Cuairt-litir

We are very pleased to announce that John Angus MacLeod of Harris, a former Chief of our Society and an Hon Life Member, has agreed to accept this award made for an outstanding contribution to Gaelic. It is well deserved indeed, as many of you will know from John Angus' work as a writer and teacher and generally as an extremely effective and generous ambassador for the language over many years.

The award will be made at a special evening on Thursday 24 April at the Scotland Office, Dover House, Whitehall, beginning at 6pm. For security reasons, the Scotland Office requires the names of all those attending in advance. Please make sure that you let our Hon Secretary, Tom Macaskill, know by Monday 14 April if you wish to attend, on 020 7828 8978 or by email at tommymaca@hotmail.com

Look out for the flyer, to be circulated shortly, for further information.

Chief's Evening

We return to the Olde Cheshire Cheese in Fleet Street on 31 May for the Chief's Evening, with BBC World Service journalist Michael Buchanan. Proceeds will go to the Education Fund. Further details will be available soon.

AGM

At the AGM on 8 December we accepted with great regret the resignation of our Hon Treasurer, Archie Cameron. The President paid tribute to Archie's care and diligence, reflected in the excellent state of our financial records, and wished him and his wife, Sandra, well as they plan and begin their travels around the world. We shall miss Archie enormously but look forward to welcoming him back to the Council at some time in the future.

Another former Hon Treasurer, Donald MacLeod, who has served on the Council for a number of years, also stood down. We are very grateful to Donald for his contribution and hope that he, too, may return when the pressure of other work is less. All other officers and members were re-elected.

It was agreed that, due to rising costs, the usual entrance fee for events would rise from £15 to £20. We ask that anyone who experiences difficulty with this increase contact our Hon Secretary, Tom Macaskill, as above.

At the cèilidh following the business meeting it felt very much like old times as we welcomed Angus 'Monty' Montgomery as our guest. The combination of songs and accordion, with support from Kathy Kennedy and Anna MacRae, made for a very enjoyable and relaxed evening.

Cèilidh and Workshop, 23 February

The evening of 23 February presented us with a wealth of talent. Kenneth Nicolson of Ranish and Keose, Lewis, has the unique distinction of winning both Gold and Traditional Medals at a single National Mod. He achieved this in 2005, at a very young age. The richness and maturity of his performance on the evening was stunning and, at times, very moving. We now eagerly await his first recordings.

Còisir Lunnainn, with conductor Alan Munro, continue to innovate and surprise and this was an inspired performance from them, which prompted lots of appreciative comments. It was a great pleasure to have them with us again.

We really were spoilt, with more excellent singers and musicians present than we could possibly do justice to in one evening. Thanks to Ewan Mollison on the pipes, to soloists Kathy Kennedy, Eòghann Pinkerton, Linn Phipps and Sandy Jones, and to the afternoon workshop students. We are also indebted to Murdoch Graham for his co-ordination and support for this event. All in all a memorable evening.

Cèilidh and Workshop, 29 March

We were very fortunate that Alasdair MacVicar of Benbecula was willing to brave the horrors of Heathrow's Terminal 5 to be with us on 29 March! He made it through in time and began with a very lively afternoon workshop which had at least one student on her feet and dancing!

The evening went with a swing as Alasdair's enjoyment and the warm cèilidh atmosphere were clearly infectious! Kathy Kennedy, Anna MacRae, Sandy Jones and, once again, the workshop students, also sang for us and we thank them all for their part.

We were very pleased to see Christina MacDonald back with us and recovering well after a recent bad fall. We are most grateful to her for looking after Alasdair and, as usual, providing the delicious buffet.

Schools Competition

The annual competition is under way and judging of the senior entries will take place on 22 and 23 April.

Members' News

Joyce Seymour-Chalk, Dorothy Gordon and Kathy Kennedy recently visited our friend and stalwart supporter, Ann Speedy, and found her in very good spirits. Joyce has also been in touch recently with Willena Walpole, another long-standing supporter and an Hon Vice-President of the Society. Joyce is pleased to report that Willena is very active and in good health.

We congratulate Sandy Jones and Professor Ken MacKinnon on their recent appointment as Board Members of Bòrd na Gàidhlig.

Kindred Societies and Events

Còisir Lunnainn is planning a spring cèilidh for 17 May and a pre-Mod cèilidh for 20 September, both at the Irish Centre, Hammersmith (venue to be confirmed).

There will be a Gaelic service on Sunday 11 May at Crown Court Church.

Obituary

We were very sad to have news of the death in January of Nancy, wife of John Angus MacLeod, former Chief of our Society. John Angus and Nancy had retired to Largs some years ago but many members and friends will remember Nancy as a really charming lady, who accompanied John Angus regularly on visits to the Society. She was a loyal supporter of all John Angus' work and of the Society. We send our sincere sympathy to John Angus and daughters, Seònaid and Mòr, in their loss.

We were sorry also to hear that Mary Cameron of Acharacle, Argyll, a former Hon Secretary of the Society, passed away late last year.

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This page last updated 5/4/08