About the Society
Clan Gunn is one of the oldest and most northerly clans in Scotland, claiming descent from the Norse "Jarls" of Orkney in the tenth century. The name "Gunn" is believed to come from "Gunni", the grandson of Sweyn Asleifsson, the "Ultimate Viking" hero of the Orkneyinge Saga.
The first Clan Gunn Society was founded in Thurso, Caithness, in 1821 with the title "The Loyal and United Benevolent Society of the Clan Gunn".
The present Clan Gunn Society was formed in 1960 to "promote a spirit of kinship amongst members of the clan throughout the world". Now 45 years on we have a membership of over 300 families worldwide.
Clansmen and women travel to Scotland from all parts of the world to take part in the International Gatherings of the Clan. These take part every three years.
Sightseeing trips are organised both in the Orkney Islands and on the Scottish mainland in Caithness and Sutherland so that clansmen may visit all the places associated with our Clan's long history. In addition many fun activities are provided to make it a holiday to remember.
The Society publishes a magazine, the "Gunn Herald", three times a year.
In the intervening years Mini-Gatherings are held in Caithness timed to coincide with the annual Halkirk Highland Games at the end of July. The St. Donan's Day Dinner is held each year in April, in a different location each year. The Society also arranges a less formal occasion each year aimed at the younger members and their families.
If you would like to see the society's constitution then please click below:
President's Message
President's Message January 2012
Firstly, may I wish everyone a belated Happy New Year, and I hope that you had a lovely Christmas. Graham and I travelled down to my sister in Kent, which was a real treat for us as we seldom go away for Christmas.
The year 2012 is a significant one for Britain on at least two counts: Her Majesty the Queen celebrates her Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic games return to London for only the second time in their history.
Of possibly less importance to the nation as a whole, but of interest to us, the Clan Gunn Society will be celebrating St Donan's Day in London, with a welcome return to the Greenwich area (see separate report). July will be a busy month for the Society, with a tent at the Ashbourne Gathering on the 15th and the International Gathering beginning on the 21st July. I hope that all these dates will go into your diary and that we shall see you at some point during 2012.
Every blessing to all,
Helen Hill