{"id":20471,"date":"2024-05-29T09:33:07","date_gmt":"2024-05-29T08:33:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/handsupfortrad\/?p=20471"},"modified":"2024-05-29T09:33:11","modified_gmt":"2024-05-29T08:33:11","slug":"paisley-mod-gold-medallists-head-stateside-for-mod-chesapeake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/handsupfortrad\/paisley-mod-gold-medallists-head-stateside-for-mod-chesapeake\/","title":{"rendered":"Paisley M\u00f2d Gold Medallists head stateside for M\u00f2d Chesapeake"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Gold Medal winners from last year\u2019s Royal National M\u00f2d<\/strong> in Paisley, Emma MacLeod<\/strong> and Iain Cormack<\/strong>, will attend M\u00f2d Chesapeake<\/strong> in Maryland this August to celebrate the thriving Gaelic connection between Scotland and the USA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of their prize for winning the coveted Gold Medals for Gaelic song, the pair will act as ambassadors at the regional festival, taking place on Saturday 3rd August 2024<\/strong>, and will perform and teach two workshops, as well as attending a celebratory dinner and c\u00e8ilidh in the evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

M\u00f2d Chesapeake, hosted by Sgoil G\u00e0idhlig Bhaile an Taigh Mh\u00f2ir, marks a significant milestone in the international outreach of the Royal National M\u00f2d, emphasising its global footprint and fostering strong connections with diaspora communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founded in 2023, the link between An Comunn G\u00e0idhealach and the Chesapeake M\u00f2d represents a revival of the longstanding tradition of cultural exchange between Scottish and American Gaelic enthusiasts, rekindling the spirit of camaraderie and shared heritage, with Iain and Emma\u2019s journey across the pond serving as a testament to the enduring bonds that unite Gaelic communities worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

M\u00f2d Chesapeake was established by two local Gaelic groups – Sgoil G\u00e0idhlig Bhaile an Taigh Mh\u00f2ir in Baltimore and G\u00e0idhlig Photomac who are based in both Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia. Regional M\u00f2ds continue to grow in the United States, with M\u00f2d New York and M\u00f2d Kentucky also starting in 2023, and the North Carolina M\u00f2d and U.S. National M\u00f2d already established.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At M\u00f2d Chesapeake, attendees will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in Gaelic language and song through a series of workshops tailored for both beginners and advanced learners. Led by experienced instructors, these workshops offer a unique avenue for participants to deepen their understanding of Gaelic culture and elevate their language skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

M\u00f2d Gold Medallist Emma MacLeod, who is originally from Scalpay, was already a Traditional Gold Medallist when she won at last year\u2019s M\u00f2d, completing a Gold double following her outstanding performance. Iain Cormack, who hails from Skye and now resides in Glasgow, comes from a long line of M\u00f2d Gold Medallists, and sang the song his father sang 40 years ago when he won the Gold Medal himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liam \u00d3 Caiside, co-founder and adjudicator of M\u00f2d Chesapeake, co-organiser of G\u00e0idhlig Photomac and President of An Comunn G\u00e0idhealach Ameireaganach, said:<\/strong> \u201cWe are really delighted that Iain and Emma will be here in the States for M\u00f2d Chesapeake this year. This will be our second regional M\u00f2d in this region \u2013 between Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia. Scottish Gaelic learners in the region will get great encouragement from this visit \u2013 it\u2019s a big honour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe at M\u00f2d Chesapeake are very excited to be working with An Comunn G\u00e0idhealach in Scotland this year. ACG is raising our event to a higher level. We\u2019re receiving support from An Comunn G\u00e0idhealach America too. It\u2019s important for learners or students here to meet with singers and speakers of Scottish Gaelic, and Iain and Emma will be fantastic Gaelic ambassadors. We will learn so much from them and I hope they will see how strong the interest is in Scottish Gaelic in this area. Some people will come just to meet them! They will have a great welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emma MacLeod said:<\/strong> \u201cI am thrilled to be given the opportunity to go overseas to M\u00f2d Chesapeake as a Gaelic Ambassador, alongside Iain. It\u2019s a great honour to travel so far afield to share my love and passion for the Gaelic language, culture and song. I look forward to engaging with attendees, inspiring them to explore and embrace Gaelic traditions, and fostering a deeper appreciation for Scotland\u2019s heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing able to represent Gaelic internationally is not just a privilege but also a testament to the enduring significance of our cultural identity. What better way to learn a language than through song? I live for the M\u00f2d and now I get to go to two within a couple of months – delighted!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iain Cormack said:<\/strong> \u201cIt is an honour to be invited to take part in M\u00f2d Chesapeake and I am very proud that I, along with Emma, are to be there as ambassadors for An Comunn G\u00e0idhealach and the Gaelic community as a whole. The M\u00f2d has always played a very important part in my life, having competed from childhood into adulthood, and I am very much looking forward to be bringing a small taste of Gaelic language and music to an international stage! It is very important to maintain the connection of Gaelic culture with American people of Gaelic descent, and I am sure there will be several attendees at the M\u00f2d that come into that category. Personally, I am especially looking forward to meeting those with good Skye ancestry! Here\u2019s to M\u00f2d Chesapeake!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second annual M\u00f2d Chesapeake<\/strong> will take place at St. Vincent Pallotti High School, Laurel, Maryland, USA on Saturday 3rd August 2024. For more information and updates, please visit sgoilgaidhlig.org\/mod-chesapeake\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s Royal National M\u00f2d<\/strong> will take place in Oban, Scotland between 11 – 19 October 2024, supported by EventScotland<\/strong>, B\u00f2rd na G\u00e0idhlig<\/strong>, Argyll and Bute Council<\/strong>, EventScotland<\/strong>, The Scottish Government<\/strong>, Caledonian MacBrayne<\/strong>, BBC ALBA<\/strong>, Creative Scotland<\/strong> and SQA<\/strong>. Find out more atwww.ancomunn.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Gold Medal winners from last year\u2019s Royal National M\u00f2d in Paisley, Emma MacLeod and Iain Cormack, will attend M\u00f2d Chesapeake in Maryland this August to celebrate the thriving Gaelic connection between Scotland and the USA. As part of their prize for winning the coveted Gold Medals for Gaelic song, the pair will act as ambassadors at the regional festival, taking place […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9,37],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-20471","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-news","7":"category-newsletter","8":"entry","9":"has-post-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"simon","author_link":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/handsupfortrad\/author\/simon\/"},"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcv15g-5kb","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/handsupfortrad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/handsupfortrad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/handsupfortrad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/handsupfortrad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/handsupfortrad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20471"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/handsupfortrad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20473,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/handsupfortrad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20471\/revisions\/20473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/handsupfortrad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/handsupfortrad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/handsupfortrad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}