Suas leis a Gaidhlig

I ran across this article from last month on Scots Gaidhlig and the National Mod while looking for something else. The native language isn't "enforced by law" in Scotland the way it is in Ireland so private enterprises like the Mod are far more necessary for its preservation. It's good to see it still flourishing. There are (or were, at least) some fine recordings of the various events, piping, singing, harping, and so forth. Worth a listen if you run across them.

I remember a story from a few years ago involving the bureaucracy not being quite as au courant with Scottish cultural affairs as it ought to be. In setting up for the Mod the organizing committee had special telephone lines installed for communicating amongst the various venues. When the day came and it was time to use them they were forbidden access as they had no security clearance. Round and round they went with telephonic officialdom. Nothing seemed to help. Until finally the light dawned: British Telecom assumed Mod stood for Ministry of Defense.

Ah, well. It's funnier when Jimmy Mathieson tells it.