As Royal National Md arrives in Perth, Scotland’s annual festival of Gaelic literature, traditional music, and culture gets underway.
For the eight-day festival, which includes more than 200 competitions in music, dancing, storytelling, and sport, some 7,500 guests are anticipated in the city.
The singing competition is one of the most renowned, and only the very best Gaelic singers are awarded the coveted Gold Medal.
Joy Dunlop, a weather presenter for BBC Scotland, is one of the former winners. It’s still one of her proudest memories, according to her.
All the local kids were urged to participate when Royal National Md visited Oban in Argyll and Bute in 1992.
I was raised in the neighboring village of Connel, where Mary Pollock, an Islay native who spoke Gaelic fluently at the time, resided.
Every Monday after school, youngsters from hamlet would come to her house to phonetically learn our Md songs because she offered to teach anyone interested.
I had never heard, read, or sung in Gaelic before, and even though I didn’t win anything, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
From that point on, Mrs. Pollock guided me as I attended Md every year and participated in every competition I could.
While I was studying Gaelic at university, I took a little vacation from competing, but as soon as I graduated, I started working for An Comunn Gàidhealach, Md’s organizers.
I decided to attend the Gold Medal competition, one of the top singing contests for fluent speakers, to resume competitive singing.
Growing up, I had always watched the tournament and was completely in awe of the champions.
The Md Gold Medal was regarded as the highest honor for Gaelic singers, so when Angus Smith, the director of the Gaelic chorus at my high school, got the medal, it was much greater than if he had won the X Factor!
It’s safe to state that the competition’s caliber is consistently quite good due to the mix of native Gaelic speakers and proficient students who spend the entire year perfecting their performances.
You are evaluated for the Gold Medal on both your technical vocal ability and the accuracy of your Gaelic. The top artists give the songs their unique interpretations and expression to make them even more special.
Participants must regularly perform four songs well in both the qualifying events and the championship round. Any slight error can mean the difference between placing first or last when fighting against the finest of the best.
On my fourth try, I took home the Gold Medal at the 2010 Md in Caithness. I’d made it to the final in each of the previous three years, and each time, I used the criticism and advice I got to get better.
I put a lot of effort into my songs that year, paying close attention to every line and note to convey the story in the music as accurately as I could.
I made an effort to overcome my nervousness by singing at cèilidhs and concerts whenever I could, as well as entering provincial Mds. This extra effort seemed to pay off, and I was overjoyed to finally receive the Gold Medal.
The National Medal is sponsored by the royal family, and that year, King Charles (then Prince Charles) gave out the medals, giving the occasion more significance and ceremony.
Both victors were allowed to have tea with the King after the competition, but since I was also a part of the Taynuilt Gaelic Choir at the time, they had to wait for my return before competing in their competition.
Time was of the essence, and I vividly recall how I declined the chance to have tea with the King to sing with my choir. I rushed across Caithness to get there while holding my Gold Medal in one hand and my plaid kilt around my waist in the other.
It’s fair to say that receiving the Gold Medal was one of my proudest achievements and that it offered me the chance to travel and interact with people from all over the world. It is an acknowledged accomplishment because you can only win it once, and it’s great to have my name included among the prior winners.
I continue to go to the MD every year and take part in whatever manner I can, whether it be by chairing or adjudicating competitions or by commentating on television and radio.
I participate in choral competitions by conducting choirs and vocal ensembles as well as singing in them. Who knows, one day I might even compete in solo events again!
It’s my favorite week of the year because I get to spend it with all of my friends, immerse myself in music and singing, and celebrate the depth of our Gaelic culture. If you’ve never gone, I can’t stress enough how much I recommend it; you won’t be sorry.
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