Series 1 - Margaret
Launching in-store at Margaret’s Galway pop-up shop – July 2025
Forget Me Not marks the launch of a new collection—and the beginning of a deeply personal series exploring
grief, memory, love, and Irish ritual through wearable art.
Rooted in memory and personal history, the collection began with a single headpiece once worn by Margaret’s
Nana, Anna Mullins (Anna O’Connor)—a 1940s navy crushed velvet hat adorned with delicate organza flowers.
Worn to Mass, to funerals, and to Ennis for shopping, it was her signature. This heirloom became the emotional
seed for a modern resurrection of the mourning hat.
In Ireland, wearing hats to funerals was once second nature—navy, black, dark tones, worn with reverence and
quiet strength. These hats weren’t worn once and put away—they lived in wardrobes, carefully kept, and were
taken out for moments that mattered. A family funeral. A neighbour’s wedding. A christening. A hat for showing
respect. For bearing witness. Forget Me Not reclaims and reimagines that tradition. It speaks to those moments
when we’re unprepared but need something meaningful—something to wear that feels ceremonial, comforting,
and strong.
These pieces are designed to honour the ones we’ve loved and lost. Some are ready to purchase immediately;
others are made to order within 3–4 weeks. The concept is simple: to have a hat in your wardrobe that can carry
you through both weddings and funerals. A silent witness to both joy and sorrow. Celebration and grief.
This collection also draws on Margaret’s time in Mexico, where she visited her brother last year. Immersed in the
powerful ritual of Día de los Muertos, she was struck by the parallels with Irish mourning—two cultures bound by
fierce love for the dead, and a shared need to honour them with creativity, colour, and presence. These influences
subtly echo through the shapes, textures, and soul of the collection.
One of the standout pieces, the Frida headpiece, is a quiet nod to Frida Kahlo—specifically, a style Margaret
encountered during her visit to Frida’s home in Mexico City. Frida often wore black headpieces woven from straw
and natural materials, styled to blend with her hair and then adorned with flowers. Margaret’s version reinterprets
this tradition with a more contemporary hand—using lace, modern textures, and her own distinctive shapes, while
still evoking that sense of strength and personal ritual. Throughout the collection, Margaret also plays with frills, a
detail common to both Irish and Mexican traditions, and makes subtle use of floral motifs—a visual language
shared between the two cultures. The key difference? While Mexican mourning often bursts with vibrant colour,
this collection is rooted in deep, muted tones: black, navy, charcoal, and ink. Shades that speak to quiet power
and inner depth.
Forget Me Not also honours the natural world and the old ways. The photo shoot took place in both Shanaglish
graveyards in County Galway, surrounded by towering yew trees, some hundreds of years old. In Irish tradition,
the yew tree is a powerful symbol of death and resurrection. Its evergreen nature, slow growth, and ability to
regenerate from its own branches have made it a sacred presence in graveyards across Ireland. Their presence in
the photographs is no accident—they echo the themes of the collection: remembrance, renewal, and the quiet
strength that comes from continuity and care.
The collection is made using a mix of natural materials and vintage millinery stock, with a deep respect for
craftsmanship and history. It features traditional Petersham ribbon—a high-frequency 100% cotton millinery
staple—much of it dyed by hand for this collection. Margaret personally dyed natural-toned materials black,
transforming them into pieces suitable for mourning while still honouring their organic origins. Some of the
materials come from the treasured archives of two former milliners: the late Peggy Glynn, and another unnamed
craftswoman whose materials were passed on to Margaret. Many of these vintage ribbons and trims date from the
1940s through the 1960s, bringing with them their own histories, textures, and stories.
Each hat marries traditional Irish millinery techniques with modern design—inspired by the past, yet styled for the
present. Signature shapes are reimagined with fresh proportions and structure, blending timeless ritual with a
bold, contemporary sensibility that reflects Margaret’s unique voice.
Photographed with deep sensitivity by the incredible Colm Hogan, the shoot captures the emotional depth and
quiet power of the collection. Margaret had long admired Colm’s film work, and collaborating on this project was a
dream realised.
