Mòd Gold Medalist Joy Dunlop
As part of our 25th year celebrations, New York City Tartan Week is proud to host its first ever Scottish Gaelic Song Competition, The NYCTW Mòd. Singers from across North America and beyond will compete to win this historic debut event, which will take place at The Tailor Public House in Manhattan on Thursday 13 April, 2023. The event is in association with An Comunn Gàidhealach and will be hosted by Mòd Gold Medalist and BBC Alba’s SpeakGaelic presenter, Joy Dunlop.
The Competition
Each performer will sing one song at the competition. There will be a choice of six prescribed Gaelic songs or you can submit a Gaelic song of your own choice.
Each singer will perform unaccompanied and must be able to sing without sheet music. The judges will score the live performances on both Gaelic and music and select the winning performance.
The winner will be crowned New York City Tartan Week Mòd Champion 2023 and win a prize of $250! Sponsored by the New York Caledonian ClubNew York City Tartan Week is proud to partner with a number of Scottish Gaelic events throughout the week and we hope the Scottish and Gaelic speaking communities throughout North America and beyond will help to make NYCTW Mòd an annual event. Join us in your Clan tartan!Thig crìoch air an t-saoghal, ach mairidh gaol is ceòl.
The world may end, but love and music will endure.
The full rules can be viewed here.
What is a Mòd
A Mòd is a traditional gathering of people to celebrate Scottish Gaelic music – think of it as one of the best cèilidhs and parties in town! In Scotland, the Royal National Mòd® was first hosted in Oban in 1892 by An Comunn Gàidhealach and we are proud to partner with this association for our event. An Comunn was formed in 1891 in Oban, Scotland as a vehicle for the preservation and development of the Scottish Gaelic language.
The annual Royal National Mòd® is the highlight of the Gaelic community calendar in Scotland and the festival is the largest gathering of Scottish Gaelic song, music and culture in the world. Choirs, groups, quartets, duets, soloists, thespians and musicians compete at this week-long gathering, with winners of its singing and musical competitions going on to delight audiences around the world.
We hope that the NYCTW Mòd will encourage interest in Gaelic learning and be an access point for those interested in the language to join the global community of Gaels. Fàilte a chàirdean! Welcome, friends!
Learning support and tutorials performed by Mòd Gold Medalists from Scotland
We have selected 6 popular traditional Gaelic songs. These are the prescribed pieces available to our entrants to choose to perform.
Links to the six songs are here:
SONG 1:Cànan nan Gàidheal, performed by Alasdair Whyte
Singing | Spoken | Music sheetSONG 2:Òran Chalum Sgàire, performed by Eillidh Cormack
Singing | Spoken | Music sheetSONG 3:‘S Truagh Nach d’ Rugadh Dall Mi (Fil O Rò), performed by Darren MacLean
Singing | Spoken | Music sheetSONG 4:Fear a’ bhàta, performed by Eilidh Munro
Singing | Spoken | Music sheetSONG 5:Illean Bithibh Sunndach, performed by Ruairidh Cormack
Singing | Spoken | Music sheetSONG 6:An Ataireachd Àrd, performed by Joy Dunlop
Singing | Spoken | Music sheetOr competitors have the option to select their own Gaelic song to perform – to do this they must provide us with the sheet music, Gaelic words and translation via email when submitting the application to mod@nyctartanweek.org. Why not choose one that’s prescribed for theRoyal National Mòd 2023?!
How to Enter
To enter, click here.
Closing date for entries is Friday 31 March, 2023.
If you are interested in competing at, or attending our Mòd, you may wish to check out our Gaelic workshops the day before.
Gaelic Workshops: Wednesday, April 12th (starting at 10:00 AM)
As part of this new event, we are also featuring a day of workshops for avid lovers of Scottish culture. Joy Dunlop, along with special guest instructors, hosts a series of classes which range from speaking and singing in Scottish Gaelic (friendly for beginners) to favorite Gaelic dancing.
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM |Introduction to Conversational Gaelic (beginners)11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Introduction to Gaelic Song (beginners)12:00 PM – 1:00 PM |Introduction to Highland Dancing (beginners)2:00 PM – 3:00 PM |Scottish Step-Dancing (hard sole shoes preferred)3:00 PM – 4:00 PM |Gaelic Song II (intermediate/advanced)4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Scottish Cèilidh Dancing
For tickets and more details, click here.
Sponsors and Support
® The Royal National Mod is a registered trademark of An Comunn Gàidhealach
® The Royal National Mod is a registered trademark of An Comunn Gàidhealach