Chaidh tadhal air trì sgoiltean deug agus còrr air sia ceud sgoilear ann an Leòdhas aig deireadh a’ Ghearrain, mar phàirt de sgeama bhliadhnail ‘Cuairtean a’ Mhòid’ aig an Comunn Gàidhealach. A-measg na bha an-sàs, bha Seumas Greumach agus Seonag NicAnndrais bhon Chomunn Ghàidhealach. Cuide riutha, bha luchd-ciùil tàlantach a bhuineas agus a tha a’ fuireach ann an Leòdhas; Andy Yearly, Stephen Drummond, Louisa Barron agus Màiri Maclennan. Bha an sgioba a’ taisbeanadh òrain, fuinn agus sgeulachdan air beulaibh na cloinne.

Tha ‘Cuairtean a’ Mhòid’ ag amas air aire a thogail mun Mhòid Nàiseanta, a tha am bliadhna a’ tilleadh gu na h-Eileanan an Iar, agus airson innse mu na cothroman agus buannachdan a tha a’ tighinn na chois. Tha na h-uimhir de dhaoine a tha air pàirt a ghabhail anns na mòdan rè nam bliadhna a-nis a’ dèanamh am beò-shlàint mar luchd-ciùil traidiseanta agus seinneadairean Gàidhlig. Thathas an dòchas gu bheil leithid Màiri, Stephen agus Louisa a ghabh pàirt anns na Mòdan iad fhèin nan òige, air na sgoilearan air an robh iad a’ tadhal a bhrosnachadh gu bhith a’ gabhail pàirt cuideachd.

Bha spòrs gu leòr ann cuide ri na sgoilearan, a bha a’ faighinn fiosrachadh mun Mhòd, a thuilleadh air a bhith a’ meòrachadh agus a’ beachdachadh air an tachartas. Chualas òrain agus fuinn bho chuid de na sgoilearan air an robhas a’ tadhal agus chòrd sin ris an sgioba gu mòr.

A thuilleadh air ceòl is òrain, bha an sgioba gu mòr ag amas air cho cudthromach ‘s a tha e a bhith ag innse sgeulachdan ann an Gàidhlig. Bha Seonag, a tha air leth-tàlantach mar sheanchaidh a’ taisbeanadh nan sgilean aice agus bha a’ chlann air am beò ghlacadh le na sgeulachdan inntinneach agus annasach a bha i ag aithris. ‘S e seanchas fear dhe na h-ealain as sine a th’ againn. Tha sgeulachdan a’ toirt togail-inntinn agus tlachd do dhaoine seann is òg, an luib gach cànan agus cultar. Tha farpaisean innse-sgeulachd fhathast a-measg nam farpaisean òigridh ’s tarraingeach a th’ ann aig Mòdan anns an latha th’ ann.

Chaidh Cuairt a’ Mhòid a stèidheachadh an-uiridh san Òban; a’ tadhal air dusan sgoil anns an sgìre. Bha an Iomairt air a mheas air leth-soirbheachail ann a bhith a’ brosnachadh chloinne gus pàirt a ghabhail anns a’ Mhòd agus gus ùidh san fhèis ath-bheothachadh a-measg fharpaisich òga.

Gu mi-fhortanach an turas seo, cha do cheadaich an ùine dhan sgioba tadhal air sgoiltean ann an ceàrnaidhean eile de na h-Eileanan Siar, ach, tha sgioba a’ Chomuinn an dùil tadhal air sgoiltean air feadh nan Eileanan Siar nas fhaide air adhart am bliadhna.

Mòd Roadshows visit Lewis schools

At the end of February, An Comunn Gàidhealach’s week-long annual Mòd roadshows visited 13 primary schools and over 600 pupils in Lewis. Our team included An Comunn staff James Graham and Seonag Anderson as well as talented, local based musicians Andy Yearly, Stephen Drummond, Louisa Barron and Màiri MacLennan who brought songs, music and stories to the schools in the area.

With the Royal National Mòd returning to the Western Isles in October this year, An Comunn Gàidhealach’s Mòd Roadshows took to the road with the aim of raising awareness about the event and informing young people about the opportunities of being involved in the Mòd. Participating in the Mòd has acted as a spring board for many well-known musicians who went onto forge a career for themselves. So, for the children to have young musicians such as Màiri, Stephen and Louisa, who have all come through the Mòds themselves, visiting their schools, they will hopefully feel inspired to take part in Mòds and go on and become musicians themselves.

We had great fun speaking with the children and hearing about their own experiences and views on the Mòd and we were very fortunate to hear some performances from some of the children themselves in some of the schools we visited.

This year’s Roadshows included a strong emphasis on the art of Gaelic storytelling and Seonag, a great storyteller, captivated the children in each of the schools with her tales and storytelling craft. Storytelling is one of our oldest art-forms and stimulates the imagination and communicates to people of different ages, backgrounds, and cultures. Story telling remains one of the most popular and appealing competitions among the junior competitions at Mòds.

The Roadshows were launched last year and visited schools in the Oban and Lorn area. The visits proved extremely successful and helped to reinvigorate interest and boost competitor numbers in the festival among young competitors at the Oban Provincial and National Mòd.

Unfortunately, the Roadshow team weren’t able to get round every school in the Western Isles on this occasion but An Comunn Gàidhealach hope to visit schools in Harris, Uist and Barra later in the year.