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)!

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

As of April 2021, we boast 366 household memberships (accounting for 683 people). We have members in 14 countries around the world, and 37 states in the USA. Countries where you can find the largest concentration of Clan MacKinnon Society members are: the USA, France, Belgium, Canada, and Germany. U.S. states with the largest concentration of members are: Washington State, California, Texas, Michigan, Tennessee, and Minnesota. Help us grow our membership worldwide! Become a member today!

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!