Brian O'Doherty
1928 -
Born in Co. Roscommon, Brian O'Doherty is a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, and Cambridge Medical School. In 1957, he emigrated to America and soon abandoned his research at Harvard University in favour of a career in the visual arts. In response to the Bloody Sunday killings in Derry in 1972, the artist changed his name to Patrick Ireland. Following the successful peace process, Patrick Ireland was officially laid to rest in May 2008. An influential art critic in America, O'Doherty has contributed extensively to art criticism on TV, radio and through his books. He is currently Professor of Fine Arts and Media at Southampton College, Long Island University. O'Doherty's two novels are The Strange Case of Mademoiselle P. (1992) and the 2000 Booker Prize nominated The Deposition of Father McGreevey (1999).