In this article we've pulled together some useful information for businesses in Perth & Kinross about The Royal National Mòd (known as The Mòd), an eight-day festival celebrating Gaelic language and culture, which returns to Perth from the 14 – 22 October 2022.
Organised by An Comunn Gàidhealach, this eight-day festival celebrating Gaelic language and culture is held annually in a different Scottish town or city bringing up to 7,500 visitors to the host area and over £1 million to the local economy.
There are over 200 competitions throughout the event ranging from traditional instruments like accordion, fiddle and piping, to solo Gaelic singing, storytelling, poetry, sport and choir competitions. The first half of the week is dedicated to children’s competitions, while the second half is for adults. It draws in fluent and learner Gaelic speakers alike, with a host of other interested attendees. In addition to the competitive events there will be a large fringe programme.
Perth & Kinross Council are working in collaboration with The Gaelic Society of Perth, Horsecross Arts, Culture Perth & Kinross and Live Active Leisure to host the Royal National Mòd in Perth.
Keep up-to-date with more information about the festival as it becomes available on The Mòd website.
Here are just a few examples of how you might want to utilise the resources to offer your visitors an immersive and transformative experience:
Providing information on Gaelic events (Celtic Connections, Fèisean etc), celebrations (such as Halloween or Beltane) or attractions in your area
Teaching your staff basic Gaelic phrases to offer visitors a taste of the language and giving visitors some key phrases they can use when visiting
Translating local Gaelic place names to give visitors a better understanding of the language and landscape
Using Gaelic music, folklore, art or poetry in your business or marketing materials
Offering some online learning classes if you have a staff member who knows some basics
Translating some of your traditional Scottish menu items into Gaelic
Providing background to the Gaelic roots of Scottish icons, such as whisky or the bagpipes
Using bilingual signs, room names or job titles in your organisation
The word “Mòd” means Assembly, Court or Gathering.
This year’s Royal National Mòd is returning to the city of Perth from the 14-22 October 2022.
This will be the first time the city has hosted the event since 2004. Since then, Perth Concert Hall has opened, Perth Theatre has been completely refurbished and there is an amazing new outdoor performance space at St Paul’s.
The Royal National Mòd with over 200 competitions will be held across the city in various venues including:
The Mòd attracts a varied and international array of competitors and visitors from throughout the UK, Ireland, Europe, USA, Canada and Australia. It draws in fluent and learner Gaelic speakers alike, with a host of other interested attendees. Many of those who attend the Mòd are not Gaelic speakers, but thoroughly enjoy Gaelic and celebrate its rich cultural heritage.
The audience is mainly comprised of competitors and their family and friends, although in recent years the Mòd has attracted a younger audience. The average length of stay of visitors is 4.3 nights.
The digital aspect of the Mòd, which allows participants to enter competitions online, has been increasingly popular in recent years, allowing for greater engagement with participants and audiences worldwide.
The first half of the week from 15 - 18 October is family orientated, with junior competitions taking place. Most junior competitors will be accompanied by their parents, grandparents, family members and teachers.
Most junior competitions start at 9am and finish by 5pm with participants going for food in Perth City Centre or in their accommodation.
Need to know - most competitors and attendees will be looking for something quick to eat during the daytime, as they move from competition to competition and venue to venue.
The second part of the week (18 - 21 October) sees the start of the senior competitions at 9am and a transition from junior to the senior Mòd .
Thursday and Friday competitions are comprised of mainly large groups due to the choral competition days.
Need to know - competitors will be looking to make bookings for lunch and dinner and usually take up residence in a pub or bar in the evenings to enjoy live folk music. Time is tight for competitiors and audiences from 18 - 20 October due to the volume of events and late finishes.
Tickets to the Royal National Mòd 2022 go on sale from mid-August 2022 and can be purchased at the Perth Horsecross Box Office website or by calling the box office on 01738 621 031.
The non-competitive element of the week-long festival includes a very exciting and diverse Fringe Programme. The Fringe includes Gaelic and traditional music sessions, cèilidhs, concerts, open stages, lectures, workshops, and literature events.
Also there will be live acts and music in pubs, hotels and at historical sites. Traditional sport such as Shinty takes place at the end of the Mòd week.
Information about the Fringe Programme will be made available on the Royal National Mod website.
Take a little look at our short video Scottish Gaelic: explained.. it's a nice introduction to get you started.
