# Robin Kinahan > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Robin_Kinahan > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Robin_Kinahan.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Kinahan > Source revision: 1348304730 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Northern Irish unionist politician and businessman}} {{More citations needed|date=August 2009}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}} {{Use British English|date=March 2017}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = | image_size = | name = Sir Robin Kinahan | office = [Lord Mayor of Belfast](/source/Lord_Mayor_of_Belfast) | term_start = 1959 | Deputy_mayor = | term_end = 1961 | predecessor = [Cecil McKee](/source/Cecil_McKee) | successor = [Martin Kelso Wallace](/source/Martin_Kelso_Wallace) | birth_date = {{birth_date|1916|09|24|df=y}} | birth_place = [Belfast](/source/Belfast), [Ireland](/source/Ireland) | death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1997|05|02|1916|09|24}} | death_place = [Castle Upton](/source/Castle_Upton), Northern Ireland | office2 = Member of Parliament
for [Belfast Clifton](/source/Belfast_Clifton_(Northern_Ireland_Parliament_constituency)) | term_start2 = 1958 | term_end2 = 1959 | predecessor2 = [Norman Porter](/source/Norman_Porter) | successor2 = [William James Morgan](/source/William_James_Morgan) | party = [Ulster Unionist Party](/source/Ulster_Unionist_Party) | alma_mater = | spouse = [Coralie de Burgh](/source/Coralie_de_Burgh) | profession = Businessman | occupation = }} '''Sir Robert George Caldwell Kinahan''', [ERD](/source/Emergency_Reserve_Decoration) (24 September 1916 – 2 May 1997) was a Northern Irish unionist politician, businessman and a senior member of the [Orange Order](/source/Orange_Order). In his obituary, he was described as one of the last of the "county elite" to remain a high-ranking member of the Orange Order during the turbulent years of [The Troubles](/source/The_Troubles), when it became potentially dangerous to belong. In his personal life he deplored bigotry and was almost expelled from the Orange Order for having attended a Roman Catholic funeral service.[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-sir-robin-kinahan-1263755.html Obituary], ''[The Independent](/source/The_Independent)'', 28 May 1997 ==Background== Born in [Belfast](/source/Belfast) to Henry Kinahan and Blanche Grierson Kinahan, daughter of the [Bishop of Connor](/source/Bishop_of_Connor) and [Bishop of Down and Dromore](/source/Bishop_of_Down_and_Dromore), Robin Kinahan was educated at [Stowe](/source/Stowe_School). Upon leaving school he went straight into the family firm with a [Vintners' Company](/source/Vintners'_Company) scholarship, which took him to [Porto](/source/Porto) and [Bordeaux](/source/Bordeaux), this facilitated his knowledge of wine and the French language.{{citation needed|date=August 2009}} ==War years== During [World War II](/source/World_War_II) he joined the [Royal Artillery](/source/Royal_Artillery), the 8th (Belfast) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, serving briefly in France before the [Dunkirk](/source/Dunkirk) withdrawal, then in the air defence of [Coventry](/source/Coventry) and London before ending up in [Burma](/source/Burma) under [General Slim](/source/General_Slim).{{citation needed|date=August 2009}} ==Political career== Following the war he entered politics as councillor for Belfast Oldpark, where in 1948 he defeated Labour activist [Billy Blease](/source/Billy_Blease). In 1956 he was appointed [High Sheriff of Belfast](/source/High_Sheriff_of_Belfast). He served in the [Belfast Corporation](/source/Belfast_Corporation) for 10 years before becoming a [Stormont](/source/Parliament_of_Northern_Ireland) Member of Parliament for [Belfast Clifton](/source/Belfast_Clifton_(Northern_Ireland_Parliament_constituency)), defeating the incumbent [independent Unionist](/source/independent_Unionist) [Norman Porter](/source/Norman_Porter). He was an MP for only a few months as he could not resist the opportunity to be [lord mayor of Belfast](/source/lord_mayor_of_Belfast). In 1961 he earned the [knighthood](/source/Knight_Bachelor) which accompanied the lord mayorship at that time. He was Lord Mayor from 1959 to 1961, the youngest person to have done so at that time. In 1969, he was appointed [High Sheriff of Antrim](/source/High_Sheriff_of_Antrim).