“I’ve been a big fan of Colm’s film work for years, so to have him photograph Forget Me Not felt very close to my
heart. He really understood the tone, the mood, and the emotional layers behind the collection. We connect on a
similar wavelength when it comes to art and music, and I think that really came through in the work. It felt like
home — and that was the feeling I wanted this to have. He captured the bones of it — the feeling of loss, memory,
and care. I’m so grateful to him for his sensitivity and his talent.”
This is just the beginning. Forget Me Not is the first chapter in a series that will unfold throughout the
year—continuing to explore themes of grief, remembrance, strength, and renewal through handmade, meaningful
design. Series Two will delve even deeper into Irish traditions, incorporating crochet, Irish lace, and
knitwear—techniques that hold a special place in Margaret’s family history. Her mother’s relation, Agnes, knitted a
crochet blanket that has been passed through generations and used for family christenings—a quiet heirloom of
comfort and continuity. These traditional Irish textile methods mirror the handcrafted, heritage-led techniques
found in Mexican culture, continuing a conversation across continents about memory, ritual, and care.
To see more pieces and explore the collection, visit www.margaretoconnor.ie and check out the Forget Me Not
section for available stock and new products.
Creative Credits Designer & Stylist: Margaret O’Connor Photography: Colm Hogan Model: Aline Beatriz Makeup
Artist: Gráinne Coughlan Location: Both Shanaglish graveyards, County Galway
Launching in-store at Margaret’s Galway pop-up shop – July 2025
Forget Me Not marks the launch of a new collection—and the beginning of a deeply personal series exploring
grief, memory, love, and Irish ritual through wearable art.
Rooted in memory and personal history, the collection began with a single headpiece once worn by Margaret’s
Nana, Anna Mullins (Anna O’Connor)—a 1940s navy crushed velvet hat adorned with delicate organza flowers.
Worn to Mass, to funerals, and to Ennis for shopping, it was her signature. This heirloom became the emotional
seed for a modern resurrection of the mourning hat.
In Ireland, wearing hats to funerals was once second nature—navy, black, dark tones, worn with reverence and
quiet strength. These hats weren’t worn once and put away—they lived in wardrobes, carefully kept, and were
taken out for moments that mattered. A family funeral. A neighbour’s wedding. A christening. A hat for showing
respect. For bearing witness. Forget Me Not reclaims and reimagines that tradition. It speaks to those moments
when we’re unprepared but need something meaningful—something to wear that feels ceremonial, comforting,
and strong.
These pieces are designed to honour the ones we’ve loved and lost. Some are ready to purchase immediately;
others are made to order within 3–4 weeks. The concept is simple: to have a hat in your wardrobe that can carry
you through both weddings and funerals. A silent witness to both joy and sorrow. Celebration and grief.
This collection also draws on Margaret’s time in Mexico, where she visited her brother last year. Immersed in the
powerful ritual of Día de los Muertos, she was struck by the parallels with Irish mourning—two cultures bound by
fierce love for the dead, and a shared need to honour them with creativity, colour, and presence. These influences
subtly echo through the shapes, textures, and soul of the collection.
One of the standout pieces, the Frida headpiece, is a quiet nod to Frida Kahlo—specifically, a style Margaret
encountered during her visit to Frida’s home in Mexico City. Frida often wore black headpieces woven from straw
and natural materials, styled to blend with her hair and then adorned with flowers. Margaret’s version reinterprets
this tradition with a more contemporary hand—using lace, modern textures, and her own distinctive shapes, while
still evoking that sense of strength and personal ritual. Throughout the collection, Margaret also plays with frills, a
detail common to both Irish and Mexican traditions, and makes subtle use of floral motifs—a visual language
shared between the two cultures. The key difference? While Mexican mourning often bursts with vibrant colour,
this collection is rooted in deep, muted tones: black, navy, charcoal, and ink. Shades that speak to quiet power
and inner depth.
