Charity fashion show in Buncrana for Rachael Connolly – ‘the most beautiful soul’

A fashion show fundraiser in memory of Rachael Connolly is set to take place in Buncrana.

From Ballymagan in Buncrana, Rachael was only 13 years old when she passed away in April 2023.

The Fashion Show is in aid of Pieta House and will take place at The Inishowen Gateway Hotel on Thursday, September 12 at 7:30pm.

Possessing a real interest in her attire and a love of fashion, Rachael’s family decided that the theme of the event would be a fitting way to remember her. 

“She was getting to that age where she was deciding her style and she was set on what she wanted,” Rachael’s sister Megan Clarke McTaggart tells DonegalLive. “Blue was her favourite colour and she adored her blue jacket, she always had it on. Rachael was beginning to mature, she was transforming from a child to a teenager.”

BBC Radio Foyle’s Micky Doherty will host the event and a range of fabulous clothing will be displayed for the worthy cause. Tickets can be purchased from event organisers  Michelle Ferguson and Jennifer Jones Farrell via the Facebook page ‘Fashion Show in aid of Pieta House in Memory of Rachael Connolly’.

Funds raised will go directly to Pieta House,  a charity which provides support to those impacted by self-harm and suicide. Without events such as these and Darkness Into Light, Pieta couldn’t continue to provide these vital services for free as it is 80% financed by fundraising events.

Megan regularly participates in Darkness Into Light in Letterkenny and dedicated this year’s walk to Rachael. “The only way I can describe the loss of Rachael is that your life changes and so many little things remind me of her,” Megan says. “I will participate every year. Even when I got married last August we donated to Pieta House.”

Rachael was inseparable from her older sister Sophie, who is now 16. They did everything together. “Throughout everything, they always had one another, they were a duo,” Megan adds. “It is particularly heartbreaking for Sophie, it is really sad.”

A student Scoil Mhuire Buncrana, Rachael loved animals having previously owned a pet monkey and a dog.

At age 11, she received Donegal County Council’s first-ever Certificate of Recognition for Exceptional Courage and Bravery, after risking her own life to save her two-year-old cousin Ellie, who a Huskey attacked.

“Rachael was so brave, the most courageous girl I’ve ever met,” Megan continues. “She was funny, nearly a dry sense of humour. Rachael was bubbly and was loved by so many people, she had a lot of friends and she was very selfless and kind. She loved the outdoors and was brilliant at art and very talented. She was always easygoing, never any drama or trouble. She loved everybody and she adored animals.

“Rachael was such a beautiful girl with a heart of gold. She is an angel.”