An Taigh Òran and Song-Writing

An Taigh Òran

An Taigh Òran was a joint project between Fèisean nan Gàidheal and Stòras Watercolour.  The opportunity was offered to participants, with an interest in writing new Gaelic songs, to get some encouragement and advice from experts at Watercolour Recording Studios and then the opportunity to record their material.

The team was made up of Mary Ann Kennedy, Nick Turner, Norrie ‘Tago’ MacIver, Alasdair Whyte and Findlay Napier and the results of the work can be seen here.  This video features the participants and tutors at work.

The songs can be heard below and are downloadable on the right-hand side of the page.

An Taigh Òran

Fèisean nan Gàidheal & Stòras Watercolour

A’ Smuaintean Ort(Emma Leitch & Ceitidh Smith)
Dachaigh na Fèidhe(Robbie Macleod & Ceitidh Smith)
Taobh Eile an Rathaid (Shooz Blooz)(Ceitidh Smith)

We are extremely grateful to Creative Scotland, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, Bòrd na Gàidhlig and Stòras Watercolour for their support of this project.

Other Opportunities

As well as An Taigh Òran Fèisean nan Gàidheal has been supporting other Gaelic song-writing initaitives over the past few years:

Blair Douglas was commissioned to write a special song, Càirdeas, for the 2014 Year of Homecoming and the Commonwealth Games in Scotland.  This was performed by the majority of Fèis participants as their Fèìs Song that year.  Here are the youngsters from Fèis Fhoirt performing it.

Blas offered Blair Douglas the opportunity to realise his Gaelic Mass – An Aifreann Ghàidhlig – in 2009 and since then it has gone on to be heard at Celtic Connections and BBC Radio nan Gàidheal broadcast a programme featuring this special piece at Easter 2010.

We supported Rachel Walker who wrote a new song in order to take part in the 2010 Liet International Song Competition and Rachel can be seen here with her son Fada bhuam.

Eilidh Mackenzie put together a cycle of new songs for her Blas 2010 commission Saoghal Sona.  In addition to a tour at the time of the 2010 Blas Festival, Eilidh was offered the opportunity to reprise Saoghal Sona at Celtic Connections in 2011 and BBC Radio nan Gàidheal broadcast a radio version of the project at Christmas 2010.  One of the songs appears in the film Graders.

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