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Irish Examiner
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Doireann Healy on Bowie and Begley, going viral, Kenmare life, and her latest venture
'She used to say, 'you can be anything'.' Doireann Healy is talking about her late mother, Joan, who was, she says, 'my greatest inspiration'. Just like her daughter, Joan — who died in March — was a go-getter who embraced opportunity and life to the full. Having completed her final year of schooling in Dublin's Loreto on the Green, Joan took the advice of a teacher and applied to be PA for 'a new guy after arriving from the BBC who is launching a show called The Late Late'. That guy was, of course, Gay Byrne and Joan worked as his PA for 10 years before leaving to study her twin passions of English and history at UCD. 'Gay was family to her,' Healy says. 'Gay and Kathleen took this Kerry girl and had her out at their house all the time. They bought her first typewriter and her first bottle of perfume.' Years later, Joan would watch The Late Late Show's credits roll and comment on senior staff who in her day had been in charge of menial tasks, using the example to show her children that, with determination and graft, you can be anything. 'It inspired me to believe that you can,' says Healy, who has been taking her mother's sage advice and running with it ever since. The industrious Kenmare woman is possibly best known for her Begley & Bowie-brand vibrant slogan sweatshirts, but she's also an interior designer, teacher, illustrator, screen printer, shop owner, and can now add event planner to her many hats (and she's mulling over a podcast.). Her latest venture, which she's been thinking about doing 'for years,' is A Colourful Life. Doireann Healy: 'I launched my store in Kenmare on the Tuesday and I launched in Brown Thomas on the Wednesday. It was a crazy time. At that stage, a lot of companies were reaching out to me to design for them as well.' Picture Dan Linehan 'The idea is creative conversations in beautiful locations,' Healy says of the upcoming series of talks which will take place at the gorgeous Park Hotel in Kenmare, the owners of which were 'so helpful and encouraging', when she put the idea to them, as have been the women to whom Healy will be chatting. Helen Steele, Shelly Corkery, Peigín Crowley, Joanne Hynes, Geri O'Toole — all are pioneering creatives in their respective fields, and just like Healy, all are strong women who have trailblazed their own paths to success. Healy herself is hugely successful. She started her career in interior design before becoming a teacher — 'my mom always said 'get a degree'. So I went and I did teaching' — but the pull of illustration and fashion was always there. So in 2019, having taken a career break, she launched art and fashion brand Begley & Bowie (her beloved childhood dogs were named for Séamus Begley and David Bowie) with her now famous placename sweatshirts going viral from their launch (think 'New York Paris Dingle London Milan' arranged in a neon listicle). ''We were inundated with people asking me would I do [sweatshirts] for their places. It went crazy and overnight Begley & Bowie just took off.' And it didn't let up. 'I realised this is becoming too big,' she recalls thinking in 2020. 'There was an awful lot of media interest. Brown Thomas reached out' — for its annual influential Irish design showcase CREATE. 'I launched my store in Kenmare on the Tuesday and I launched in Brown Thomas on the Wednesday. It was a crazy time. At that stage, a lot of companies were reaching out to me to design for them as well.' SUSTAINABILITY The interior of Bowie & Begley in Kenmare. Picture Dan Linehan Healy was committed to sustainability from the start and sourced organic, ring-spun cotton from Belgium for her sweatshirts. 'One of the first things I wanted was high-end, good-quality merch. Good-quality designs. I remember Amy Huberman came to one of my first pop-ups in Dublin. She was purchasing clothing and she just went 'the quality of these'.' Healy, based as she is on one of the tourist hotspots on the Ring of Kerry, felt 'what people would buy is what tourists would buy'. Quality fashion that represented a modern Ireland would, she thought, have appeal for both customer bases. Her instincts were spot on, and high-end hotels such as Adare Manor and Dromoland Castle began to reach out with commissions. Healy set up a design studio, 'and I've designed for 25 brands so far… everything from an orchestra to bars. It's been crazy.' Healy's success is not accidental. Rather, it is the result of years of hard graft and a hunger to always keep learning. Doireann Healy: 'My nana, the first thought she always had was, 'how would I do it?' She taught me that. I always query, 'why are we getting someone, can we try it ourselves?'' Picture Dan Linehan She grew up absorbing the influence of strong, entrepreneurial women who recognised the value of independence and a pioneering spirit. She spent the first five years of her life in Kenmare, then moved to the heart of the Cork Gaeltacht, where she was educated through Irish. Her paternal grandmother, Nóní Twomey — 'a really strong character' — was a formative influence. The native Irish speaker ran a shop in Cúil Aodha, and was also a Bean a Tí, keeping 30 students every summer. 'She was a real businesswoman,' Healy recalls. 