Mòd Canada 2010 Ottawa’s Premier Gaelic Event Well, another year has come. By all accounts, the 2010 Mòd Canada was even better than the inaugural 2009 event, and was opened officially with a letter from Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, Larry O’Brien, Mayor of Ottawa, and with a special City of Ottawa proclamation that November had been proclaimed Comunn Gàidhlig Ottawa month, a celebration crafted to include a special mix of activities from our six Celtic nations. Plans are already underway to make 2011 event, scheduled for November 19th, 2011 to be even better still. Mòd Canada, held at a new Stittsville venue, saw almost double the competitors vying for $2500 in prizes, the launch of Gaidheal nan Gleann, the Comunn Gàidhlig Ottawa drama group and the official launch of Gaoth, a graphic novel written by Gil Waugh and illustrated by Jay Nation. Noteworthy this year was the increase in calibre of both Gaelic and instrumental competitors, something underscored by all adjudicators. Similar to last year, the event was enhanced by superb performances by special performers: Joy and Andrew Dunlop. Joy is the Royal National Mòd 2010 Gold medalist and her brother Andrew a PhD student at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Piper extraordinaire, Nico Gravelle Ar n-Òran Gaelic choir who in September won 9 medals at the US National Mòd (7 of them Gold) Sìne McKenna and Fiona McDonald. Sìne, a long standing member of the Gaelic community shared a special poem and song with us. Ar n-Òran’s Fiona McDonald, the US National 2010 Gold medalist sang with Sìne. Special speakers Dr. Pawl Birt (Welsh community), Dr. Sheila Scott (Irish Community), Randaidh Waugh (Scottish community) and William Cassidy (Manx community). Highland Dancer Hollie Barton The Ottawa Youth Harp Ensemble Ar n-Òran, Comunn Gàidhlig Ottawa’s Gaelic choir has started preparing for the US National Mòd 2011, to compete at the Royal National Mòd in Stornoway, Lewis 2011 and in wrapping up their season at Mòd Canada 2011. Comunn Gàidhlig Ottawa will hold a fundraising concert the last Sunday of March, 2011 and hope to see you all there, and hope that this will help encourage as many pipers as possible to register for and compete at Mòd Canada 2011. Beannachd leibh, Randaidh Read More »
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