Welcome to Clan Cunningham International!

Clan Cunningham International, founded in 2002 is a non-political,non-sectarian, all volunteer, non-profit corporation registered in the State of Tennessee. As a registered non-profit organization, under IRS Code Section 501(c) (3), (public educational charity) all donations to support its activities are tax deductible within the limitation of federal tax codes for donors who are US citizens.

Membership is open to all Cunninghams around the world by birth, marriage, or adoption, and to the descendants of the Associated Families of the Districts of Cunninghame and Ayrshire in Scotland, as well as to anyone with an interest in or wishing to promote the great heritage of Clan Cunningham.

The organization has evolved and grown greatly in these few short years and represents Clan Cunningham at Scottish Games and Celtic festivals all over the United States, Canada, Scotland and New Zealand, just to mention a few. And our presence isn’t limited strictly to the US! We now have members in New Zealand, England, Canada, and Scotland.

Our Clan Chief, Sir John Christopher Foggo Montgomery Cuninghame, Baronet of Corsehill, is a member of our Governing Council.

A list of Associated Families, list of our Governing Council, By-Laws, and other important information may be found on this web-site.

Clan Cunningham is a proud member of the Council of Scottish Clans and Associations since 2002.

We share the sad news of the passing of Larry Augsbury. Some may remember Mr. Augsbury from Clan Cunningham Society of America. Elected to the position of High Commissioner in March of 2001, he served in that position until his passing on January 22, 2022. He was 66 years old. On behalf of our CCI members, I wish to offer our condolences to family and friends.  Sheryl Cunningham, CCI President

Chief's Message

Dear Clan Members, 

During the last year I have done little to contribute to the life and progress of Clan Cunningham. It has been a difficult and worrying year for me particularly as my wife, Laura, nearly had to spend Christmas in hospital for the second year running. Fortunately that did not happen and we had a quiet Happy Christmas at home.  But that is enough about me.

I was on the point of sending an enthusiastic and inspiriting letter to you just after the start of the Highland Games season, but then came the terrible hurricanes followed by the floods and then the worst fires in California’s history. I thought you would have many more pressing thoughts on your mind and that it would be inappropriate to write such a letter to you at that moment of time. I pray that none of your relations or friends were involved in these disasters.

During the last few months I have spent some of my time refreshing my knowledge of the history of medieval Scotland. One of the subjects which interests me was the origins of the perceived differences between the Highlands and the Lowlands, or rather the Highlanders and the Lowlanders. I have no pretentions of being a scholar in Scottish history, but I thought the observations might be of interest to you. The full article can be viewed on the Clan’s website (www.clancunninghamintl.org)  hope that all of you have had a very joyful Christmas and I warmly wish you a very successful and Happy New Year. If we each added one new member to the clan that would be one success.

With my best wishes,

John M. Cuninghame of that Ilk

President's Message

From the President’s Pen, January 2022

Happy New Year!

I hope that 2022 has gotten off to a great start for everyone.

January is Burns month and many of you will be participating in Burns Suppers on or around January 25, the date of Burns’ birth in 1759. I invite you to share pictures of your events so that we may share the festivities with members via our newsletter. You will also find some interesting articles and pictures in this edition of the newsletter related to various aspects of Burns’ life.

We continue our work on the Glencairn Aisle Preservation Project through various activities and fundraising. We are close to having enough funding to start the first phase of the restoration work. We encourage the continuation of donations as there is much work to be done to preserve this important part of our history. Donations can be made by sending a check to our secretary/treasurer, David Pickens (5441 Mockingbird Dr., Knoxville TN 37919) or via PayPal. You can donate via PayPal by going to our website, www.clancunninghamintl.org and clicking on the Join/Donate button. Please designate “Donation” and Glencairn Aisle when completing the transaction.  Let me remind you that all donations are 501c3 tax deductible. Donations of any amount are greatly appreciated.

We continue working on the planning of our upcoming 2022 Triennial gathering in Salado, Texas. We were happy to obtain copies of the book Finlaystone, written by our friend, Chief George McMillan and his siblings, and have included a book review and information about obtaining your own copy of this wonderful book in the upcoming newsletter. And, January 1 was the first day to submit applications for scholarship funds for programs starting in the summer of 2022.You will find updates on all of these in the newsletter.

May you remain happy and healthy and enjoy the winter months ahead.

Yours aye,

Sheryl Cunningham
President, Clan Cunningham, Intl.