Clan MacKinnon Society

Welcome

The purpose of Clan MacKinnon Society is to promote and foster the spirit of Clan MacKinnon, to provide a focal point and means for expressing MacKinnon sentiment, and to aid members in establishing and maintaining contact with each other and with others of Scottish heritage. Society membership encourages, promotes, educates, and supports the preservation of Scottish and MacKinnon history, tradition, and cultural activities. There is no requirement that one needs to be a MacKinnon by blood or ancestry to join Clan MacKinnon Society. We are an inclusive organization and welcome everyone! Friends, cousins, and passersby... ceud mìle fàilte (a hundred thousand welcomes)!

A Statement from Clan MacKinnon Society

The Clan MacKinnon Society is aware that rumors have been circulating through social media regarding attempts to challenge the chiefship of Clan MacKinnon, claiming that there are ten chiefs of the Clan, and disputing the rights of individuals to wear the tartan and badge of the Clan.

All matters pertaining to heraldry in Scotland, including coats of arms, clan badges, and clan headship, are governed by the Court of the Lord Lyon. Through the Court of the Lord Lyon, the office of Chief of the Clan MacKinnon in Great Britain was bestowed upon Madam Anne Gunhild MacKinnon of MacKinnon. Until investigated and confirmed by the Court of the Lord Lyon, claims of other or multiple chiefs are false. Additionally, anyone who claims descent or fidelity to Clan MacKinnon is entitled to wear the tartan and badge of the Clan without special permission. While there are many Clan MacKinnon associations globally engaged in a variety of educational and promotional activities, any claims of other Chiefs are false.

The Clan MacKinnon Society was founded in Scotland in 1891 and existed there until 1975, by which time membership had lagged and the Society was dissolved. In 1980, a petition was made to then-Chief Neil MacKinnon to reconstitute the Society. Since that time, it has been headquartered in the United States, currently in Michigan. We make no claim to be the sole source of all things MacKinnon. The CMS focuses on educational activities, community building among members and with other clan associations, and the propagation of our history and traditions. The CMS recognizes the decision of the Court of the Lord Lyon on matters relating to the Chief of Clan MacKinnon.

Our Vice Chair, Steve Mills, has prepared a short video which elaborates on this statement. It can be found at on the Clan MacKinnon Society website and social media channels.

In Memoriam

Gerald Allan McKinnon
October 23, 1951 - June 30, 2021

Gerald passed away after a short battle with cancer at home. Previously, Gerald was the Clan MacKinnon's Representative to the Chief and also the Clan MacKinnon Society Historian. Everyone loved Gerald and he was well respected amongst his peers. We want to pass on our sincere condolences to his family. His love of all things MacKinnon will live on in his books and in our memories. His obituary can be read here.

Upcoming Society Gatherings

We will be hosting our next Society Gathering & General Meeting virtually (using Zoom) in June 2022, but we are very excited to announce that our next in-person Society Gathering is going to take place in Edinburgh, Scotland from June 13 to 16, 2023. We are also working to plan an optional bus tour of Scotland with stops at MacKinnon ancestral locations from June 16 to 21, 2023. More details to come!

By the Numbers

How It All Began

The Society was born on December 22, 1891 in Glasgow, Scotland. Sadly, during the 1960s, Society enrollment markedly declined. In 1975, Clan MacKinnon Society in the United Kingdom closed its books. Around this time, however, N. Joann MacKinnon Osborne in the United States was granted permission to establish a Clan MacKinnon Society in the U.S. by Neil MacKinnon of MacKinnon, then Chief of the Clan. By 1982, Clan MacKinnon Society of North America had 57 members.

During a 2005 meeting attended by the Representative of the Chief and 20 others in Pleasanton, California, the spirit of Clan MacKinnon Society of North America was affirmed and the heritage of Clan MacKinnon Society of the United Kingdom acknowledged. At that meeting it was decided that a new constitution was required, a new board of directors was elected, and the Society’s goals expanded.

Today Clan MacKinnon Society (no longer just of North America) is a recognized nonprofit organization headquartered in the United States with members from all over the world. We strive to unite MacKinnons and grow an understanding and appreciation for the culture and history of Scotland. Join us!