Wick prepares for Gaelic extravaganza

PREPARATIONS are almost complete for the Caithness and Sutherland Provincial Mod which takes place in Wick next weekend.

Hundreds of visitors are expected at the event on Saturday, June 2, many of them making a return trip after attending the Royal National Mod which was staged in Caithness in 2010.

Visitors to the county will come from all over the North and beyond and there will be competitions in a number of musical disciplines.

The main competition venue for the event will be the Assembly Rooms where the climax of the festival will be the gala concert and ceilidh dance in the evening, hosted by MG Alba marketing manager Murdo Morrison with guest artiste and National Mod medallist Alasdair Whyte, from the Isle of Mull.

Visiting the county over the weekend will be one of Scotland’s top Gaelic culture bands, returning after its successful performance at the National Mod Fringe in 2010 – The Iain Angus MacLeod Band. The programme detailing competitions is now available

in local shops and public buildings.

The festival will have instrumental, group, solo and choral competitions taking place, starting at 9am in the Assembly Rooms where the mod office will be located. One of the highlights of the provincial mod will be the choral competitions with the county hosting a number of choirs for the day.