Runrig boys receive Sabhal Mòr Ostaig’s prestigious Sàr Ghàidheal award

A celebratory dinner was held by Sabhal Mòr Ostaig UHI recently to present brothers Rory and Calum MacDonald, from the successful band Runrig, with their Sàr Ghàidheal awards.

It was at this year’s Graduation ceremony that the title of Sàr Ghàidheal was bestowed upon them and although unable to attend, they filmed a video thanking the College for the award which was shown to all those present.

There have been many links, both historical and personal, between the brothers and the College through the years.  Rory MacDonald designed the first ever SMO logo, their band Runrig played in the Talla Mhòr back in the early days, Donnie Munro the Director of Development and the Arts at SMO was a fellow member of the band and both Calum and Rory were in primary school with College Principal, Prof Boyd Robertson.

Prof Robertson said:  “It was entirely appropriate that the title of Sàr Ghàidheal was bestowed on the MacDonald brothers given how they revitalised and extended the corpus of Gaelic song.  and how, through their repertoire with Runrig, they brought Gaelic music and song to the world stage and  got people unfamiliar with the language  to sing Gaelic songs .  It was also very fitting that the award of Sàr Ghàidheal was conferred on Rory and Calum by Roddy John MacLeod in his last official engagement as Chairman of the Board of Directors at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig.  He and the brothers had attended Portree High School together and he went on to become their legal advisor when they established the band.”