{{London Gazette|city = b|issue = 2525|page=3|date = 3 January 1969}} ==Orange Order== In the family firm, ''Lyle and Kinahan'' wine and spirit merchants, which was founded by his paternal grandfather, there was a large contingent of Catholic workers and Kinahan would often relate how, before [The Troubles](/source/The_Troubles), they turned out to cheer him on 12 July as he walked with his lodge to the "field". He was almost expelled from the Orange Order for having attended a Roman Catholic funeral service. ==Personal life== In 1963, following his family firm being taken over in 1961, he acquired [Castle Upton](/source/Castle_Upton) and {{convert|300|acre|km2}} for £53,000. He and his wife, [Coralie de Burgh](/source/Coralie_de_Burgh), an artist (and daughter of Captain Charles de Burgh, The Lodge, [Seaforde](/source/Seaforde), County Down), set about restoring it from an almost ruinous state. He and his wife had two sons and three daughters. His son, [Danny Kinahan](/source/Danny_Kinahan), was appointed to the [Northern Ireland Assembly](/source/Northern_Ireland_Assembly) in 2009 and was a successful [Ulster Unionist Party](/source/Ulster_Unionist_Party) candidate in the [2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election](/source/2011_Northern_Ireland_Assembly_election) having been elected to [Antrim Borough Council](/source/Antrim_(borough)) in 2005. At the [2015 general election](/source/2015_United_Kingdom_general_election), Danny was elected MP for [South Antrim](/source/South_Antrim_(UK_Parliament_constituency)). ==Later life== Unlike many Unionists he agreed, reluctantly, to serve on the short-lived [Northern Ireland Advisory Commission](/source/Northern_Ireland_Advisory_Commission), set up with seven Protestant and four Catholic members by [William Whitelaw](/source/William_Whitelaw%2C_1st_Viscount_Whitelaw), Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, after the suspension of Stormont in 1972 and the imposition of direct rule. He served as chairman of the [Ulster Bank](/source/Ulster_Bank) (1970–1982) – he made a point of visiting every branch of the bank, vice Lord Lieutenant of Belfast (1976–1985), [Lord Lieutenant of Belfast](/source/Lord_Lieutenant_of_Belfast) (1985–1991). He died at the age of 80. ==Publications== ''Behind Every Great Man …?'' (published in 1992) ==References== {{Reflist}} {{s-start}} {{s-par|ni}} {{succession box|title = Member of Parliament for [Belfast Clifton](/source/Belfast_Clifton_(Northern_Ireland_Parliament_constituency))|before = [Norman Porter](/source/Norman_Porter)|after = [William James Morgan](/source/William_James_Morgan)|years = 1958–1959}} {{s-civ}} {{succession box | title=[High Sheriff of Belfast](/source/High_Sheriff_of_Belfast) | before=[William Frederick Neill](/source/William_Frederick_Neill) | after=Walter H. Cooper | years=1955–1956}} {{succession box|title=[Lord Mayor of Belfast](/source/Lord_Mayor_of_Belfast)| before=[Cecil McKee](/source/Cecil_McKee)|after=[Martin Kelso Wallace](/source/Martin_Kelso_Wallace) |years=1959–1961}} {{succession box|before=[The Lord Glentoran](/source/Daniel_Dixon%2C_2nd_Baron_Glentoran)|title=[Lord Lieutenant of Belfast](/source/Lord_Lieutenant_of_Belfast)|years=1985–1991|after=[Eliott Wilson](/source/Eliott_Wilson)}} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Kinahan, Robin}} Category:1916 births Category:1997 deaths Category:High sheriffs of Belfast Category:High sheriffs of Antrim Category:Royal Artillery officers Category:British Army personnel of World War II Category:Lord-lieutenants of Belfast Category:Lord mayors of Belfast Category:Members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland 1958–1962 Category:Members of the Senate of Northern Ireland 1957–1961 Category:People educated at Stowe School Category:Ulster Unionist Party members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland Category:Members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland for Belfast constituencies Category:Ulster Unionist Party members of the Senate of Northern Ireland Category:Ulster Unionist Party councillors Category:Knights Bachelor Category:People from Templepatrick --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Robin Kinahan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Kinahan) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Kinahan?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.