Events

2025
2024

Coming up:

Saturday 18 October 2025, Gartmore Village Hall, 1.00 - 6.00pm:

Reading Between The Lines: Billy Kay, Alan Riach, Lachie Munro, Jamie Jauncey on Don Roberto, his world, and his Scottish stories. The Cunninghame Graham Society with Gartmore 300. Tickets £5. Tickets here.

Friday 28 November 2025, Advanced Research Centre, Glasgow University, 1.00 - 6.00pm: RB and Gabriela Cunninghame Graham - International Travel, Domestic Reality with Jad Adams, Lesley McDowell, Jamie Jauncey, Alan Riach and Lachie Munro. Free ticketed event. Tickets here.

In November 2025 Glasgow University Dialectical Society will host the third annual Cunninghame Graham Debates (date tbc). The debates are sponsored by Scotland Street Press and the Cunninghame Graham Society. Motions feature topics relevant to the life and work of RBCG. In 2024: legal enshrinement of animal rights, abolition of the House of Lords, and Scottish Independence.

In 2025 RBCG's cousin, Susan Henn (1853-1911), will be inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame. She was the first woman ever to compete in the America's Cup, having commissioned, funded and, due to her husband's indisposition, effectively skippered the yacht Galatea in the race of 1886. She is pictured here with what appears to be a sea-going raccoon. (Her mother, Susan Cunninghame Graham, was the half-sister of RBCG's grandfather.)

2025 is the centenary of the installation in Hyde Park of the WH Hudson memorial, by Jacob Epstein. RBCG admired Hudson above all other writers and shared a love of South America with the naturalist and novelist who had grown up in Argentina. Hudson died in 1922 and RBCG initiated the commission of the sculpture and chaired the committee that saw it through to completion. Conor Mark Jameson, author of Finding WH Hudson explains.

In 1725, Nicol Graham, RBCG's ancestor, laid out the boundaries of Gartmore Village - a planned 'estate village', centred on the Graham family seat, Gartmore House, where RBCG spent part of his childhood. To mark the tercentenary, Gartmore Heritage Society have programmed a year of events under the banner of Gartmore 300. Further details: https://www.facebook.com/gartmoreheritagesociety

2024

Don Roberto and Scotland: International Perspectives
11-12 May 2024

Jamie Jauncey, James Robertson, Carla Sassi and Alan Riach

In May 2024 we ran a two-day symposium at the Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum, and Gartmore House. On Saturday we listened to a day of talks at the Smith by speakers on a range of topics related to RBCG's life and work. At dinner in the evening we were entertained by Alan Riach and Chris Dolan with a dialogue and readings. On Sunday we enjoyed a morning's visit to the former Graham family seat, Gartmore House, and an afternoon trip to the island of Inchmahome where Robert and Gabriela are buried. The sun shone all weekend.

THE SPEAKERS

James Robertson: RBCG – a personal reading

Conor Mark Jameson: RBCG and WH Hudson

Carla Sassi: RBCG and Empire

Laurence Davies: RBCG and Conrad

Chris Dolan: RBCG and new writing

Helen Smith: RBCG and Edward Garnett

Rob Gibson: RBCG and the Highlands

Jamie Jauncey & Alan Riach: RBCG and women

Lachlan Munro & Robin Cunninghame Graham: the Scottish sketches

Moderators: Alan Riach & Gerry McGarvey

Click on the name to read the paper

Click here for speaker biographies

Chris Dolan & Alan Riach entertain

The graves at Inchmahome Priory

View from Gartmore House

Robin Cunninghame Graham in Gartmore grounds

Robin Cunninghame Graham leads the tour of Gartmore