Donegal designer Hollie Marie Gallagher presented her Irish Sea collection at Ireland Fashion Week this week, featuring Donegal Tweed from our Magee Weaving Mill in Donegal Town. We spoke to the young designer about her inspirations, her love of Donegal and tweed, and the strong Irish women behind her latest collection.
Where Hollie Learned Her Craft
My time at ATU Letterkenny, Co. Donegal really shaped my craft. Over those four years, my lecturers encouraged me to think beyond the obvious, and I began to see every shape as a potential design, that's how my signature large silhouette evolved. In my final year, I was tasked with designing a piece for industry using a local fabric, and I chose Magee Weaving Mill Donegal Tweed: rugged, flecked, and rich in heritage. That choice shaped the designs I'm now presenting at Ireland Fashion Week. I wanted to respect our history while showing that this beautiful fabric is here to stay.
"I chose Magee Donegal Tweed because it is rugged, flecked and rich in heritage."
The Best Thing About Working with Magee Weaving Mill
The team at the Magee Weaving Mill in Donegal Town has been so supportive since I first contacted them in my final year at university. They welcomed me into the mill and introduced me to their world of wonderful fabrics and beautiful design, it felt like the textile equivalent of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and I was honoured they took the time to show me around. I have real respect for their longevity and resilience in staying at the forefront of Donegal textile production for five generations. They champion sustainability in design, which aligns closely with my own ethos, and they have a personal link to my family that I will always treasure.
My great-aunt, Mai McGinley (née Long), was married to Michael, a weaver at Magee, and they spent their entire married life in a weaver's cottage in Donegal. When Michael died, Mai moved into my granny's house nearby and lived out her final years there. She always spoke fondly of her time as a weaver's wife, and although her eyesight was poor by then, she could still feel the tweed I'd chosen for my final designs and compare its touch to the tweed Michael once wove. Our memories shape who we become and the paths we choose to follow, and I'm delighted mine led me to become the designer I am today.
Hollie's Designs for Ireland Fashion Week
The collection draws on two historical figures: Grace O'Malley, Ireland's legendary pirate queen, and marine biologist Maud Delap, both of whom embody the spirit of resilience that Dare to Howl works to promote. Both women defied the gender norms of their time as fearless leaders in their fields. O'Malley commanded the Irish Sea with authority and refused to conform to English laws that tried to stop her wearing Ireland's traditional cloak, the "brat." Delap defied the odds to become a marine biologist and was the first person to successfully raise a jellyfish in captivity.
My design merges heritage with futurism, combining authentic herringbone tweed, kindly sponsored by the Magee Weaving Mill in Donegal, with designer deadstock crinkled taffeta sourced from Last Yarn. The modern Irish "brat" stands as a sculptural tribute to Ireland's maritime legacy: a fusion of ecological awareness, historical defiance, and heritage craftsmanship. Like Grace O'Malley and Maud Delap, it carries the spirit of rebellion, resilience, and the unyielding howl of the Irish Sea.
See more of Hollie Marie's work here at Dare to Howl
