COUNCIL MEMBERS
Sandra Mackay
President
Sandra has been a member of the Clan Mackay Society for 35 years, a council member for about 20, and two years ago became President. Born in Sutherland, she has lived in various parts of Scotland and England and now settled in Linlithgow.
Her claim to ‘fame’ is that her parents were both born Mackay, on her maternal side both grandparents were Mackay and one of her two sons has married a Mackay. That means her grandson Stewart has a heritage of Mackays married to each other for five generations!
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Murdo Mackay
Membership Secretary / Council Member
Murdo Mackay (or “Murchadh MacAoidh” in his native Gaelic) is originally from the Isle of Harris and now lives in Edinburgh. Having worked in human resource management since leaving university, Murdo is the founder of his own business, providing interim HR, consultancy and coaching support to a range of growing businesses.
He has been involved with the Society since 2018 and a member of the CMS council since 2019. With a passion for learning more about his heritage, Murdo enjoys learning about Clan Mackay history, particularly in the North West of Scotland.
Iain McKay
Council Member
Archaeologist and South American expert Iain Mackay was born in St. Andrews, Fife, and shortly afterwards went to Peru with his parents. He spent my formative years in Lima, where he attended a non-profit school for Peruvians founded by Dr John A. Mackay in 1917.
Iain has travelled extensively to a wide range of places with a Mackay connection.
Hunter McKay
Seanaichaidh
Hunter was raised in Utah, USA, before moving to Georgia, where he currently lives.
At the age of 17, he joined the Utah Army National Guard as a medic. Taking leave from the military temporarily, he was sent to Ecuador by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a missionary for two years where he learned to speak Spanish. Upon his return to Utah, he matriculated into Brigham Young University. Four years later, in 2018, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Regular Army.
Hunter has been a member of Clan Mackay Society-Scotland since July, 2019 and a member of the CMS council since April, 2021 as the Seanachaidh (Historian). Hunter has always loved history, but he has a special place for the history of Clan Mackay.
Charlotte Fairbairn
Newsletter Editor
Charlotte is a writer (novels, exhibitions, feature articles) and the daughter of the late Elizabeth Fairbairn, long-time president of the Clan Mackay Society and honorary chairman of the Strathnaver Museum.
In 2018, Charlotte published The Real Mackays – a brief illustrated guide to the clan told through the clan chiefs.
Charlotte is based in Cumbria and on a houseboat in East London. She has two children, Jake and Clara, and a dog called Bear.
Mairi Vodden
Bursary Administrator
Mairi Vodden (née Mackay) was born in Edinburgh and is the daughter of Margaret and John Mackay. She joined the Clan Mackay Society as a life member in October 2019 and has Mackay heritage links to Edinburgh, Caithness & Ross-shire.
Lisa Mackay
Council Member
Lisa was born in Edinburgh and is the daughter-in-law of Sandra and John Mackay, married to their son James.
Being involved in a number of charities and community groups, Lisa thought she would add one more to the collection and became involved with the Clan Mackay Society formally in 2020.
I was born in Edinburgh to parents who were both Mackays and whose ancestors were cleared from Strathnaver.
My Father’s side of my history moved from Strathnaver via Kishorn, Wester Ross to Edinburgh. My Mother’s family route was from Strathnaver to Lyth, Caithness. She did her Nurse training in Edinburgh where they met and married.
I am a Brewer by profession and my career has been spent working in Breweries, Distilleries, and Soft Drinks Companies.
I joined the Society in 2009 following the Homecoming when my interest in the Society was rekindled, both parents and relatives having been actively involved in the Society in the past.
Now that I am retired my main interest these days is in travel, particularly cruising and being Secretary of my Probus Group.
John Mackay
Treasurer / Council Member
John was born in Inverness, a son of the Manse. His father, James Murray Mackay was born in Uig on the Isle of Lewis.
John joined the Clan Society 35 years ago having been the recipient of a bursary whilst still at school in 1962. After a career in the Civil Service, he retired and helped set up the charity “Football Aid”. He has been a church elder and served as Session Clerk for six years.
He has served as Treasurer of the Society for the past 19 years, but is looking forward to full retirement when we can find a successor!
I was born in Edinburgh to parents who were both Mackays and whose ancestors were cleared from Strathnaver.
My Father’s side of my history moved from Strathnaver via Kishorn, Wester Ross to Edinburgh. My Mother’s family route was from Strathnaver to Lyth, Caithness. She did her Nurse training in Edinburgh where they met and married.
I am a Brewer by profession and my career has been spent working in Breweries, Distilleries, and Soft Drinks Companies.
I joined the Society in 2009 following the Homecoming when my interest in the Society was rekindled, both parents and relatives having been actively involved in the Society in the past.
Now that I am retired my main interest these days is in travel, particularly cruising and being Secretary of my Probus Group.
Willie (Peru) Mackay
Vice President
Willie was born in Dundee with Ross-shire, Sutherland and Lowland antecedents. He was educated at Morgan Academy and University College (later Queen’s College) Dundee, and graduated from St Andrews University with an MA (Hons) in Geography and History and Dip.Ed. He also has Chapters V and III Teaching Qualifications from Dundee Teacher Training College, and a Dip.Th. from the Free Church of Scotland College in Edinburgh.
After two years teaching Geography and RE at Buckhaven High School in Fife, Willie spent 16 years teaching at St Andrew’s College in Lima, Peru, with the last 12 as Headmaster. He returned to Scotland and taught for eight years with Lothian Region, before being appointed Principal of Presbyterian Ladies’ College in Melbourne, Australia (where he worked for 12 years). On returning to Scotland, he taught Church History part-time for seven years in the Free Church of Scotland College, now the Edinburgh Theological Seminary, for the Glasgow University B.Th. degree.
