Two of the county’s most iconic brands, Finn Harps and McDaid’s Football Special, both of which are “World Famous in Donegal”, have come together to produce a unique collection of limited edition t-shirts.
The fan merchandise, which is the result of a collaboration with ATU Second Year Fashion Students based at the Letterkenny campus is sure to be a hit with Donegal people home and abroad.
Finn Harps, who are celebrating their 70th anniversary this year, and McDaid’s beloved Football Special have been part of the fabric of Donegal life for generations.
Clare McCahill, Head of Design at Finn Harps welcomed the opportunity to work with up-and-coming new talent: “It was hugely enjoyable to work with McDaid’s and ATU on such a fun project. The Football Special name invokes such a warm resonance with the people of Donegal and anyone who has visited the county, so this initiative is a wonderful way to share our mutual love for football and community.”
Clare paid tribute to the ATU fashion students; “We loved working with Sharon and her brilliantly creative students. We chose Elizabete’s design as our template however the students all brought so many great concepts to the table that we could have developed any of the proposals. The standard of work was exceptional and professionally presented. We look forward to working together again in the future.”
According to Seamus McDaid of McDaid’s Football Special, the project was a perfect fit for their brand: “At Football Special we do everything with the aim of bringing families, friends and communities together in simple moments of unguarded joy. The collaboration project between ourselves, Finn Harps and ATU demonstrates our ethos perfectly! It was a joy to work with the ATU students and the guys over at Finn Harps to create a new and unique Donegal design.”
Sharon Maxwell, ATU Donegal Lecturer, emphasised the importance of real-world design experience: “We actively encourage our fashion students to work with real-life design briefs, to understand their client’s needs, and use their talents and skills to respond with innovative and fresh design solutions. Finn Harps and Football Special are both iconic Donegal brands, and our talented second year group accepted the challenge presented by Aidan at Finn Harps, producing impressive and professional designs. It was an exciting challenge for all involved.“
The t-shirts, which were printed on superior cotton garments by well known Irish company Hairy Baby, are available in vibrant Royal Blue, classic Dark Navy and an eye-catching Emerald Green. The design features a combined Finn Harps / Football Special image on the front and Finn Harps / McDaid’s branding on the back of the neck.
Ideal as a gift for any fan who is away from home, the tees can be ordered on finnharps.ie/shop for worldwide shipping. The limited edition collection is also available from the club shop at Finn Park on Wednesdays and Fridays 5-7pm.
