The spirit of the Gaels is set to hit Glasgow in October with the world’s largest celebration of the Scottish Gaelic language.
The Royal National Mòd will run from 9th to 17th October and is set to take over the city with events at cultural centres including Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, the National Piping Centre, the Barrowland Ballroom, Òran Mór, The Glee Club and Edward House.
The vibrant nine-day multi-arts festival covers everything from music and song to literature and drama, encouraging speakers, learners and culture fans to experience and enjoy all forms of Gaelic arts. Now in its 134th year, the cultural extravaganza is expected to welcome around 10,000 attendees, with tickets for flagship events on sale now.
An opening Ar Cànan’s Ar Ceòl concert will see local talent centre stage. Through words, music, song and visuals, the celebratory night will take the audience on a journey across four decades and feature performances from GME success stories, who have gone on to become household names. Breakthrough trad act DLÙ, whose members include many who went to Glasgow Gaelic schools, are set to perform, while an orchestra of former and current GME pupils and seasoned Scottish players will also grace the stage.
Elsewhere, legendary Gaelic musical family, the Cormacks, will host their very own Cèilidh le na Cormacks (Cèilidh with the Cormacks) at the National Piping Centre on Saturday, 10th October, sharing their favourite songs and tunes for a feel-good evening. Family cèilidhs on Monday, 12th and Tuesday, 13th October will encourage attendees of all ages to take to the dance floor.
The festival will also see all seven of Glasgow’s Island Associations join forces for a very special concert at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, brought together by singer, broadcaster and Glasgow Gael Mary Ann Kennedy and Mòd Convenor, D-I Brown. An Drochaid (The Bridge) will be a landmark gathering of island talent from across Glasgow’s Gaelic diaspora. Mary Ann, who was brought up in a family from Skye and Tiree, will lead a who’s who of performers connected to each island.
Across the week residents and visitors alike will be able to enjoy music sessions, conversation circles, football and shinty matches and a wealth of talks, workshops and exhibitions, while Glasgow Royal Concert Hall’s Exhibition Hall will be transformed into a bustling hub of music, dance and chatter.
At Edward House, attendees can get involved in Tì is Cofaidh meet ups each morning and Ceòl is Curry each evening, amongst other activities, arranged by Glasgow Life.
And a spectacular Gael Force 10 at the Barrowland Ballroom will be performed on Friday, 16th October, featuring Capercaille’s Donald Shaw and Karen Matheson, Tide Lines’ Robert Robertson, Skipinnish’s Angus MacPhail, Andrew Stevenson and Archie McAllister, Skerryvore’s Daniel and Martin Gillespie, Trail West’s Ian Smith and Mànran’s Kim Carnie and Ewen Henderson.
Double Mòd gold medallist and fan favourite Ruairidh Gray is also set to perform alongside acclaimed fiddle player Marie Fielding.
The unique night was commissioned by the Local Organising Committee of Mòd Ghlaschu and is being brought together with the help of musician, broadcaster and event organiser Gary Innes.
The event will also welcome one of the Scottish traditional music scene’s most popular and highly respected musicians, John ‘Iky’ Carmichael.
From Oban to Tiree and from Assynt to Mull, the Highlands and Islands will be represented in force at the bespoke Barrowlands show, with accordionist and Scottish Dance Band legend Jennifer Cruickshank, pianist Rory Matheson, drummer Fraser MacInnes and many more also performing.
The week will be rounded off with the breathtaking Massed Choirs event on Saturday, 17th October which will see hundreds of Gaelic choral singers take part in a procession down Sauchiehall Street before gathering on the steps at the top of Buchanan Street to perform spine-tingling arrangements of much-loved Gaelic songs en masse.
The fringe events run alongside more than 200 competitions spanning solo singing, choirs, bands, instruments, art and more. Contests like the gold medal and traditional gold medal, flagship choir competitions, Battle of the Bands, drama final and more are expected to draw crowds to witness one of Scotland’s most significant and long-standing cultural events in action.
This year’s Royal National Mòd in Glasgow is supported by Glasgow Life, Bòrd na Gàidhlig, The Scottish Government, EventScotland, Caledonian MacBrayne, BBC ALBA, Creative Scotland and Qualifications Scotland. Tickets for flagship events are on sale now on the event website: www.modghlaschu2026.org.
Author Bio:
Rebecca Hay is an experienced travel writer and member of The British Guild of Travel Writers. Follow her adventures with her family on Twitter and Instagram @emojiadventurer and on Facebook via EmojiAdventurers2.
Photographs courtesy of the Royal National Mòd
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