Dermot Kinlen

Dermot Kinlen
Judge of the High Court
In office 14 March 1993 – 3 July 2002
Nominated by	Government of Ireland
Appointed by	Mary Robinson
Personal details
Born	Dermot Patrick Kinlen (1930-04-24)24 April 1930 Dublin, Ireland
Died	18 July 2007(2007-07-18) (aged 77) Fenit, County Kerry, Ireland
Alma mater	University College Dublin King's Inns

Dermot Patrick Kinlen (24 April 1930 – 18 July 2007) was an Irish judge and barrister who served as a Judge of the High Court from 1993 to 2002. He was best known for being the first inspector of prisons, after many years of there being none, in Ireland. In his reports he was very critical of the way the prison service was being run and in particular of the lack of any focus on rehabilitation.^[1][2]

He was appointed a High Court judge in 1993, having been nominated by the government of Taoiseach Albert Reynolds, particularly on the advice of Tánaiste Dick Spring of the Labour Party, in spite of his links to Fianna Fáil.

He practiced as a barrister on the South Western Circuit. He had a charismatic personality, vast wide-ranging interests and was much admired.^[3]

He was involved in the setting up of diplomatic relations between the People's Republic of China and Ireland. From 1977 onwards, he was a frequent visitor to China.^[4] The University of Limerick awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Law.^[5]

In 1997, Pope John Paul II bestowed the Order of St. Gregory on Kinlen.^[6]

Kinlen's maternal grandfather, Thomas O'Donnell, had been an MP for West Kerry for 18 years, at the beginning of the 20th century.

Kinlen died at his home in Fenit, County Kerry, on 18 July 2007^[7] and was buried in Dublin on 21 July 2007.^[8]

References

1. "Dermot P Kinlen, Obituary". The Times. London. 6 August 2007. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
2. "Making us aware of what is happening in our prisons, Socialist Voice, Communist Party Of Ireland". Archived from the original on 27 August 2008. Retrieved 6 April 2008.
3. "Tributes to Judge Dermot Kinlen". 19 July 2007. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
4. "Letter posted on the web-site of the Chinese Embassy in Ireland". Archived from the original on 22 May 2011.
5. "Doctor of Laws, University of Limerick". Archived from the original on 18 March 2007.
6. Sunday Business Post article: Prisoners’ protector^{[permanent dead link‍]}
7. "RTÉ report". RTÉ News. 18 July 2007. Archived from the original on 19 September 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2009.
8. "Former prisons inspector laid to rest". RTÉ News. 21 July 2007. Archived from the original on 9 October 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2009.