James Graham (Seumas Greumach), a Royal National Mòd Gold Medal Winner and a frequent instructor and adjudicator at ACGA events, will become the new chief executive officer of An Comunn Gàidhealach in Scotland in March, after the current CEO, John Morrison, retires.

Graham has been An Comunn’s Mòd manager since 2010, tackling the varied management challenges of national and provincial mòds throughout Scotland. He won the men’s Bonn Òir or gold medal at the Royal National Mòd in Lochaber in 2007, and was a special guest at the US National Mòd in 2008. He also has been an instructor at the ACGA Grandfather Mountain Gaelic Song and Language Week and an adjudicator at Mòd nan Lochan Mòra, the Great Lakes Mòd.

“It is a very great honor to be taking over in this post and I am very much looking forward to maintaining the outstanding work which John Morrison established, but I recognize this will be challenging,” Graham said in a statement.

“My ambition will be to strive to develop and strengthen the organization further in the future,” he said. “As a participant in Provincial and National Mods since boyhood and through my management work over the past decade, I have become increasingly aware that the Mòd is a foundation for Gaelic culture and its arts.”

A mòd is a competition and showcase for Gaelic song, storytelling and music. An Comunn has organized Scotland’s Royal National Mòd, as well as regional or provincial mòds, since 1892. ACGA, founded in 1984, has held 30 U.S. National Mòds and supports regional mòds in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

A list of this year’s provincial mòds in Scotland may be found here:

https://www.ancomunn.co.uk/localmods/dates