In case you were wondering, no, the Oban Gaelic Choir didn't win any trophies in the Royal National Mód last Friday. I think the best we did was coming 4th in the whole-choir Puirt a Beul, so-called mouth music consisting of two linked-up and very fast songs (a Strathspey and a Reel) with very silly content. I found it very challenging to learn all the words, and learn to say them as fast as required to make the songs danceable.
We were facing a number of excellent choirs, some 16 or so of them, so coming 4th is no mean feat.
The Ladies didn't do too badly, either, singing two lovely songs, but we didn't win a prize.
If you're interested in all the results, click here.
And the whole choir must have been tired by the time they went on mid-Friday afternoon for the big, televised event on the main stage because they came second last of eight or nine choirs. As I didn't sing in that one (each choir was only allowed 30 singers on stage, and there were 33 of us), I decline any responsibility ... ;)
It was very disappointing to be asked not to sing, but the up-side was that I was able to listen to all the choirs. There were some fantastic performances and some wonderful voices. Some choirs have lots of very young voices, excellent Gaelic speakers, great dynamics, great stage presence. I'm afraid Oban will have to shape up in a big way to outdo any of them.
For me the best moment came last, with the great Massed Choirs event on Saturday morning. Corran Halls car park was packed with people, some 600 singers maybe, and a lot of onlookers. We sang six or seven songs, each conducted by a different conductor/conductress, and that was a fabulous experience. The sun was out and warming our heads if not our feet, lots of people had stood along the parade route from Station Square to the Corran Halls, cheering the winners, the also-rans and the losers, and the town felt fantastic.
All in all, well worth it!
Yesterday, I gave myself some time off by joining a group of women from Oban Walkers. We went down to Tarbert, took the ferry over to Portavadie on Cowal and did a lovely circular walk there, rounded off by a pot of tea at the spanking new Portavadie marina, a very elegant place that would make a perfect conference venue. I do hope they can generate the kind of business this sort of place requires. I felt right at home there -- need to find me a wealthy sailor, I suppose, to be able to return on a more frequent basis...;)
The day started inauspiciously, with rain pouring down in bucketloads, but by the time we came off the ferry, the clouds had lifted and we had just five minutes of smirr, perhaps, for the rest of the day. Absolutely lovely, and exactly the right temperature for walking. No midgies, either...
Right at the beginning of our walk, by the derelict buildings of Polphail, we came across a couple of "incomers" from down south (aka Englishmen). Local photographer Philppa Elliott has taken some stunning photographs of the site that has been due to be demolished for some time. It's a right eyesore but home to a bevvy of bats that are becoming increasingly scarce in these parts. Environmentalists will have an interesting time finding them a new home.
Now that life is "back to normal", I'm trying to catch up on all sorts of things. Hoping to get my accounts sorted for the past financial year before I take off for a longish networking weekend in Edinburgh.
Oh, and I am looking for a new house. My flat is lovely but there are new young neighbours and I'm exhausted by their comings and goings all night, especially on weekends. And the downstairs people are still making my life a misery, especially by leaving their dog alone on weekend nights. Last Friday/Saturday I didn't get any sleep at all until 5am! It's making me depressed and only just barely able to function properly. And the flat has several shortcomings (lack of sound insulation, very narrow hall, small kitchen and bathroom) that I'm hoping a new house won't have.
It feels overwhelming at the moment -- I was hoping to stay here for several years, not merely some eighteen months, which it will be come November 8!
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2 comments:
Someone – I know them well enough but will not disclose their identity here – has recently read my blog and wrote back to me saying they were offended that I chose to say that Oban Gaelic Choir needs to "shape up to outdo any" of the other choirs.
I am truly sorry my post has caused offence. That was not my intention. However, I will stand by what I wrote, especially as I think my post is on the whole complimentary to the Choir. But I consider my blog my own sphere as well as a platform for debate, so I will summarise what the feedback to my post continued to say:
"… whilst the choir did not perform the prescribed song as well as it should have, it is nevertheless a fact that Oban is a good choir that continually strives to attain the top position in the Lovat & Tullibardine."
My correspondent made a very important point, which I would also like to repeat here:
"… all members of the choir make a lot of scarifices in supporting the choir, either attendance at practice or on fund-raising days. Life however is not all about the choir as you know well yourself, but we give it 100% when we are there. We do shape up and, as indicated to you above, we strive for the very best at all times.
"In choirs were there are young voices and have good Gaelic, these are usually from the large conurbanations such as Glasgow where many of the singers are attending university or living & working in the cities/large towns and they are more than likely to have come from Gaelic speaking homes in the Islands and Highlands so, therefore, such choirs are more likely to achieve what you described in your blog.
"But please remember this: these choirs can be beaten on the day by the likes of Oban as was the case in 1994."
I do hope that by posting this comment I have made some amends.
And I very much look forward to the day Oban Gaelic Choir takes home the Lovat & Tullibardine Shield -- it's a beautiful thing and would look very good in this here wee town.
With love and respect to all the members of Oban Gaelic Choir!
Portavadie Marina has been shortlisted for the "Sustainable Design Awards 2009".
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