Once again we have Donnie's answers to your now end of year questions that you the fans sent in. I hope you enjoy reading Donnie's comments.

For new visitors or members you will find the previous 2004 and 2005 Question and Answer page here

 

2004 and 2005 Question and Answer Page

 

 

 

What was the best new CD of this year (excluding your own one)?
Guillemots, Sandy Thom, Snow Patrol,Paul Simon,masterful as ever-l there have been some great releases.

Did you go to any concerts this year and if so, who did you go to see?

No this has been a year tied up with major projects including the work towards Heart of America and consequently I did not see so much in the way of live music. I saw Stereoglo a couple of times and have a special interest in them having worked with Richard Macintyre. They are a great band and Richard is immensely gifted as a musician and writer - they should go far. Also caught some of the Skye Festival acts.

What is your favourite book?

To Kill a Mocking Bird-such a powerful and moral book - Atticus Finch is probably my all time hero - he is a very worthy role model. Three Letters of Love and As it is in Heaven are also two of the best books I have  read. I have also enjoyed Richard Holloway’s Doubts and Loves, which I found to be a very illuminating and uplifting look at the whole nature of our belief systems and faith s- his own searching, his deep knowledge of philosophy and theology bring a great deal to light.

I would like to ask Donnie if he has any heroes, if so why does he admire them and has he ever met any of his heroes?

There are so many hero’s in everyday life - just people who do the right thing when things need doing - and they do it often under difficult circumstances and without recognition. On the more dramatic or publicly acknowledged level, Sir Edmund Hillary, Nye Bevin, John MacLean, Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Mother Teresa, the men and women of the Land League Movement, Bob Geldolf, Bono, John Pilger and so many others.

Any thoughts about performing in Canada?

Would love to - awaiting the invite - I would love to perform in Nova Scotia in particular.

What do you think about people learning and speaking Gaelic, loving this beautiful language, but haven't got any Scottish roots?

Language and culture are strengthened by sharing - it is a great compliment that people would want to share it in this way.

What would be your top three travel destinations, and why, if money was no object!!!!!

The top of Tamserku in the Himalayas, the Poles, Patagonia, and Montana on horseback,
sorry that’s four!

Please can Donnie tell us some more about his long term vision for the new FAS centre at SMO?

It is an amazing project which will bring together a whole range of related initiatives and disciplines within the arts and the creative and cultural industries. It is one of the se initiatives that takes a very holistic view of development and by bringing together such a range of cultural and artistic activity. tied to all the possibilities of ‘new media’ it is a really exciting prospect.

What is Donnie's favourite film and TV programme?

Film/s Kes and The Prime Miss Jean Brodie.

Having stood for election when Tony Blair's New Labour was just formulating, would you say that he fulfilled his political promise and if not what particular actions did you strongly agree or disagree with? Also - please do not consider this an intrusion into your personal life - have you ever thought about having your biography written

In general it is important to recognise many of the positive changes which have taken place since 1997 - minimum wage - European work directive - hand gun ban - increase employment - low inflation - steady growth in the economy - no boom and bust - vastly increased spending in health, education - increased student numbers - increased university research funding year on year - new green agenda - welfare to work schemes - reintroduction of the modern apprenticeships - constitutional changes - reform of the House of Lords - end to hereditary Peers - setting up of the Scottish Parliament - Welsh and Northern Ireland Assemblies - guaranteed nursery education for all 3year olds - abolition of the assisted places scheme for private education - the McCrone reforms - Land Reform Act - Access rights - Community Ownership - the Land Fund - and many many more initiatives to numerous to mention. I think it is important to judge any Government by what they set out to do in their manifesto - their contract with the electorate if you like and what they actually deliver - it is really the only basis of judging their effectiveness in government. Often certain issues will emerge to cloud the view of many of the good things that have been achieved but it is important that we don’t lose sight of what has been achieved for the common good.
The extreme negatives for me are of course the War in Iraq which I have opposed very publicly since the outset - completely disagreed with that action and the issue which now gives me the greatest difficulty is the renewal of Trident  For me this is a matter of personal morality - I simply disagree with the procurement and willingness to consider deploying Nuclear weapons in any circumstances and therefore the deterrent argument, for me, simply does not apply, as I would never give my consent to use a nuclear weapon in any circumstances. I understand the arguments advanced by senior members of the Cabinet about it being about influence and negotiating strength but I simply disagree with it on a point of absolute principle. International politics is the great challenge of our time and the pursuit of peace and trust within the world community can not be advanced by further proliferation of nuclear arsenals around the world. If we have a moral position and a desire to rid the world of weapons of mass destruction then we should be willing to take the lead and lead by example. I deeply distrust the foreign policy motives of the US and even a cursory glance at the history of their international interventions does not inspire confidence in their credibility. The US, UK and indeed all Governments are guilty of highly dubious and duplicitous behaviour throughout their histories and in particular, the US has on many occasions been the covert force behind the overthrow of legitimate and democratically elected governments, when it did not suit US national interests. What a challenge we face in working towards a more stable and equitable world.

I would like to know what the most difficult task was life demanded of you, what you learned from it and what you would say to others facing the same task.

Probably dealing with the death of loved ones is the greatest trauma we all have to deal with and in all cases the over-riding lesson for me is to value and enjoy the beauty of our human relationships while we have them and to accept that we are all ultimately responsible for each other and that our actions, our words, our way of being with each other can affect people at the most profound level. We should never underestimate the destructive negative force that cruelty or isolation or lack of acceptance can have in peoples lives. It is our place to nurture and support and to recognise our communal failings and frailties and by that to know that weakness is turned to strength.

