Monday 8th October, 1979 was a very exciting day for me. I was going by ‘plane to Stornoway to my very first National Mod, Mod nan Eilean or Mod of the Islands as Stornoway is on the Isle of Lewis. My sister Jennie , her friend Mairead and I were all members of the Falkirk Junior Gaelic Choir which we had joined in November, 1978.

At 11.30am a bus came to take us to Glasgow Airport. The rest of the choir was already on the bus so we went straight to the airport. My Auntie Rhona was also at the airport waiting to take the same flight. You see my Grannie and Shen, Rhona’s mother and father, live in Stornoway and she was taking a holiday with them. My other Grannie and Grandpa also live in Stornoway and this made the mod very exciting for Jennie and me.

Soon after our arrival at the airport we were told to go along to the gate. We were given tickets with seat numbers printed on them and then we boarded the ‘plane. Several of us had never flown before and I was among them. I was very nervous getting on to the ‘plane. Luckily I was sitting beside Mr Smith, the choir’s Gaelic tutor. He had flown many times and told me that it was nothing to worry about and I wouldn’t even hear the ‘plane’s engine. Soon I was chatting away and had almost forgotten I was off the ground.

In an hour we were landing at Stornoway Airport. Stornoway Airport’s terminal was very different from that of Glasgow. In contrast to Glasgow Airport’s three storey building Stornoway had a small one storey building without even a proper conveyor belt, only a little rack, but Stornoway has just as many runways which are just as long as Glasgow’s.

As we got off the ‘plane I saw both my Grannies waving from the terminal building and I hurried to greet them. When the cases came Jennie and I watched for ours. It came first. We then waited for Mairead’s and Auntie Rhona’s. Then my Uncle Ian-Angus who was also there to meet us took Jennie, Mairead, Grannie Morrison and I to Kennedy Terrace where Grannie and Grandpa Morrison lived. Grannie ‘Kenzie, Auntie Rhona and Ian-Angus carried on to their own homes. Jennie, Mairead and I were to stay one night with Grannie and Grandpa Morrison and the next with Grannie and Shen ‘Kenzie. This was because the choir had booked in at a hotel which was to small to accommodate the whole choir.

When we went inside we greeted Grandpa and then unpacked. Grannie made us lunch. Then Grannie ‘Kenzie came and excepting Grandpa we all went into town. There we bought a few things. When we came home Grannie ‘Kenzie went and we enjoyed tea. The evening was spent watching television. Grannie and Shen came for supper and when they left it was bedtime. We three were sleeping in the back room.

In the morning when we got up we did not immediately put on our kilts, white blouses and tartan ties to compete, but jeans and jumpers. We went downstairs and had a large breakfast. We then sat down for a while and did other little things before lunch. Lunch was eaten very hurriedly because Christine, the choir conductor, was holding a practice after lunch. We practised at the choir’s hotel. Then Mairead, Jennie, the Grannies who had both come and I looked round the shops until the first competition. This was held in the games hall. We competed third. We thought we had been on fifth and when choir three were given a much higher mark than choir five we were very surprised that Falkirk were announced as winners. We were the first choir ever to win the beautiful trophy. I collected it from the stage. About ten minutes later we competed for a beautiful silver shield. We were very surprised to win this by ten points or so as Christine had not even said we were quite good at the songs we had sung. When Christine had collected the large shield, we proceeded quickly to the fire-drill hall where we were competing next. We were so happy with our two trophies that it would not have mattered much if we were last in the next competition but when we were given first place again we were stunned. Our happiness was complete when we realised we had won two trophies for music and one for Gaelic as well.

We sang at the Mod concert that night and when we got home to Grannie and Shen’s house in Portrona Drive, I felt that there could never be a mod like this for me again.