'She built on an extension when no one did, so that she'd have dormitories for 30.' Cúil Aodha is, of course, famous for the musical legacy of composer Seán Ó Riada, and as such 'we had musicians from all over Ireland who sent their children to learn music. My siblings and I always say we saw the coolest teenagers. I was absorbing that and their fashion. It was incredible back then.' Healy renovated her Kenmare store this year, and installed a café, naming it Nóní's in honour of her late grandmother, with whom she shares an innate optimism, drive and can-do attitude. 'My nana, the first thought she always had was, 'how would I do it?' She taught me that. I always query, 'why are we getting someone, can we try it ourselves?'' Healy says. 'I'm really into this belief that you can learn at any age and you can try; if you don't succeed, fail and fail again.' LANGUAGE AND COLOUR Irish designer Doireann Healy outside Begley & Bowie, Kenmare, Co Kerry. Picture Dan Linehan Healy is very aware of how her childhood immersion in the rich cultural landscape of her homeplace — along with the influence of her mum, who brought her children to poetry readings, art shows, fashion shows and instilled in them a love of history and literature — has shaped her appreciation of language, literature, music, and art. 'It's incredible the impact that culture has,' she says. 'When you're surrounded by it, you absorb it. It just opens you up to so much more. I love all types of music and literature. It instils a hunger for creativity and learning.' Healy's intrinsic understanding of language, culture and colour has resulted in an aesthetic that is instantly recognisable as uniquely hers. Her fashion is fresh, vibrant and modern, yet carries with it a sense of place that speaks of today's Ireland; vivid, vibrant and quietly confident, like Healy herself. Not for her the four collections a year treadmill, she works to her own pace. 'No one rushes me,' she says. 'I always know my customer, and any customer who loves fashion, they will wait.' And wait they do. As well as her signature sweatshirts, she has a stunning Irish linen range of separates 'that's made in Dublin by a lady'. Irish designer Doireann Healy at Begley & Bowie, Kenmare, Co Kerry. Picture Dan Linehan She loves her life in Kenmare — 'There's a sense of calm, it's not a manic life here' — and finds her relatively remote location a boon rather than hindrance. Customers seek out her beautiful store, and she loves that she 'has time to talk to people'. Talking is what she'll be doing much more of with A Colourful Life. She knows and has been inspired by all the women who'll feature, and feels that the conversations present an incredible learning opportunity, a sharing of knowledge for those aspiring to be part of the fashion, wellness or interiors worlds. 'It's also to show that you don't have to follow the straight path. Look at me. I'm in a completely different world to what I set out upon. I really think it's an opportunity for anyone of any age, young or old, to come in and see how it's done.' 'A Colourful Life: Doireann Healy In Conversation with Peigín Crowley' will take place at the Park Hotel Kenmare, Co Kerry on July 5. For tickets see
Irish Independent
07-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Irish Independent
Home Help: I find choosing colours for my home overwhelming – are there any shades I should avoid using?
Still, she isn't afraid to admire a more fearless approach. 'I'll always have a soft spot for how Lucinda Chambers (former British Vogue fashion director) uses colour – her saturated yellow kitchen is iconic. There's so much joy in colour when it's used with confidence.' When it comes to decorating, few decisions feel as high stakes as choosing colour. With thousands of options in paints, wallpapers and finishes – from matte to high gloss, hand-painted to digitally printed – the sheer volume of choice can leave even the most decisive among us overwhelmed. So, what colours should you steer clear of? It's not about avoiding particular hues altogether, she says, but more about understanding context and the role colour plays in a room. 'As a former interior designer, I was often asked if small rooms should be light and big rooms dark – but it's not that prescriptive. Deep, rich tones like velvety green, aubergine or wine can actually add luxury and warmth to smaller spaces. In contrast, pale shades in small rooms often fall flat – they can feel cold and lifeless.' In larger rooms, there's more flexibility. 'Light colours can really open up a space, but darker hues bring character and warmth. I always look at where the light is coming from. North-facing rooms, for instance, naturally feel cooler, so trying to 'brighten' them with cool greys or icy blues can make them feel even colder. Warmer tones work far better.' There are shades Healy returns to time and again. 'Sage green is a classic – it's grounding and soft, especially in kitchens and bathrooms. And I'm loving the return of soft, romantic pinks – they bring a lovely sense of calm without being too sweet.' Function matters, too. 'Bedrooms should be cocooning and restful – that's where deeper, muted shades shine,' she advises. 'Living spaces benefit from tones that are soothing and not too loud. Bright reds and oranges can be quite jarring in everyday life. Red is especially tricky – pair it with green and you're suddenly in festive territory!' Her advice? 'If you're going bold, let one colour take the lead and support it with restraint elsewhere. Homes are for living, so create a space that makes you feel good every day.' Ultimately, Healy believes our homes should offer a sense of peace. 'The world is noisy enough — our interiors should be the antidote.' Doireann Healy's live event series A Colourful Life, which will spotlight some of Ireland's most creative women, begins on June 14 at the Park Hotel, Kenmare, Co Kerry. Tickets are €55 and can be bought on
