Parliamentary News Release

063/2003

Thursday 9 October 2003

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT TO BE REPRESENTED AT ROYAL NATIONAL MÒD

The Scottish Parliament will once again have a presence at the Royal National Mòd - Scotland's main Gaelic festival - which gets underway this week in Oban (10 -18 October).

The Parliament's Gaelic Officers, Alasdair MacCaluim and Sarah Gundry will be present at the Mòd’s trade fair with a parliamentary information stall focussing on how the Gaelic community can take part in the work of the Parliament.

Parliamentary documents will be available free of charge. The display will also feature a range of products from the Parliament’s shop with an opportunity to buy and place orders. The Parliament will also be holding a bilingual outreach event.

Speaking ahead of the Mòd, Presiding Officer George Reid said:

" It's very important for the Scottish Parliament to be represented at the National Mòd, Scotland’s main Gaelic festival. Our presence this year in Oban underlines our commitment to outreach work in the Gaelic community.

Parliament’s Gaelic Outreach Officer Alasdair MacCaluim added:

“ We will have a range of materials suitable for all age groups, much of which will be available free of charge. I hope Mod-goers will take the opportunity to come along and visit our stall and find out more about the Scottish Parliament and its work.”

Outreach Event - Thursday 16 October

The Scottish Parliament’s bilingual outreach event will take place in St Columba’s Halls, St Columba’s Cathedral, Corran Esplanade, Oban from 11.45am for 12 midday to 1pm on Thursday 16 October.

This will feature a short presentation about how the public can participate in the work of the Parliament in Gaelic. It will include information about how a Bill progresses through Parliament, looking at the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Bill as an example. There will then be a question and answer session for members of the public.

Background

The Royal National Mòd begins on Friday 10 October and continues until Saturday 18 October. Full details are available on the official Mod website at www.the-mod.co.uk

The Royal National Mòd is Scotland's premier Gaelic festival and is held annually in October at a different location in Scotland. The Mòd is a competition-based festival which celebrates the Gaelic language and culture through solo singing, choral and instrumental music, poetry, art, story-telling and drama, attracting competitors and visitors from as far afield as Canada and Australia.

First held in Oban in 1892, the Mòd has now expanded to such an extent that it is the second biggest cultural festival in Scotland attracting in the region of 2,500 competitors and 20,000 visitors, thereby providing a major economic and cultural boost to the area in which it is held. The Mòd also attracts considerable national and international publicity giving a high profile to the host town or area.

For further information the media contact is:

Eric MacLeod: 0131 348 5389
email: eric.macleod@scottish.parliament.uk

For public information enquiries, contact: 0131 34 85000

For general enquiries, contact: 0845 278 1999 (local call rate)
Text phone: 0131 348 3415 RNID Typetalk calls welcome on 018001
email: sp.info@scottish.parliament.uk
Visit our website at: www.scottish.parliament.uk