Patsy Dan Rodgers (''Patsaí Dan Mag Ruaidhrí'') was a painter, musician, and the King of Tory from the 1990s until his death in 2018.

Biography

Rodgers was born in 1944 on

Westland Row Westland Row () is a street on the Southside, Dublin, Southside of Dublin, Ireland. Location The street runs along the east end of Trinity College Dublin. History Westland Row first appeared on maps in 1776. It was originally known ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. His family adopted him and took him to Tory when he was about four years of age. His paintings have been exhibited worldwide. As a youth Derek Hill had personally inspired him to paint during Hill's visits to Tory, and he was also devoted to music and his

native language A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period hypothesis, critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' ...

. The musical instrument with which he was most associated was the

button accordion A button accordion is a type of accordion on which the melody-side keyboard consists of a series of buttons. This differs from the piano accordion, which has piano-style keys. Erich von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs categorize it as a free reed aerop ...

. He often sported a black seafarer's cap. During the 1970s and 1980s, he steadfastly opposed the relocation of

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

's inhabitants to the Irish mainland. The Kingship of Tory was granted him during the 1990s when the children of his predecessor, Padraig Óg Rodgers, endorsed him for the position, and for more than two decades Rodgers often personally welcomed visitors arriving in Tory in his native tongue. He also performed ambassadorial duties when abroad. While visiting nearby in May 2016,

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

expressed the wish to one day visit Tory and meet Rodgers, but he never did. In 1997, Rodgers received an honorary

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

from the

University of Ulster Ulster University (; Ulster Scots: or ), legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public research university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It i ...

. Rodgers resided at West Town. He died on 19 October 2018 in the Mater Hospital in Dublin at the age of 74. His remains were flown back to Tory, where he was buried following a funeral ceremony attended by various dignitaries from neighbouring lands. Rodgers was survived by his three daughters, one son, and two grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodgers, Patsy Dan 1944 births 2018 deaths Irish kings Tory Island 20th-century Irish accordionists Irish male accordionists 20th-century accordionists 20th-century Irish painters 21st-century accordionists 21st-century Irish painters Irish male painters 21st-century Irish male artists Artists from County Donegal