I would like to ask Donnie if humour is important to him and what makes him laugh.

Spike Milligan - funny stories - just the ridiculous things that happen to us all - it is good to laugh at yourself and not to mind landing flat on your ass(metaphorically speaking).

I'd like to ask Donnie what he thinks of the mad fans who accost him after every show, does he mind?
I have never been accosted - but it is simply an extension of human friendship.

Question: What is Donnie doing to celebrate 2007 - the year of highland culture?
Being alive in 2007.

Does Donnie ever sell any of his paintings?
Yes - I exhibit through the Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh and very fortunate to have sold almost everything I have shown there.

How does he feel about the fans response to the 'Heart of America' album compared to previous albums?
I am absolutely delighted by the positive response to HOA.

I would like to ask Donnie what advice would he offer to up and coming musical artists? Also, just out of curiosity, which hand does he write with?
Right hand - and just do everything you do because of an honest desire - not because of desire for recognition or success - people know when you mean it - and that is what matters most.

I would like to ask Donnie if he is planning to do any more DVDs like Fields of the Young, which I absolutely love. Or would he consider having one of his live performances recorded for DVD?
No plans as yet but it may be possible that I would do a live performance DVD set against a series of ‘specials’ which I hope to perform possibly towards the end of 2007.

Question - As you are probably aware ,your work throughout the years ,has influenced and inspired many people to learn the Gàidhlig language and discover the culture and arts involved in Scotland in order to enrich their lives. Does this surprise you ,or did you ever hope or expect that ,maybe you would have such an impact on such things ?

I think when we (Runrig) started out to work with the language in our music it was a natural response to our own backgrounds and it was not in any way a self conscious attempt to be part of any revival movement. However by the mere fact of doing that it was in itself a political statement and a positive step towards the regeneration of the language through creating the sense that it was just as valid as any other language and despite nearly the negative forces which had conspired against it for almost 200 years it was still very much at the heart of our sense of ourselves and I think that in essence is what was important about our contribution at that time.

What are his best concerts both solo and with Runrig ?
Been so many amazing shows both with Runrig and solo, it is hard to single any out.
The Loch Lomond Show was of course really special for all sorts of reasons but all shows are special in their own way.

On reflection do you think your attempts at becoming a politician had a rebound effect on some fans and if you could, or decide to have another go in the future what would you do different in the political arena

I think that as with so many things in our lives it is important to follow your own feelings and, at that time for me, it was the right thing to have done, because I was being honest to myself. I had a strong feelings in relation to the potential for change and for a desire to contribute to the life of  our communities. I of course had a particular commitment and concern for Highlands and Islands affairs and had committed myself to trying to move the agenda forward. I knew that 1997 was a very hard election to win with Labour starting from fourth place, a pretty low starting point on which to challenge Charles Kennedy the sitting MP. However the campaign went very well and we brought the Labour party up to a very close second to the LibDems in that election campaign reducing their majority over Labour from about 11,000 to just over 3,000.I had always seen this as a constituency which was going to take two stages to win and I had set my sights on the Scottish Parliamentary election 1999. In the intervening time I was offered the opportunity of a ‘safe seat’ in Glasgow, in fact probably the safest Labour seat in the whole of the country and despite the certain opportunity that offered I did not feel right about it and decided that I had started a campaign in the Highlands which I thought it was important to see through - against I may say the advice an pressure of many in the political field.
However I declined the offer after some difficult discussions at the highest level and decided to stay with the Highland seat, which I fought very hard and in 1999 just failed by a small margin - actually all that would have been required to win the seat outright was another 750 voters to have switched from LibDem to Labour, so it came very close. However, during that time I learned a great deal about the things I didn’t like about politics and especially about political parties and how so often the agendas driving certain people have little vision and are often dominated more by the protection of ‘powerbases’ and career advancement. That was and remains a great disappointment to me but part of life’s steep learning curve. So I came out the other end of all that pretty battered and bruised and let down by the more Machiavellian machinations of the political machine - but I learned a great deal from the process and would look at things in a very different light in the future.

This is more a question from edd (my 7 year old son) sorry if its been answered before but whenever he hears on the west side he asks on the west side of what was he walking
Wherever you want it to be.

As Donnie has moved back to Skye after being away, how does he find it compared to lowland life ?
It has advantages and disadvantages like all things but it particularly good for young children and probably offers far greater freedoms than an urban environment - of course it is also my own home and that has deep attachments.

What does he do to relax, any specific hobbies ?
With my family - walking, cycling and getting into the mountains where possible - not often enough - listening to music - reading - visiting exhibitions - watching films etc.

What is his favourite time saving gadget he can’t do without?
Musically my tuner peddle - practically now I suppose my mobile.

Is Donnie going to be making a appearance at The 2007 Beat The Drum Festival at Loch Ness with Runrig?
No plans.

I would like to ask Donnie if he would be kind enough to suggest a few of his favourite places in Skye which may be a bit off the beaten track so that we can explore more of the fantastic island where he comes from.
Stòr, Corrie Lagan, Blaven Clach Glas, Torrin, Elgol, Braes, Uillinish peninsula, Staffin Bay.

What concert of his own this year has been his personal favourite and why?
Hard to say - Ironworks was very enjoyable - Bonar Halls - Celtic Connections.

Does he speak in Gaelic when with others who also speak the language?
Yes.

Donnie once referred to a Big Country concert as 'possibly the most exciting live concert' he's attended. Does he still feel the same?
Probably.

If the genie in the bottle granted him three wishes, what would they be?
Health, happiness and the safety of my family in a peaceful world, oh and number one album.

What does he want from Santa???????
Whatever he has left over !