Forget Me Not also honours the natural world and the old ways. The photo shoot took place in both Shanaglish
graveyards in County Galway, surrounded by towering yew trees, some hundreds of years old. In Irish tradition,
the yew tree is a powerful symbol of death and resurrection. Its evergreen nature, slow growth, and ability to
regenerate from its own branches have made it a sacred presence in graveyards across Ireland. Their presence in
the photographs is no accident—they echo the themes of the collection: remembrance, renewal, and the quiet
strength that comes from continuity and care.
The collection is made using a mix of natural materials and vintage millinery stock, with a deep respect for
craftsmanship and history. It features traditional Petersham ribbon—a high-frequency 100% cotton millinery
staple—much of it dyed by hand for this collection. Margaret personally dyed natural-toned materials black,
transforming them into pieces suitable for mourning while still honouring their organic origins. Some of the
materials come from the treasured archives of two former milliners: the late Peggy Glynn, and another unnamed
craftswoman whose materials were passed on to Margaret. Many of these vintage ribbons and trims date from the
1940s through the 1960s, bringing with them their own histories, textures, and stories.
Each hat marries traditional Irish millinery techniques with modern design—inspired by the past, yet styled for the
present. Signature shapes are reimagined with fresh proportions and structure, blending timeless ritual with a
bold, contemporary sensibility that reflects Margaret’s unique voice.
Photographed with deep sensitivity by the incredible Colm Hogan, the shoot captures the emotional depth and
quiet power of the collection. Margaret had long admired Colm’s film work, and collaborating on this project was a
dream realised.
“I’ve been a big fan of Colm’s film work for years, so to have him photograph Forget Me Not felt very close to my
heart. He really understood the tone, the mood, and the emotional layers behind the collection. We connect on a
similar wavelength when it comes to art and music, and I think that really came through in the work. It felt like
home — and that was the feeling I wanted this to have. He captured the bones of it — the feeling of loss, memory,
and care. I’m so grateful to him for his sensitivity and his talent.”
This is just the beginning. Forget Me Not is the first chapter in a series that will unfold throughout the
year—continuing to explore themes of grief, remembrance, strength, and renewal through handmade, meaningful
design. Series Two will delve even deeper into Irish traditions, incorporating crochet, Irish lace, and
knitwear—techniques that hold a special place in Margaret’s family history. Her mother’s relation, Agnes, knitted a
crochet blanket that has been passed through generations and used for family christenings—a quiet heirloom of
comfort and continuity. These traditional Irish textile methods mirror the handcrafted, heritage-led techniques
found in Mexican culture, continuing a conversation across continents about memory, ritual, and care.
To see more pieces and explore the collection, visit www.margaretoconnor.ie and check out the Forget Me Not
section for available stock and new products.
Creative Credits Designer & Stylist: Margaret O’Connor Photography: Colm Hogan Model: Aline Beatriz Makeup
Artist: Gráinne Coughlan Location: Both Shanaglish graveyards, County Galway
Launching in-store at Margaret’s Galway pop-up shop – July 2025
Forget Me Not marks the launch of a new collection—and the beginning of a deeply personal series exploring
grief, memory, love, and Irish ritual through wearable art.
Rooted in memory and personal history, the collection began with a single headpiece once worn by Margaret’s
Nana, Anna Mullins (Anna O’Connor)—a 1940s navy crushed velvet hat adorned with delicate organza flowers.
Worn to Mass, to funerals, and to Ennis for shopping, it was her signature. This heirloom became the emotional
seed for a modern resurrection of the mourning hat.
In Ireland, wearing hats to funerals was once second nature—navy, black, dark tones, worn with reverence and
quiet strength. These hats weren’t worn once and put away—they lived in wardrobes, carefully kept, and were
taken out for moments that mattered. A family funeral. A neighbour’s wedding. A christening. A hat for showing
respect. For bearing witness. Forget Me Not reclaims and reimagines that tradition. It speaks to those moments
when we’re unprepared but need something meaningful—something to wear that feels ceremonial, comforting,
and strong.
These pieces are designed to honour the ones we’ve loved and lost. Some are ready to purchase immediately;
others are made to order within 3–4 weeks. The concept is simple: to have a hat in your wardrobe that can carry
you through both weddings and funerals. A silent witness to both joy and sorrow. Celebration and grief.
