{{Short description|Northern Ireland politician}} {{For|the Dublin criminal|Daniel Kinahan}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Danny Kinahan |image = Kinahan Danny, 2013.jpg | caption = Kinahan in 2013 | office = Veterans Commissioner for Northern Ireland | term_start = 27 August 2020 | term_end = 5 September 2024 | predecessor = ''Office established'' | successor = David Johnstone | office1 = Member of [[Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council]] | constituency1 = [[Ballyclare (District Electoral Area)|Ballyclare]] | term_start1 = 2 May 2019 | term_end1 = 2 September 2020 | predecessor1 = James Bingham | successor1 = Norrie Ramsay |office2 = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br />for [[South Antrim (UK Parliament constituency)|South Antrim]] |term_start2 = 8 May 2015 |term_end2 = 3 May 2017 |predecessor2 = [[William McCrea, Baron McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown|William McCrea]] |successor2 = [[Paul Girvan]] |office3 = [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (Northern Ireland)|Member of the Legislative Assembly]]<br />for [[South Antrim (Assembly constituency)|South Antrim]] |assembly3 = Northern Ireland |term_start3 = 1 June 2009 |term_end3 = 24 June 2015 |predecessor3 = [[David Burnside]] |successor3 = [[Adrian Cochrane-Watson]] | office4 = Member of [[Antrim Borough Council]] | constituency4 = [[Antrim South East (District Electoral Area)|Antrim South East]] | term_start4 = 5 May 2005 | term_end4 = 5 May 2011 | predecessor4 = Edgar Wallace | successor4 = Paul Michael |birth_name = Daniel de Burgh Kinahan |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1958|4|14|df=y}} |birth_place = [[Belfast]], Northern Ireland |death_date = |death_place = |party = [[Ulster Unionist Party|UUP]] |spouse = Anna |children = 4 |alma_mater = [[University of Edinburgh]]<br />[[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]] <!-- RELIGION REMOVED PER PROJECT-WIDE CONSENSUS AT THE VILLAGE PUMP. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Village_pump_(policy)/Archive_126#RfC:_Religion_in_biographical_infoboxes --> |allegiance = {{flag|United Kingdom}} |branch = [[British Army]] |unit = [[Blues and Royals]] |rank = [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|Captain]] }} '''Daniel de Burgh Kinahan''' (born 14 April 1958) is a British army officer and former [[Ulster Unionist Party]] (UUP) politician who was Veterans Commissioner for Northern Ireland between 2020 and 2024.
Kinahan served as the [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[South Antrim (UK Parliament constituency)|South Antrim]] from [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015]] to [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017]].
Additionally, Kinahan was a [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (Northern Ireland)|Member of the Legislative Assembly]] (MLA) for [[South Antrim (Assembly constituency)|South Antrim]] from 2009 to 2015.
==Early life and personal life== He is the son of [[Robin Kinahan|Sir Robin Kinahan]] and [[Coralie de Burgh]] and was educated at [[Craigflower Preparatory School]] ([[Torryburn]]), [[Stowe School]] and the [[University of Edinburgh]]. He is a cousin of singer [[Chris de Burgh]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Hello |url=http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/Billy-Kennedy39s-election-predictions-continue.2099214.jp |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121203052756/http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/Billy-Kennedy39s-election-predictions-continue.2099214.jp |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 December 2012 |title=Billy Kennedy's election predictions continue... |publisher=The Newsletter |date=2007-03-06 |accessdate=2016-08-04 }}</ref> Professionally, Kinahan is an antiques expert and worked as [[Christie's]] auctioneers' Irish representative.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.qub.ac.uk/home/Alumni/Events/PastEvents/2006Events/AntiquesEvening/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828165100/http://www.qub.ac.uk/home/Alumni/Events/PastEvents/2006Events/AntiquesEvening/|url-status=dead|title=Queen's University Belfast, Antiques Evening|archivedate=28 August 2008}}</ref>
He lived for many years with his wife and four children at [[Castle Upton]], [[Templepatrick]] but in 2016 announced he was selling the family home to downsize following the moving out of his children.{{citation needed|date= August 2023}}
==Political career== ===Northern Ireland Assembly and local government===
In 2005 he was elected to [[Antrim (borough)|Antrim Borough Council]], and on 28 May 2009 the UUP South Antrim branch selected Kinahan to replace the outgoing MLA David Burnside who resigned to pursue business interests. Burnside officially stood down on 1 June. Kinahan was sworn in on 9 June.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8070168.stm |title=UUP select Burnside replacement |publisher=BBC News |date=2009-05-27 |access-date=2016-08-04}}</ref>
Kinahan faced his first NI Assembly election in May 2011 and was elected with 3,445 first preference votes. During his second period in Stormont, he was heavily involved in education legislation as the UUP's spokesperson on the policy area.
As Deputy Chair of the Education Committee, Kinahan became a leading figure during the passage of the Education Bill. He also opposed the Sinn Féin policy of scrapping grammar schools, arguing instead for academic capability streaming.
Kinahan also expressed strong support in favour of shared and integrated education, greater emphasis on STEM subjects, a wider selection of apprenticeships, stronger provision of careers advice and more thorough and engaging university degrees.
