Donnie Munro

Donnie Munro

Genres: gaelic, Scottish, celtic, folk rock, male vocalists

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About Donnie Munro

Donnie Munro/Donaidh Rothach (born August 2, 1953, in Uig, Isle of Skye) is a Scottish musician, and former lead singer of the band Runrig. A native speaker of Scottish Gaelic, much of his work is in that language. He attended Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen and did a postgraduate in teaching at Moray House in Edinburgh. He first saw Runrig play in 1973 and was approached one year later to become a member of the band. He later disagreed with his bandmates over several issues, including politics; Pete Wishart later became a Scottish National Party Member of Parliament. Munro was elected as Rector of the University of Edinburgh in 1991, a position he held until 1994. He contested the Scottish Parliament seat of Ross, Skye and Inverness West at the 1999 election for Labour, but was defeated by Liberal Democrat John Farquhar Munro. This necessitated leaving the band, which he did in 1997, by which time it was well known that he intended to stand for election. In 2001, it was mischievously pointed out in the media that he had lost the race for the title of 'first member of Runrig to be elected to parliament', after Peter Wishart became an SNP MP at Westminster. In 1996 he gave the prestigious Sabhal Mòr Lecture. In 1998 Munro was elected as the first rector of the UHI Millennium Institute, a post that lasted 3 years. Munro now enjoys a successful solo career, as well as working as the director of development at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, a college on Skye. Munro was sacked by the Scottish Football Association from his role of singing the National Anthem following complaints from fans that due to his Unionist political leanings he refused to sing a verse of Flower of Scotland about rising up and being a nation again. Official website www.donniemunro.co.uk

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