Donnie Munro

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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. It is utterly wrong to suggest that Donnie Munro left Runrig due to political differences with his fellow band members.His reasons for departure were a matter for lengthy private discussion over a two year period but were never the subject of public discourse.

It should also perhaps be noted in the context of his political career,that Munro gave up the offer of a 'safe' Labour seat in Central Scotland with the largest in-built majority in the whole of the country as he had already agreed and been adopted as a candidate to contest his own native Highland constituency,which was of course considered a secure Liberal Democrat seat until Munro for Scottish Labour came very close indeed to winning in the 1999 Scottish election.

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,with his most recent album ,'Heart of America' winning Album of the Year in the Scottish TradMusic Awards2006. He continues to work as the Director of Development at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Scotlands National Centre for the Gaelic Language and CultureSkye. A previous entry falsely claiming that Munro had been sacked by the SFA was of course shown to be have been an entirely bogus claim made completely falsely,not by fans as suggested, but by two little known SNP politicians for reasons of their own and both seemed more than happy not to let the facts or truth get in the way of a cheap media stunt. As live television evidence clearly shows, the singer did sing the verse in Flower of Scotland with the lyric' we can still rise and be a nation again' on TV from Hampden before many of the Scotland games. The whole story was sadly and cynically manufactured. Munro has just completed a series of highly acclaimed live shows titled An Turas-the journey,with a 40 piece ensemble and is preparing for the release of a live album recorded at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow during Celtic Connections 2008

Academic offices
Preceded by Muriel Gray	Rector of the University of Edinburgh 1991 – 1994	Succeeded by Malcolm Macleod
Preceded by New position	Rector of the University of UHI Millennium Institute 1998 – 2001	Succeeded by Sir Alistair MacFarlane