Kinahan was the only UUP MLA to support legalising [[same-sex marriage]], making a speech on the issue at Stormont, which many deemed risky just weeks out from the Westminster election, which he eventually won.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.agendani.com/back-to-basics-danny-kinahan/|title=Back to basics: Danny Kinahan|date=4 September 2019}}</ref>
He stepped down from the Assembly after his election to Westminster, and was replaced by [[Adrian Cochrane-Watson]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Lorna McKay lorna.mckay@jpress.co.uk |url=http://www.antrimtimes.co.uk/news/local-news/watson-new-south-antrim-mla-1-6814846 |title=Watson new South Antrim MLA |publisher=Antrimtimes.co.uk |date=2015-06-24 |accessdate=2016-08-04 |archive-date=26 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626145143/http://www.antrimtimes.co.uk/news/local-news/watson-new-south-antrim-mla-1-6814846 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Kinahan made his return to elected politics at the [[2019 Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council election|2019 Council elections]], topping the poll in the [[Ballyclare (District Electoral Area)|Ballyclare DEA]].<ref>{{cite web|title = Back to basics: Danny Kinahan|url = https://www.agendani.com/back-to-basics-danny-kinahan/|website = agenda ni|date = September 2019|access-date = 23 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title = Kinahan comes full circle with council seat|url = https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/kinahan-comes-full-circle-with-council-seat/38081671.html|work = Belfast Telegraph|date = 5 May 2019|access-date = 23 October 2024}}</ref>
===Member of Parliament === The UUP decided to run Kinahan in the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]], and he ousted the incumbent [[Democratic Unionist Party]] (DUP) MP [[William McCrea, Baron McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown|William McCrea]] with a majority of 949.<ref>{{cite news|title = UUP's Danny Kinahan hails South Antrim win|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/election-2015-northern-ireland-32665285|work = BBC News|date = 8 May 2015|access-date = 23 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = Election result for South Antrim (Constituency)|url = https://members.parliament.uk/constituency/3736/election/369|website = UK Parliament|access-date = 23 October 2024}}</ref>
Kinahan backed a remain vote during the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|2016 Brexit referendum]].<ref>{{Cite news|title = EU vote: Where the cabinet and other MPs stand|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-35616946|work = BBC News|date = 22 June 2016|access-date = 23 October 2024}}</ref>
He was defeated by the DUP's [[Paul Girvan]] at the [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017 general election]], following a resurgence in the DUP's vote in that election.<ref>{{cite news|title = Constituency Profile: DUP's Paul Girvan unseats incumbent UUP MP in South Antrim|url = https://www.irishnews.com/news/2017/05/27/news/unionist-two-horse-race-in-south-antrim-1036881/|work = Irish News|access-date = 23 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title = Election results 2017: DUP and Sinn Fein celebrate election gains|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-40208320|work = BBC News|date = 9 June 2017|access-date = 23 October 2024}}</ref>
Kinahan re-contested his former seat at the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 general election]], losing out to Girvan by 2,689 votes.<ref>{{cite web|title = Election for the constituency of South Antrim on 12 December 2019|url = https://electionresults.parliament.uk/elections/1806|website = UK Parliament|access-date = 23 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title = South Antrim results - General Election 2019|url = https://elections.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/general-election-2019/south-antrim|work = Belfast Telegraph|access-date = 23 October 2024}}</ref>
==Veterans Commissioner of Northern Ireland== In August 2020, he was appointed Northern Ireland's first Veterans Commissioner.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-53934290|title=Danny Kinahan appointed as NI's first veterans commissioner|work=BBC News|date=27 August 2020}}</ref> He resigned from the role in September 2024, citing he “cannot provide the independent voice that veterans require”.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y5327mjxzo | title=Danny Kinahan resigns as NI's veterans commissioner | date=5 September 2024 }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-par|ni/ass}} {{s-bef|before=[[David Burnside]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Member of the Legislative Assembly (Northern Ireland)|Member of the Legislative Assembly]]<br />for [[South Antrim (Assembly constituency)|South Antrim]]|years=2009–2015}} {{s-aft|after=[[Adrian Cochrane-Watson]]}} |- {{s-par|uk}} {{s-bef|before=[[William McCrea, Baron McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown|William McCrea]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br />for [[South Antrim (UK Parliament constituency)|South Antrim]]|years=[[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015]]–[[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017]]}} {{s-aft|after=[[Paul Girvan]]}} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinahan, Danny}} [[Category:1958 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh]] [[Category:Blues and Royals officers]] [[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]] [[Category:High sheriffs of Antrim]] [[Category:Members of Antrim Borough Council]] [[Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Antrim constituencies (since 1922)]] [[Category:Northern Ireland MLAs 2007–2011]] [[Category:Northern Ireland MLAs 2011–2016]] [[Category:People educated at Craigflower Preparatory School]] [[Category:People educated at Stowe School]] [[Category:People from Templepatrick]] [[Category:UK MPs 2015–2017]] [[Category:Ulster Unionist Party MPs]] [[Category:Ulster Unionist Party MLAs]] [[Category:Politicians from County Antrim]]