The great O’Neill: Oprah turns to Kerry designer

A Kerry-born designer has been asked, for the third time, to dress one of the world’s most powerful women and will also be welcomed to the Rose of Tralee Festival this month as guest of honour.

Don O’Neill, who grew up in Ballyheigue, met with Oprah Winfrey to design a dress for the premiere of The Butler, a film in which she will return to acting. O’Neill met her for the first time this week at a last-minute fitting for the premiere, but it’s actually the third time he has been asked to provide clothes for the media mogul.

Speaking to Tom Dunne on Newstalk, O’Neill described himself as “nervous, delighted, excited, thrilled” when he met Oprah just hours before the premiere in New York. With just two hours’ notice, O’Neill and his team assembled to carry out final alterations on the sequined couture gown which he had selected from his Theia range and altered for Winfrey.

Although he has styled the former chat show host twice in the past, he said he had “no idea if Oprah would wear the dress” and was delighted that she wanted to wear it to such a big event.

O’Neill said his fears that her television personality might be false and that she could be a diva in real life were immediately banished when Winfrey opened the hotel room door and greeted him with a “huge, big beaming smile and a big handshake”.

As he finished the last alterations to her dress, he says he was put at ease by her friendly demeanour and chattiness.

Oprah wore a dress by O’Neill when she accepted her honorary Oscar from the Academy Awards last year — a huge boost to the Irishman’s fashion company. She also posed in a black sequined skirt, which he had designed with the photoshoot in mind, on the cover of her own magazine, O.

Following his whirlwind meeting with Oprah, O’Neill took to Twitter to express his excitement at meeting one of his heroes, saying she “is the sweetest, most thoughtful woman ever”.

What an amazing start to Monday with the incredible @Oprah dazzling in a #Theia skirt, the most #RadiantWoman ever pic.twitter.com/bDpq2O3CBs

— THEIA (@THEIACOUTURE) August 5, 2013

In addition to his recent brush with fame, O’Neill has been invited to attend the Rose of Tralee Festival later this month. The Kerry-born designer will be the star attraction at the fashion show on Aug 18 which will feature his designs. Models from Celia Holman Lee’s agency will display his designs on the catwalk.

He is also the guest of honour at other events during the festival, including the Rose Ball and the Parade of Roses.

O’Neill’s family have run a B&B in Ballyheigue for many years and he visits home a few times every year. When his mother was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour last year he moved home to Ballyheigue and commuted to New York for a few brief stints.