Career

Rory tends to write the melody, and Calum the lyrics. Since former lead singer Donnie Munro left the band in 1997, Rory has taken lead vocal duties on songs in the band"s catalogue written in the Scots Gaelic language, as the band"s new lead singer, Bruce Guthro, is not a Gaelic speaker. His father, Donald John MacDonald of Scalpay, was a World World War II veteran.

The family moved to North Uist, when Rory was about four years old.

Calum MacDonald himself was born in Lochmaddy, North Uist. When the time came for Rory to attend High School, which at the time was situated in Portree, on the Isle of Skye, the whole family moved en masse.

lieutenant was in Skye that the brothers formed Runrig along with Blair Douglas and subsequently Donnie Munro. Macdonald attended Jordanhill College and worked as a P.E. teacher until Runrig went "professional".

During the 1980s, Calum"s Christian faith deepened and this influence began to be felt in his lyrical content, in both Gaelic and English.

Calum was based in Edinburgh for the 1980s and early 1990s before re-locating his young family to Contin in the Highlands. He has contributed main, if not lead, vocals to a handful of Runrig tunes, including Dust and Faileas air an Airigh.