This collection also draws on Margaret’s time in Mexico, where she visited her brother last year. Immersed in the
powerful ritual of Día de los Muertos, she was struck by the parallels with Irish mourning—two cultures bound by
fierce love for the dead, and a shared need to honour them with creativity, colour, and presence. These influences
subtly echo through the shapes, textures, and soul of the collection.
One of the standout pieces, the Frida headpiece, is a quiet nod to Frida Kahlo—specifically, a style Margaret
encountered during her visit to Frida’s home in Mexico City. Frida often wore black headpieces woven from straw
and natural materials, styled to blend with her hair and then adorned with flowers. Margaret’s version reinterprets
this tradition with a more contemporary hand—using lace, modern textures, and her own distinctive shapes, while
still evoking that sense of strength and personal ritual. Throughout the collection, Margaret also plays with frills, a
detail common to both Irish and Mexican traditions, and makes subtle use of floral motifs—a visual language
shared between the two cultures. The key difference? While Mexican mourning often bursts with vibrant colour,
this collection is rooted in deep, muted tones: black, navy, charcoal, and ink. Shades that speak to quiet power
and inner depth.
Forget Me Not also honours the natural world and the old ways. The photo shoot took place in both Shanaglish
graveyards in County Galway, surrounded by towering yew trees, some hundreds of years old. In Irish tradition,
the yew tree is a powerful symbol of death and resurrection. Its evergreen nature, slow growth, and ability to
regenerate from its own branches have made it a sacred presence in graveyards across Ireland. Their presence in
the photographs is no accident—they echo the themes of the collection: remembrance, renewal, and the quiet
strength that comes from continuity and care.
The collection is made using a mix of natural materials and vintage millinery stock, with a deep respect for
craftsmanship and history. It features traditional Petersham ribbon—a high-frequency 100% cotton millinery
staple—much of it dyed by hand for this collection. Margaret personally dyed natural-toned materials black,
transforming them into pieces suitable for mourning while still honouring their organic origins. Some of the
materials come from the treasured archives of two former milliners: the late Peggy Glynn, and another unnamed
craftswoman whose materials were passed on to Margaret. Many of these vintage ribbons and trims date from the
1940s through the 1960s, bringing with them their own histories, textures, and stories.
Each hat marries traditional Irish millinery techniques with modern design—inspired by the past, yet styled for the
present. Signature shapes are reimagined with fresh proportions and structure, blending timeless ritual with a
bold, contemporary sensibility that reflects Margaret’s unique voice.
Photographed with deep sensitivity by the incredible Colm Hogan, the shoot captures the emotional depth and
quiet power of the collection. Margaret had long admired Colm’s film work, and collaborating on this project was a
dream realised.
“I’ve been a big fan of Colm’s film work for years, so to have him photograph Forget Me Not felt very close to my
heart. He really understood the tone, the mood, and the emotional layers behind the collection. We connect on a
similar wavelength when it comes to art and music, and I think that really came through in the work. It felt like
home — and that was the feeling I wanted this to have. He captured the bones of it — the feeling of loss, memory,
and care. I’m so grateful to him for his sensitivity and his talent.”
This is just the beginning. Forget Me Not is the first chapter in a series that will unfold throughout the
year—continuing to explore themes of grief, remembrance, strength, and renewal through handmade, meaningful
design. Series Two will delve even deeper into Irish traditions, incorporating crochet, Irish lace, and
knitwear—techniques that hold a special place in Margaret’s family history. Her mother’s relation, Agnes, knitted a
crochet blanket that has been passed through generations and used for family christenings—a quiet heirloom of
comfort and continuity. These traditional Irish textile methods mirror the handcrafted, heritage-led techniques
found in Mexican culture, continuing a conversation across continents about memory, ritual, and care.
To see more pieces and explore the collection, visit www.margaretoconnor.ie and check out the Forget Me Not
section for available stock and new products.
Creative Credits Designer & Stylist: Margaret O’Connor Photography: Colm Hogan Model: Aline Beatriz Makeup
Artist: Gráinne Coughlan Location: Both Shanaglish graveyards, County Galway