FOR thousands of Gaels from across the world, all roads lead to Argyll where the Royal National Mod opens tonight with a torchlight procession.

The premier Gaelic festival returns to its spiritual home in Oban for the first time since 2009 and being held most recently in Inverness and Paisley.

Around 3,000 participants and over 4,000 spectators will head to the town for 200 competitions in Gaeldom’s premier festival which now stretches over nine days. They will come from all corners of the globe including USA, Australia and Holland.

There will be competitions in Highland dancing, Gaelic music and song, literature, drama and even shinty and football.

It was at a meeting in Obam in 1891 that a new organisation An Comunn Gàidhealach was founded to develop and promote Gaelic.

Events to celebrate Celtic distinctiveness had previously tended to focus on the likes of the Highland games circuit.

It was felt there was more than enough of “throwing pine trees and heavy stones and hammers, and too little attention paid to intellectual pursuits". "Lulled by the strains of a thousand pipers, for whom there was no lack of encouragement, the folk culture of the Highlands…was apparently doomed to wilt and die," it was said.

An Comunn acted very quickly to establish a cultural event modelled on the Welsh Eisteddfod, and the first Mòd was held the following year, in the north Argyll town.

One of the competitors at that first Mòd was Mairi Mhor nan Oran (Big Mary of the Songs), Mary MacPherson, the Skye poetess of the 19th century clearances.

It is reported she sang Breacan Mairi Uisdean, but not particularly well, being over 70 years old at the time. However she was received warmly in Oban.

There were only nine others taking part and the whole event only took a few hours on a Saturday afternoon. Since then it has grown to become one of the most significant entries on Scotland’s cultural calendar.

The draw of the festival goes well beyond the 57, 600 the 2011 census recorded as being able to speak the language, and the 23,400 who can understand Gaelic but not speak, read or write it.

In Oban itself 8.2 per cent of the town's population can speak Gaelic and 11.3 per cent have some facility in the language.

Down the generations, many Gaelic speakers from the islands settled in the town which has long been the mainland port for ferry services to the islands of Mull, Iona, Tiree, Coll, South Uist, Barra, Lismore, and Colonsay. There is also a less frequent run to Islay.

Publicly owned ferry company CalMac has been a long time sponsor of the Mód.

Martin Dorchester, managing director of Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) said: "CalMac has been a proud supporter of the Royal National Mód for many years as we greatly value the opportunity it gives us to meet and engage with people from across our network.

"Oban is at the centre of our network and our busiest port so we are especially delighted that it is hosting the Mod this year. We have happy memories of the Oban Mod in 2009 and are sure this year will be every bit as successful."