Royal National Mod heads to the Highlands

17th October 2013

The Highland Council and An Comunn Gàidhealach looked ahead to the Royal National Mod in Inverness next year and announced that Lochaber will host 2017 Mod.

Provost of Inverness Councillor Alex Graham and Councillor Hamish Fraser, Chair of The Highland Council’s Gaelic Implementation Group, were both present in Paisley at the 2013 National Mod to welcome the Mod back to Inverness next year and to jointly announce the venue for 2017.

Councillor Alex Graham said: “The Council is delighted that the Mod will be staged twice in the Highlands in the coming years and that is returning to the Highland Capital after 17 years. The Gaelic language is thriving in Inverness, home to a rapidly expanding Gaelic school and a place with a great Gaelic heritage. Having the Mod here will give Gaelic another boost.

“Inverness is a great venue with excellent connections, facilities, and accommodation and there will be a warm welcome for the thousands of participants and spectators who will come here. As well as enjoying the Mod they will find much to do in our City which has everything from fine riverside scenery to first-class shopping. The 2014 Mod is one of many events taking place in the Highlands in 2014 as part of the Year of Homecoming Scotland and the Highland Homecoming, and it will provide a real showcase for the vast wealth of talent that exists in the Gaelic-speaking community and especially among our young people.”

The Council and An Comunn Gàidhealach were also delighted to announce that the 2017 Mod will take place in Lochaber. Leader of the Lochaber Area Committee, Councillor Thomas MacLennan, said: “This is great news for Lochaber, a stronghold of the Gaelic language and culture. Those attending the Mod can be assured of a warm and friendly welcome in 2017and I am sure it will be a great success.”

Councillor Hamish Fraser, said: “The Council is hugely supportive of the Royal National Mod. Our Gaelic Language Plan states that we will work with An Comunn Gàidhealach to deliver a Royal National Mod in Inverness in 2014 befitting the world’s premier Gaelic cultural event, particularly given the other international events Scotland is hosting in 2014. We also aim to increase the number of participants and visitors to the Mod when it is based in the Highlands, and we will work to achieve this through an active Council Mod Liaison Group which will support the Local Mod Committee. I wish both the 2014 and the 2017 National Mods every success.”