My Story & Photo Gallery

My journey began with three things close to my heart: fashion, the circular economy and the rugged beauty of the Dingle Peninsula. Growing up in rural Tipperary, I dreamed of studying fashion design. Instead, I spent more than 25 years in hospitality as a chef, hotel manager and owner of my own restaurant and cafés. In 2019, I returned to college to follow that dream.

Studying fashion brought me face to face with its environmental cost. I wanted to create, but I didn’t want to add to the waste. During a sea swim with the Baile Bathers, an idea took shape: what if discarded hotel towels could become swim ponchos?

In 2021, here on the Dingle Peninsula, we created LilyMais. Reclaimed towels, denim and end-of-line fabrics became one-of-a-kind clothing and accessories, made by hand and often painted by me. What began in a little studio behind my home grew into our studio at Dingle Marina in 2023.

Along the way, we met an extraordinary community of independent Irish designers and makers. They were creating remarkable work, often on a very small scale. We wanted a place where their work could stand together — and where the skill, stories and people behind it could be celebrated.

In 2026, Feargal and I opened The Slow Concept at Dingle Marina: a home for Irish design that grew from everything LilyMais had taught us.

You can buy LilyMais swim ponchos here on this website. My other designs — dresses, tops, earrings and more — are available exclusively in store at The Slow Concept.

Visit The Slow Concept website → www.theslowconcept.ie