Baile na h-Ola (Aberdeen: When Oil Came to Town)

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Baile na h-Ola

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BBC ALBA - Baile na h-Ola (Aberdeen: When Oil Came to Town)

Am buaidh thug ola air baile thar 50 bliadhna. The impact of oil on a city over 50 years.

Dhòirt an airgead a-steach, ach chan eil dìleab na h-ola ri fhaicinn ’s a bhaile an-diugh. Fifty years of oil has had a significant impact on Aberdeen, but what is the legacy?

Bha Obar Dheathain aig toiseach linne ùire ann an eachdraidh na baile anns na seachdadan, linn a thug buaidh mhòr air an àite agus na daoine le beartas san amharc nuair a lorgar ola anns a’ Chuan a Tuath.  Thàinig na h-Ameireaganaich leis na sgilean ach ’s e na h-iasgairean aig an robh eolas air an àrainneachd gharbh.

Tha sinn a’ cluinntinn bho leithid Sir Ian Wood a’ rugadh ’s a thogadh ann an Obar Dheathain agus a tha luach na billeanan an-diugh.  Ach, ged a dhòirt an airgead a-steach, chan eil am baile fhèin beartach agus chan eil dìleab na h-ola ri fhaicinn mar a tha e ann an Sealtainn is Nirribhidh.

Bha làithean buidhe ann gun teagamh, ach bha làithean dubha ann le tubaistean uamhasach is call aig muir. Le tasglann air leth a’ toirt sealladh dhuin air na laithean a chaidh seachad, tha Tormod MacLeòid ag innse sgeòil na baile agus na daoine thar leth-cheud bliadhna.

When oil was first discovered in the North Sea, it was the beginning of a golden age for Aberdeen and life would never be the same again in the granite city. The Americans came with their skills in harvesting oil but it was the Scottish fishermen who had the experience of working in the hostile waters. Boom times were ahead but also economic crashes and tragic disasters.

We hear from people like Sir Ian Wood, born and raised in the city, who became a billionaire businessman from his success in the industry, and from fisherman Jimmy Buchan who saw his trade change forever. 

Although the future looked bright, and the money poured in, the legacy of oil isn’t evident in the city today like it is in Shetland or Norway. With a rich archive to draw on, Norman MacLeod tells the story of the city and its people through its highs and lows over the last 50 years.

In Gaelic with English subtitles

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Baile na h-Ola (Aberdeen: When Oil Came to Town)

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