Eimer Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh (/ˈiːmər niː veɪlˈdaʊnɪɡ/ EE-mər nee vayl-DOWN-ig,[1] Irish: [ˈɪmʲəɾˠ n̠ʲiː ˈweːl̪ˠd̪ˠoːnˠiː]) is an Irish costume designer. Much of her career has been in Irish and British-Irish productions, such as Michael Collins (1996), The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006), Brideshead Revisited (2008) , Ondine (2009), The Guard (2011), Calvary (2014), The Rhythm Section (2020), Foundation (2021), and The Banshees of Inisherin (2022). She has been nominated eleven times for Best Costume Design from the Irish Film & Television Academy, winning for The Rhythm Section. Other nominations include Emmy, Critics Choice, and Satellite Awards. Eimer was elected to AMPAS in 2020.
Eimer Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Irish |
| Alma mater | Limerick School of Art and Design |
| Occupation | Costume designer |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Known for | The Wind That Shakes the Barley, Becoming Jane, Brideshead Revisited |
Career
editEimer Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh is from Limerick, Ireland[2] where she graduated from the Limerick School of Art and Design.[3] She studied fashion initially before moving into film in the early 1990s.
Eimer's first role was as a costume trainee on the film The Secret of Roan Inish. The Irish Independent notes that "the Irish film scene was picking up in the Nineties and Eimer's cv is like a history of Irish film since 1993".[2] During that decade, she worked as assistant costume designer on such productions as the comedy film Widows' Peak, the series Family, the miniseries Scarlett, the historical drama film Michael Collins.[2][3] and the Neil Jordan film The Butcher Boy.
2000s–present
editThe 2000s were a very productive time with About Adam, Gerry Stembridge's comedy with Kate Hudson, Mad About Mambo, a comedy with Keri Russell, the TV series Rebel Heart, and Jim Sheridan's 2002 biopic In America with Paddy Considine and Samantha Morton. In 2005, Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh was costume designer on the Neil Jordan film Breakfast on Pluto, which featured Cillian Murphy as a transgender woman. The following year, she again worked with Murphy on the drama film The Wind That Shakes the Barley, directed by Ken Loach.[4]
In 2007, she was costume designer on the period drama film Becoming Jane, which was directed by Julian Jarrold and starred Anne Hathaway as Jane Austen.
In 2008 she oversaw the costumes for the film Brideshead Revisited, again directed by Jarrold. Her designs included costumes made in Paris and London, featuring a strong colour palette and sensuous textures.[1] Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh said that she "wanted everything to look beautiful and fresh. Normally with period films you're trying to make things look old and care worn, but there's none of that".[5]
2009 saw her work for the first time with Colin Farrell on Neil Jordan's film Ondine.
2010 saw Eimer reunite with Matthew Goode in the rom com Leap Year which also starred Amy Adams.
At the Gate Theatre in Dublin, Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh was the costume designer for the 2011 stage production Little Women, a stage adaptation of the 1868 novel by Louisa May Alcott. A reviewer in Irish Theatre Magazine praised Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh's efforts, writing that the "costumes are the real visual treat here, with the staid and stately conservatism of Civil War era dress recreated with great detail and grace".[6]
That year, she also created the costumes featured in the 2011 miniseries Neverland, a re-imagining of the Peter Pan story.
Collaborations with Brendan Gleeson continued in both 2011 and 2014 with The Guard and Calvary.
In 2014, Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh oversaw the costumes in the Irish film Jimmy's Hall, her second collaboration with Ken Loach.[7] She received an ITFA nomination for her work in the film.[8]
In 2016, Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh designed the costumes for the period comedy film Love & Friendship.[9] The following year, she created the costumes featured in the BBC miniseries Little Women.[10]
2020 saw Eimer work with Reed Morano on the Barbara Broccoli-produced The Rhythm Section with Blake Lively and Jude Law. And shortly after Eimer had her first foray into science fiction with Foundation for Apple TV.
She was the costume designer for the 2022 Oscar-nominated film, The Banshees of Inisherin, set in an isolated Irish island in the 1920s.
Select filmography
edit- About Adam (2000)
- Mad About Mambo (2000)
- In America (2002)
- The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)
- Becoming Jane (2007)
- Strength and Honour (2007)
- Brideshead Revisited (2008)
- Ondine (2009)
- Leap Year (2010)
- The Guard (2011)
- Neverland (2011)
- Calvary (2014)
- Jimmy's Hall (2014)
- Love & Friendship (2016)
- Little Women (2017)
- Foundation (2021)
- The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
References
edit- ^ a b Bailey, Christopher (1 August 2008). "Eimer Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh". Interview. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
- ^ a b c O'Connor, Aine (25 January 2009). "Eimer casts a fitting role for herself in Waugh". Irish Independent. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
- ^ a b "Cowardly Design". Gate Theatre. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
- ^ "'Brokeback' gets Minister's seal of approval". The Irish Times. 27 May 2006. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
- ^ Williams, Sally (13 September 2008). "Brideshead Revisited: Sacred and profane". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
- ^ Weaver, Jesse (15 November 2011). "Little Women". Irish Theatre Magazine. Retrieved 1 January 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Foundas, Scott (22 May 2014). "Cannes Film Review: 'Jimmy's Hall'". Variety. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
- ^ Clarke, Donald (29 April 2015). "Ifta 2015 film and drama nominees announced". The Irish Times. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
- ^ Chan, Stephanie (10 May 2016). "Kate Beckinsale's 'Love & Friendship' wardrobe brings color to 18th century widow". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- ^ Cronin, Emily (26 December 2017). "Little Women: the story behind the 'homemade' costumes- and why Maya Hawke still wears her Victorian coat out and about in New York". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 December 2017.