Rory Flanagan

Rory Flanagan
Glee character
Damian McGinty as Rory Flanagan
First appearance	"Pot o' Gold"
Created by	Ryan Murphy Brad Falchuk Ian Brennan
Portrayed by	Damian McGinty
Information
Occupation	High school student
Religion	Roman Catholic
Nationality	Irish

Rory Flanagan is a recurring fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Damian McGinty, and appeared in Glee starting with its third season episode "Pot o' Gold", first broadcast on November 1, 2011. Rory is an exchange student from Ireland who arrives as a sophomore, and is living at the home of Brittany Pierce (Heather Morris) while studying at McKinley High. He joins the McKinley glee club, New Directions, in his first episode.

The character was created after McGinty was one of two winners of a seven-episode arc in Glee's third season after having successfully competed in the reality television show The Glee Project. As Rory, McGinty has sung four solo covers on the show, and appeared in many group performances. Rory continued as a recurring character beyond the initial seven episode prize, through the end of the third season. He made one more appearance after that, in the fourth season. McGinty was invited back for the series finale, but could not take part due to other commitments.

Rory, a foreign exchange student from Ireland, has begun attending McKinley High as a sophomore and is regularly being bullied. He is staying at Brittany's (Heather Morris) house; she believes that he is a leprechaun. Rory, who has a crush on Brittany, does not disabuse her of this belief because she has promised to let him into her "pot o' gold" if he grants her three wishes. He easily fulfills her first two wishes in mundane ways, but fails at the third when Brittany quits New Directions to join the Troubletones, but her wish that New Directions co-captain Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith) not be hurt by the defection does not come true. Finn later rescues Rory from some bullies, and Rory apologizes for his part in Brittany's departure. Finn invites him to try out for New Directions, and he successfully auditions with the song "Take Care of Yourself". He later takes part in the Sectionals show choir competition with New Directions, and they defeat the Troubletones. Newly returned glee club member Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet) offers to take Rory home with him for the holidays to show him a true American Christmas, since Brittany's family has to go out of town; he inspires Rory, who is cast as Itchy the Holiday Elf in the glee club's PBS special, to read a more meaningful holiday text as part of his on-air role, and the pair man a charitable donations holiday kettle to help raise money for people in need. Rory and Artie (Kevin McHale) compete to be Sugar Motta's (Vanessa Lengies) date at her Valentine’s Day party in the episode "Heart". She chooses Rory after he announces to the glee club that his request for a visa to attend McKinley again next year has been denied and sings "Home".