Biography

Calum MacArthur was born in Stornoway on 15th of March 1940. He and his brother Kenneth were twins. Their father was from Achmore and his mother from Leurbost. The family had a building company, M.J. MacArthur, in Stornoway. When Calum was about twelve years old they moved to Ach.

After leaving the Nicolson Institute, Calum went to Lews Castle College to study joinery and stonemasonry but did not finish the course. In 1958 he got a job in Glasgow with Standard Life, and it was not long before he was promoted to inspector, based in Ayr, but serving the west of Scotland.

Calum left Standard Life in 1968 and, together with Donald Skinner, started an estate agency, initially in Glasgow. The business was a success and eventually they had three offices in Glasgow and one in Oban. They sold the business in 1988. Even after that, Calum helped many Gaels buy homes, especially in Glasgow.

Calum was popular as a singer and eventually decided to try for the Gold Medal at the Mòd. He was runner-up three times and won the Òran Mòr competition three times before winning the Gold Medal in Perth in 1980. His set piece was Iain Caimbeul a' Bhanca and his own choice was An Ataireachd Bhuan.

Calum sang in the Glasgow Gaelic Choir for many years. He was their treasurer and chairman for three years. Many organisations in Glasgow benefited from Calum's voluntary help, including the Lewis and Harris Association, An Lòchran and Glasgow Gaelic School. There was great sadness amongst the Glasgow Gaels when he passed away on the 2nd of April 2009. He was married and had one daughter.