Mod Traditional Gold medal is coming home to Scalpay
15 October 2021
Emma Macleod from Scalpay has been crowned the ladies’ Traditional Gold Medal winner at the Royal National Mod in Inverness.
She won the highly esteemed honour following an accomplished performance in the finals at Eden Court.
Earlier in the day, judges gave very close marking to the four singers going forward for the main contest.
Ms Macleod who has returned to her home island after studying in Edinburgh for a number of years was one point behind the leader at the qualifying stage, clinching the title by the same margin.
In the traditional singing competition, participants are permitted their own personal selection of songs compared to the prescribed and own choice rules in the An Comunn Gold Medal event,
Ms Macleod opted for two island related songs and gave a moving rendition of “O 'S Ann a Tha Mo Ghaol-sa Thall” which describes a young woman’s anguish when her beloved is lost in the Iolaire disaster.
Her second choice of “Oran an Tairbh” was a lighthearted piece.
Calum MacColla of Fort William was awarded the men’s medal.
He only took up singing in 2017, to honour his memory of his father, Charlie MacColl, who was a well known Gaelic stalwart in Lochaber and an enthusiastic fundraiser for the Mod.
Calum MacColla and Emma Macleod are this year’s Traditional Gold medallists