Our History
More than a thousand years of
heritage, courage, loss, and resilience.
The MacKinnon Story
c. 700 AD
12th Century
14th Century
1600s
1715, 1719, 1745
1791
1750s - 1800s
The Kingdom of Dalriada
The ancient roots of the clan reach back to Loarn, son of King Erc.
Finguine
Finguine emerges as the historical founder of Clan MacKinnon.
Dun Ringill
The MacKinnon chiefs establish their stronghold on Skye.
The Lordship of the Isles
MacKinnons become deeply involved in Gaelic culture and the affairs of the Isles.
The Jacobite Risings
The clan supports the Stuart cause.
The Loss of the Lands
Charles, the penultimate chief, sells the last of his patrimony.
The Highland Clearances
MacKinnons are scattered across the world.
The early history of Clan MacKinnon is lost in the mists of time. However, it is generally accepted that the clan is descended from Loarn, one of the sons of King Erc, founder of the ancient Irish kingdom of Dalriada whose lands included the area of modern Lorn as well as the islands of Mull, Coll, and Tiree. The long struggles between the tribes of Dalriada considerably weakened the kingdom and in about 700 AD it fell to Viking raiders. For several hundred years nothing further is recorded about the tribe of Loarn, but it had not disappeared. Finguine, founder of Clan MacKinnon, was a historical figure and a prominent warrior known to have lived during the last years of the 12th century. Finguine, the grandson of Aibertach of Lorn, gave the clan its Gaelic designation: Mac Fhionghuin (“Son of Fingon”). Eventually the name was anglicized to “MacKinnon” by a MacKinnon chief during the 18th century, an occurrence which came relatively late in clan history. As the Kingdom of the Isles developed into the Lordship of the Isles during the latter part of the first millennium there was a flowering of Gaelic arts, literature, building, and trade. Clan MacKinnon was active in all aspects of this growing and uniquely Gaelic culture. MacKinnon chiefs were respected members of the Council of the Isles, and the clan supplied the abbots and priors for the monastery on Iona. Under the Lordship of the Isles the MacKinnons obtained the lands of Strath on Skye, a farm called Sliddery on the island of Arran, and consolidated their hold on Mishnish, a district on northern Mull. It was during the civil wars that enveloped Scotland, Ireland, and England in the 1640s that first saw the MacKinnons support the Stewart/Stuart kings. The Stewart/Stuart cause gained much support in 1707 with the passage of the unpopular Act of Union that forged England and Scotland into one country. Clan MacKinnon was out in all attempts to restore Scotland’s sovereignty in 1715, 1719, and 1745. The period following the ill-fated Jacobite risings saw the once prosperous Clan MacKinnon reduced to poverty. Unable to pay all of the debts for which he was responsible, Charles, the penultimate MacKinnon chief, sold the last of his patrimony in 1791. The clan, which was now living on land that was owned by others, lost much of its leadership to emigration. The brutal but well-known clearing of the Highlands saw the MacKinnons, after more than 1000 years in the Hebrides, scattered around the globe.
Ancient Clan Seats
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DUN RINGILL
Castle Findanus
The ancient seat of the MacKinnon chiefs.
DUNAKIN
Caisteal Maol
The roofless castle overlooking the Kyle of Lochalsh.
There is reason to believe that MacKinnon chiefs first occupied land on Skye during the mid-14th century; they would have required an easily-defensible place to live. The tradition that Dun Ringill was the first MacKinnon home on Skye is borne out by the archaeological evidence. After several hundred years of abandonment, the 2000-year-old broch was renovated during the medieval period. The defenses were updated by the addition of a parapet and a remodeling of the entrance to make it easier to defend. The domestic comforts of the old structure were also improved by the addition to the interior of two hip-roofed buildings. Outside the fort the MacKinnons established a small village, complete with stone-built outbuildings and run-rig fields. By 1360 Dun Ringill had become the main residence of the MacKinnon chiefs and was known officially as Castle Findanus. The stronghold was home to the clan's chiefs until as late as 1549. Sometime before 1577 Castle Findanus disappears from the official record, suggesting that after some 200 years the chiefs and their retainers had moved, taking up residence at Kilmorie.
There is a well-known tradition that Dunakin, also called Caisteal Maol, was owned by a Norse princess known as “Saucy Mary.” She is said to have regulated sea traffic through the Kyle of Lochalsh by the use of a huge iron chain that was stretched across the narrows. By means of this chain Saucy Mary was able to levy a toll on all passing ships, except those from her own country. When she died, Saucy Mary is said to have been buried west of Broadford under a cairn on Beinn na Caillaich ("the beinn of the old woman") with her face pointed toward her native land. The often-repeated story that Fingon, the founder of Clan MacKinnon, acquired the watchtower through marriage to Saucy Mary is, unfortunately, not true. The tower was built by a Lord of the Isles during the 15th century and was not acquired by the MacKinnons until the 16th century. There is no historical record indicating that Dunakin was ever a permanent home of the MacKinnon chiefs. Tradition tells us, however, that Jane, the sister of Chief Sir Lachlan MacKinnon, and her nephew, Neil, sought shelter there during the 17th century. It was Sir Lachlan MacKinnon, the signatory to the statutes of Icolmcill in 1609, who had his primary residence at Kilmorie near the ancestral home of Dun Ringill/Castle Findanus. We may never know if the fire that reputedly destroyed Dunakin was an accident or an act of war. It may be coincidence that after Cromwell's cavalry visited the Kyle in 1652 Dunakin was commonly known as Caisteal Maol ("the bald/roofless castle"). What little is left of the old tower is, however, still an imposing ruin.
Slogan
CREST
MOTTO
BADGES
Cuimhnich bas Alpan
Remember the death of Alpin
Audentes Fortuna Juvat
Fortune favors the bold
St. John's Wort
&
Scots Pine
