NEW GAELIC SONG WEBSITE: bbc.co.uk/oran

BBC Gàidhlig is delighted to announce the launch of an extensive new website to support the landmark project, Bliadhna nan Òran / Year of Gaelic Song. As well as supporting radio and television content broadcast throughout 2010 on BBC Radio nan Gaidheal and on BBC ALBA, the website also offers a unique opportunity to listen to and view some of the best songs selected from the BBC’s extensive Gaelic song archive.

www.bbc.co.uk/oran allows users to access content quickly and simply by means of 4 key sections: Songs, Writers, Themes and Singers. This is complemented by a programming section, and a Mod archive allowing unique access to highlights from the BBC’s extensive archive of Gaelic Mod recordings from the years between 1946 and 1979.

The site reflects the riches of the BBC's archive of Gaelic song, offering content from across Scotland: from the earliest audio and video recordings to the present day, providing a diverse range of songs with supporting contextual information.

www.bbc.co.uk/oran currently offers the opportunity to listen to 440 songs with supporting lyrics, 140 excerpts from radio programmes and over 190 videos from television series including the classic ‘Se Ur Beatha and the award winning Aig Cridhe ar Ciùil. Biographical information is also available for approximately 250 singers and writers.

BBC Radio nan Gàidheal’s popular Òran an Là is also available on the site with the audio of each day’s programme and accompanying verbatim transcripts which, as well as being of interest to Gaelic speakers, will support learners of the language with unique, new and accessible content delivered on a daily basis.

Margaret Mary Murray, Head of Service for BBC ALBA, said: “This is a hugely exciting project for the BBC and we hope that throughout 2010 audiences will tune in to BBC Radio nan Gàidheal, watch BBC ALBA and log-on to www.bbc.co.uk/oran in order to sample some of the fabulous songs which are such a richly valued and integral part of our Gaelic culture. There are some real gems within the daily schedules and even more on the website which we hope will grow over time, enabling our audiences to sample and enjoy as many Gaelic songs as we are able to deliver from our archives.”

New content will be added to the site on a weekly basis until the end of 2010.