Madonna's Highland wedding harpist revives a Gaelic festival

A musician who played at the Highland wedding of Madonna and filmmaker Guy Ritchie is helping to resurrect a local Gaelic festival which paved her way to that performance.

Jennifer Port plays the clarsach, a traditional Celtic harp, and performed at the couple's big day in Dornoch in 2000.

The Highland-based harpist and singer is chairing a committee reviving a local mòd, a celebration of music and language, that was last held in Golspie 10 years ago.

Taking place on 6 June, it will feature competitions in singing, piping, clarsach, fiddle and Highland dancing.

Port is a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where she studied clarsach and singing.

She said her whole musical career - including performing at the celebrity wedding - had stemmed from the early days of taking part in the local mòd.

"I just felt it was really important to try and create a legacy and allow others that same opportunity that was given to me," she said.

"Participating at local and national mòds led me to become interested in Gaelic, Scottish music and particularly the clarsach.

"That led me to a career playing the harp, performing at Madonna's wedding, travelling the world to play in countries such as China, Australia and Russia and entertaining King Charles in Castle of Mey."

Port said she hoped the 134-year-old Royal National Mòd might even return to Golspie in the future.

Entries for the Caithness and Sutherland Mòd in Golspie close on the 24 May.

There are no entry fees due to financial support from the Kilbraur Wind Farm Community Benefit Trust.

Port regrets the way the Golspie event died out, believing its loss negatively affected opportunities for other musicians.

"Sadly it died away in Golspie," she said.

"The National Mòd has been in Golspie twice, in 1977 and 1995, so it felt a real shame that there wasn't a local mòd anymore.

"But last year I was an adjudicator at the National Mòd in Fort William and I came home so inspired that I said to my husband the only way our children are going to get the same experience that I got as a child is if I just organise it myself and that's exactly what I've done."

She added: "I'm so determined to give the children in the area the same opportunities that I got through my teacher, Graham MacArthy, getting us involved."

American superstar Madonna married movie director Guy Ritchie at an exclusive ceremony at a heavily-guarded Skibo Castle, near Dornoch, in December 2000.

The ceremony drew a big crowd to the church with a large number of celebrities in attendance.

The couple announced they were getting divorced eight years later.