Artist Derek Hill was yesterday awarded the State's highest accolade when honorary Irish citizenship was conferred on him at a ceremony in Aras an Uachtarain.
The President, Mrs McAleese, said the award was an expression of the State's "deep gratitude and admiration" for Mr Hill. She cited Mr Hill's gift of his house and art collection to the State and "his generosity in sharing his artistic gifts with so many" as the main reasons for the award. Mr Hill, who was born in Southampton in England in 1916, was a frequent visitor to Ireland since his childhood. Trained as a stage designer, he travelled extensively in Europe and Asia, spending some years in France and Italy. In the late 1930s, Mr Hill studied painting in Paris under the tutelage of Edward Molyneaux.
He first visited Co Donegal in 1949 and he bought a house near Lough Gartan - St Columb's - a few years later. In 1981, he donated the house and its art collection to the State and moved to a cottage nearby.
His studio and the outhouses were converted into the Glebe Gallery, where his art collection is now exhibited with works by Tory Island painters and touring exhibitions.
Along with his Tory Island landscape paintings, Mr Hill is well known for his portraits.
Describing Mr Hill as a "painter, collector, raconteur, champion of the arts and wonderful human being", the President said it was "a great tribute to the people of Donegal and Tory Island that they managed to satisfy his wanderlust . . . It is only fitting that we return this generous compliment by honouring him with Irish citizenship. Derek Hill has never been elitist about his art . . . He believes that access to one's own artistic potential is a part of each individual's birthright," Mrs McAleese said.
Mr Hill is only the 11th person to be granted honorary Irish citizenship. Mr and Mrs Jack Charlton, Mr and Mrs "Tip" O'Neill, Mrs Jean Kennedy Smith and Dr and Mrs Tiede Herrema have all received the honour. Three other people awarded Irish citizenship - Sir Alfred and Lady Clementine Beit and Sir Alfred Chester Beatty - also donated their art collections to the State.
