Sarah shocked to win harp title

OLDHAM harpist Sarah Davies has triumphed at the annual celebration of Gaelic music and culture.

The 21-year-old, from Greenfield, won the open advanced clarsarch harp competition at the Royal National Scottish Mod.

It was the first time she had entered; she is believed to be the first English person to win the section in more than 30 years.

More than 9,000 people visited this year’s Mod, in Dunoon, Argyll, to see around 5,500 contestants.

A clarsarch is a small Scottish harp and Sarah, a former Oldham Sixth Form College pupil, said: “There were four competitors in my section and I wasn’t expecting to win. It was an incredible shock.”

Sarah is studying guitar and harp at Leeds Conservatoire of Music and has been asked to play at next year’s Mod in Paisley, near Glasgow.