An Comunn Gàidhealach Publications > Gaidheal > Volumes 46--48, January 1951--December 1953

WHAT, INDEED ? {from p. 3)
what no other body has ever tried
to do, and it is significant that
now—when so many cultural
bodies are meeting with a very
meagre response—An Comunn’s
chief worries about the Mod arise,
not from lack of support and
interest, but from the extra¬
ordinary appeal it exercises, so
that year after year thousands of
people converge on the Mod
centre, giving rise to very
difficult problems of accommoda¬
tion and organisation. Many a
cultural body in Britain today
would give anything to enjoy the
embarrasment of popularity
which the National Mod certainly
""Saps , then, if the Highland
gentlemen with whose rhetorical
question we began, deigns to read
this reply, he will come to under¬
stand that his question is one
which An Comunn Gaidhealach
can answer with pride—pride in
its achievements. How much
more could have been done, of
course ! But the much more that
could have been done has not
been done, simply because there
have been, and are, far too many
persons among us whose attitude
is that of our aforesaid Highland
gentleman.
At this very moment splendid
new opportunities are awaiting
An Comunn Gaidhealach, and we
should be foolish to shrink back
from them because of the ill-
informed and even ignorant
attitude of some fellow-Gaels. To
mention but two. there is the
new scheme for “ Gaelic Informal
Education ” about which we
wrote in the December Number,
and there is what can be
done with the War Memorial
and Thanksgiving Fund for (.ur
Gaelic children and youth.
OIREACHTAS { from p. 4)
away all feeling of strain and
rush.
Vocal solos were mainly “ ar
an sean-nos ” (in traditional
style) and sung (as they mostly
were) by unsophisticated singers,
they had ,an (interest and an
appeal all their own.
On the choral side there were
only five entries and the standard
achieved was high. No test
pieces were prescribed, but each
choir is asked to send in before¬
hand a list of five choral pieces
of sufficient variety to constitute
an interesting concert for twenty-
five minutes approximately. They
sing the five pieces and marks
are allocated on the following
basis: suitability of choice and
musical rendering, 90 marks;
quality of Gaelic, pronunciation
and enunciation, 10 marks. The
prizes are: 1st £50; 2nd, £30;
3rd, £15.
Competitions in violin and
“ Piob Uilleann ”—the indoor or
chamber variety of pipe, as
against the “ Piob Mhor ' or
“ Battle-Pipe ”—proved most
popular and interesting, as did
also Ceilidh Bands.
On Monday evening, from 7.30
p.m. till midnight, the Oireachtas
Reception was held in the
Gresham Hotel, and ample op¬
portunity was afforded of meeting
many friends. Throughou': the
week there was a succv.sior of
less formal evenings, ceilidhs,
tea-parties, and just mee ngs,
but all most happy.
SECRETARY’S NOTES
( from p:2)
An Cemunn. Mr. MacRae ex¬
pressed the regret of the Presi¬
dent, Mr. J. M. Bannerman, and
Mr. Hugh MacPhee, Convener of
the Mod and Music Committee,
for their absence owing to other
engagements. He conveyed the
thanks of An Comunn to til 1
members for the wonderful sui
cess which attended their effort*
The Finance Committee and til
Mod and Music Committee, th»
two Standing Committees mo.4
intimately concerned1, had mdlj,
the previous evening and aji,
cd of the financial statemenal i
ich had been placed in theijjpj
hands. Mr. Graham, as Treaj|
surer during the Mod periotf
submitted the Income and Ex):
penditure Account of the Moll
and answered satisfactorily thffli
few relevant questions askeci;
The financial statement, subject
to audit, having been submitted
to the Local Committee for theii!
information, the Mod Local Corn,)
mittee, in terms of Bye-law 40 5
was dissolved. The surplul
accruing from the Dunoon Moo
is provisionally £2,242, a magnt|B
ficent result. Mr. Graham andij
Mr. Shaw spoke in appreciatioml
of the splendid achievement oftj
Local Committee and.
acknowledging!, Mr. Neil
Lean paid tribute to many local
people who had given much help
in making the Mod such at
success. Thereafter tea was
served and a happy ceilidh
followed.
Maoi
Wick Branch
SEMI-JUBILEE
THE Wick Branch of An
Comunn Gaidhealach was
inaugurated in the Spring
of 1925 and has gone on continu¬
ously ever since. At the opening
ceilidh for the current session
Mr. R. J. G. Millar, Hon. Presi¬
dent. outlined the history of the
Branch during the past quarter-
century. One of the highlights
of its activities was a very suc¬
cessful concert by the late Mrs.
Kennedy-Fraser and her sister in
the Breadalbane Hall in March,
1927. Perhaps the Branch’s
greatest achievement was the
Literary Competition which it
organised with a view to pre¬
serving the traditional folklore
and old customs of Caithness and
Sutherland. This was very suc¬
cessful, and the principal prize-
essays, edited by the late Rev.
George. Sutherland (formerly
minister of Bruan), with ad¬
ditional material by himself, were
published in the book entitled,!
“ Folklore Gleanings and Charac-j
ter Sketches of the Far North.”]
Mr. Millar recalled many!
concerts, lecture-ceilidhs, Gaelic! |
classes (conducted for some years! 1
by Mr. M. Mackenzie, M.A.)
and outings. As lecturers they]r
had had doctors, ministers,;1
sheriffs, teachers, philosophers,!.
journalists, and other publicists I
—all of whom gave their services :
gratuitously. If these lectures
were gathered and printed they!
would make a very bulky volume j
rich in things new and old. If
to these they added the innumer-j
able anecdotes and humorous!
stories told at the ceilidhs, one
could imagine the rich treasure
of culture, gaiety, social happiness
and friendships which had been
their privilege as a branch to
enjoy during the past twenty-five
years.
Mr. Millar was president on
the Branch for fourteen years and
was succeeded by Mr. John Macl
donald, M.A., then headmaster of
Pulteneytown Academy and now
in Perth. Mr. F. R. Cochran has
been Hon. Treasurer since 1926.;