Anne Bennett will be joined by local Gaelic choirs to put on a spell-binding evening of choral music.
The services ride on the success of the Royal National Mod’s first day of competitions.
James Graham, chief executive officer of An Comunn Gaidhealach, said: “This weekend has been an incredible start to our exciting 2022 programme and we really appreciate everyone who has taken part in and supported this year’s Royal National Mod so far.
“Today’s annual Mod Church Service at St John’s Kirk is a great chance to slow down and reflect, before we jump into a jam-packed week of music, competitions, art and much more – there’s so much to get involved in over the coming days.”
Best of the best take centre stage
On Saturday, participants of all ages took to the stage to show off their talents in playing the pipes, accordion and fiddle.
Dumfries High School S5 pupil Gregor Grierson, 16, won twice in the 16 to 18-year-old competitions, taking home both the W.G.G. Wilson Trophy in the pibroch competition, and the Royal Highland Fusiliers Cup for the March, Strathspey and Reel.
Portree High School’s 12-year-old Seonaidh Forrest came out on top in the 15 years and under pibroch competition, and Arran Green, 15, from Bannockburn High School scooped a double win, taking home the Roderick Munro Quaich for his 2/4 March and the Lighting Electrical Cup for his Strathspey and Reel in the 15 years and under categories.
In the senior competitions, Craig Sutherland, originally from Crieff and now based in Perth, won both the Pìobaireachd and the March, Strathspey and Reel Premier and A Grade competitions.
Brodie Watson-Massey won the B-grade Pìobaireachd, and Angus Macphee won the B-grade March, Strathspey and Reel competition.
Organisers An Comunn Gaidhealach partnered with The Competing Pipers Association, The Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming and the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust to support its piping competitions this year, with senior piping competitions graded for the first time.
The day’s events were topped off with Our Language Our Music concert, showcasing Perthshire’s thriving Gaelic culture and traditional music scene.
Some of the region’s finest musicians put on a show stopping performance, including Margaret Bennett, Patsy Reid, Pete Clark, Ross Ainslie and Ali Hutton, and The Tayside Young Fiddlers.
They were joined by a hand-picked local string section and all-star house band for the celebratory evening of Gaelic music and song.
Shinty returns to Perth for first time in 11 years
Spectators also gathered on the playing fields at North Inch Community Campus to mark the return of shinty to the Fair City.
It’s the first time in 11 years that the sporting event has been held in the city.
Tayforth returned to their spiritual home of Perth to take on Aberdour in both the men’s Aviemore Trophy and the women’s LearnGaelic.scot Trophy. Aberdour won both matches, lifting the trophy for the men with a score of 1-0, with the women winning 3-0.
The Mod Football Cup also took place, with local community club Jeanfield Swifts taking on Glasgow Island. Glasgow Island put in an impressive performance to win 4-1 against the home side.
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