The world’s premier Gaelic language and cultural event, the Royal National Mòd, generated a £1.7 million economic boost to Paisley when it was hosted in October 2023, it has been revealed.
An economic impact report for the prestigious 131-year-old event, carried out by Glamis Consultancy on behalf of An Comunn Gàidhealach, found a 12% increase in participant numbers from the previous year’s event in Perth.
Around 8,410 attendees of all ages travelled from across Scotland to the Renfrewshire town for nine days of competitions, concerts, workshops and more, staged at 20 venues across the region.
10 years on since the Mòd first visited Paisley, the event supported around 27 full-time equivalent jobs in the economy, brought economic benefits to other areas, including Glasgow, through accommodation and other expenditure, and generated £390,000 of potential future visitor spend from those returning to Paisley as a result of the Mòd.
The positive impact on Gaelic arts and the wellbeing of those involved was considerable, stimulating interest in the language and its music and culture and enhancing awareness of Gaelic. Of those attendees surveyed, 72% believed the Mòd was a great way to meet friends again, 67% thought that participation in the Mòd encouraged social engagement and 61% agreed that participation in The Mòd was beneficial to mental health.
The return on investment for key partners, generated through the creation of additional expenditure, was also significant and estimated at 11 to 1 for Renfrewshire Council and 14 to 1 for Bord na Gàidhlig. In terms of the value of the event to Scotland’s cultural heritage and international platform, the return for EventScotland was calculated at 73 to 1.
There were high levels of visitor satisfaction with both the Mòd and the host town of Paisley, with An Comunn regarded for their organisational efforts. This is thought to have stimulated a high level of demand to attend and engage with the Oban Mòd in October 2024.
James Graham, Chief Executive Officer of An Comunn Gàidhealach, said: “The Paisley Mòd has reinforced our event’s place as the main showcase for Gaelic language, culture and arts in Scotland, and our central role in championing and growing the cultural impact and reputation of Gaelic and Gaelic arts at home and around the world.
“The Paisley Mòd proved to be a very popular event and in turn helped create significant additional economic impact for Paisley and Renfrewshire and other far-reaching positive impacts, which is exactly what we aim to deliver for our hosts. The Mòd has such a sense of community around it so to see the social and wellbeing benefits this brings is heartening.
“It is very encouraging to see participant and visitor numbers on the rise again and we hope even more people will come and join us in Oban this October for what is sure to be another fantastic cultural celebration.”
Renfrewshire Provost, Lorraine Cameron, said: “It was a privilege to welcome the Royal National Mòd back to Paisley in 2023 to celebrate the amazing Gaelic language, music and culture. The event helped deliver a real economic boost to the local area through the visitors and locals that attended to experience everything the Mòd has to offer.
“Hosting the event really showcased how good Paisley is as a destination for large-scale events like the Mòd. From our fantastic venues to the eagerness of our local businesses, schools and community groups to get involved, it really showcased the warm welcome visitors can expect when they come to Renfrewshire.”
The report also found evidence that the online programme allowed An Comunn to engage with participants and deliver impacts beyond Paisley and as such there remains a role for this digital element of the event.
The Royal National Mòd in Paisley was supported by EventScotland, Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Renfrewshire Council, EventScotland, The Scottish Government, HIE, Creative Scotland, Caledonian MacBrayne, BBC ALBA, The Reeling and SQA.
This year’s Mòd will take place in Oban from 11-19 October 2024. Find out more at www.ancomunn.co.uk.