In Peru he was a member of the Caledonian Society and in Melbourne a member of the Melbourne Scots. In 2006, Willie became a member of the Clan Mackay Society.
I was born in Edinburgh to parents who were both Mackays and whose ancestors were cleared from Strathnaver.
My Father’s side of my history moved from Strathnaver via Kishorn, Wester Ross to Edinburgh. My Mother’s family route was from Strathnaver to Lyth, Caithness. She did her Nurse training in Edinburgh where they met and married.
I am a Brewer by profession and my career has been spent working in Breweries, Distilleries, and Soft Drinks Companies.
I joined the Society in 2009 following the Homecoming when my interest in the Society was rekindled, both parents and relatives having been actively involved in the Society in the past.
Now that I am retired my main interest these days is in travel, particularly cruising and being Secretary of my Probus Group.
Chris Mackie
Seanaichaidh
Christopher Mackie of Carrickbraith (Gillecrìosd Mac Aoidh na Carraige Bhreatannach) grew up near Vancouver, Canada, and works as a barrister of British Columbia.
His people hailed from Morayshire since at least the 18th century. He maintains a private law practice, Reay Advocacy, where he primarily assists clients pro-bono who wish to pursue grants of heraldic arms.
Christopher is also a life member of the Society, and has been fortunate to return to the Highlands on several occasions.
I was born in Edinburgh to parents who were both Mackays and whose ancestors were cleared from Strathnaver.
My Father’s side of my history moved from Strathnaver via Kishorn, Wester Ross to Edinburgh. My Mother’s family route was from Strathnaver to Lyth, Caithness. She did her Nurse training in Edinburgh where they met and married.
I am a Brewer by profession and my career has been spent working in Breweries, Distilleries, and Soft Drinks Companies.
I joined the Society in 2009 following the Homecoming when my interest in the Society was rekindled, both parents and relatives having been actively involved in the Society in the past.
Now that I am retired my main interest these days is in travel, particularly cruising and being Secretary of my Probus Group.
John Mackay
Council Member
John was born in Edinburgh to parents who were both Mackays and whose ancestors were cleared from Strathnaver. His father’s side of the family moved from Strathnaver via Kishorn, Wester Ross, to Edinburgh. His Mother’s family route was from Strathnaver to Lyth, Caithness. John's mother completed nursing training in Edinburgh, where his parents met and married.
John is a brewer by profession, and his career has been spent working in breweries, distilleries, and soft drinks companies.
John's parents and relatives have been actively involved in the Society in the past, but he rejoined in 2009, when his interest in the Society was rekindled as a result of the Homecoming. Now that he is retired, John's main interest is in travel, particularly cruising and serving as Secretary of his Probus Group.
I was born in Edinburgh to parents who were both Mackays and whose ancestors were cleared from Strathnaver.
My Father’s side of my history moved from Strathnaver via Kishorn, Wester Ross to Edinburgh. My Mother’s family route was from Strathnaver to Lyth, Caithness. She did her Nurse training in Edinburgh where they met and married.
I am a Brewer by profession and my career has been spent working in Breweries, Distilleries, and Soft Drinks Companies.
I joined the Society in 2009 following the Homecoming when my interest in the Society was rekindled, both parents and relatives having been actively involved in the Society in the past.
Now that I am retired my main interest these days is in travel, particularly cruising and being Secretary of my Probus Group.
Margaret Mackay
Council Member
Margaret met her husband, John, when she came to Edinburgh to complete nursing training at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. She became a proud member of the Mackay Clan when they married, and joined the Society with John in 2009.
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When their daughter, Mairi, reached school age, Margaret returned to nursing in Cumbernauld. But compulsory shift work for hospital nursing made it difficult to combine work with family life, so she decided on another career, gaining a B.Ed. in Primary Education from Stirling University in 1978 and teaching in schools for two years.
She then undertook a Certificate in District Nursing at Hamilton College and returned to work as a District Nurse in Cumbernauld. From 1984 until her retirement, Margaret was employed as a college lecturer, teaching all aspects of child development to nursery nurse students, health and nutrition to pre-nursing students and first aid.
In retirement, her main interest is in travelling and visiting family in London.
Margaret is a member of the Scottish Women’s Institute, the St. Margaret’s Chapel Guild, The Pelican League and the NHS Retirement Fellowship. Looking back, she often wonders when she had time to work!
I was born in Edinburgh to parents who were both Mackays and whose ancestors were cleared from Strathnaver.
My Father’s side of my history moved from Strathnaver via Kishorn, Wester Ross to Edinburgh. My Mother’s family route was from Strathnaver to Lyth, Caithness. She did her Nurse training in Edinburgh where they met and married.
I am a Brewer by profession and my career has been spent working in Breweries, Distilleries, and Soft Drinks Companies.
I joined the Society in 2009 following the Homecoming when my interest in the Society was rekindled, both parents and relatives having been actively involved in the Society in the past.
Now that I am retired my main interest these days is in travel, particularly cruising and being Secretary of my Probus Group.
Fiona Mackay Smith
Council Member
Fiona comes from a long line of Society members, being the daughter of Magda Mackay Smith (who was a member from at least 1931 until her death in 2010) and granddaughter of John Mackay (Iain Welsh) from Carloway on the Isle of Lewis (who was a member from 1919 until his death in 1957).
Fiona herself has been a member of the Society since her teens and a council member for at least 30 years.
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Born in Stirling, raised and educated in Edinburgh, she is now retired, but Fiona previously worked as a nurse and nurse educator in UK. Latterly she helped to set up nursing programmes in places like Gaza, Rwanda, Afghanistan and Egypt.