Greetings from Donegal

Last year, Mirren was given the opportunity to take part in a Graphic Design Graduate Residency, a space to reflect, experiment, and bring together ideas that had been developing throughout our studies. Over the course of the residency, this time and freedom culminated in Greetings from Donegal, a playful and heartfelt body of work rooted in heritage, memory, and visual storytelling.

Greetings from Donegal celebrates place not as a distant or peripheral edge, but as the vibrant centre of our personal mythology. Drawing from the landscape, language, and humour of our upbringing, the project reimagines Donegal through bold graphic language and tongue-in-cheek references. Nostalgia plays a key role, but it is always paired with self-awareness, affectionate, cheeky, and never too precious.

Throughout the residency, we explored how digital design processes could move beyond the screen and into physical form. Fabric became our testing ground for layout, typography, and visual identity, allowing graphic design to live on the body through fashion and wearable objects. Our work prioritised experimentation over traditional garment construction, focusing instead on print, material, and composition as tools for storytelling.

Each piece functions as a visual love letter. From a jumper dedicated to The Cottage Bar, to a souvenir-style “I Love Donegal” T-shirt, to the Daniel O’Donnell dress, the collection captures highly specific cultural references with warmth and humour. Together, the pieces present a version of Irish identity that is personal, playful, and deeply affectionate.

By the end of the residency, Greetings from Donegal had come together as both a celebration and a question, honouring our roots while also exploring how identity is framed, shared, and reimagined. Seen through our eyes, Donegal becomes a place of creativity, humour, and connection, where stories carry across time, place, and material.