From lecture halls to London Fashion Week for young Limerick student

WHEN Daire Scully took to the catwalk at London Fashion Week this season, it marked a new high point in a year of extraordinary change.

The 23-year-old from Castleconnell has gone from working as a dental nurse to appearing on international runways and magazine covers — all while studying at the Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI.)

His journey into modelling, he admits, was entirely unplanned. “I was actually working as a dental nurse at the time. I got scouted on Instagram and presumed that it was a scam of some sort so didn't even look at it,” Daire explained. 

He modelled for some photos and these shots led to him being signed with his first agency in January 2024.

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Since then, Daire who now lives in Dublin, has signed with multiple modelling agencies across Europe and the United States, including Rós Model Management in Ireland, Woke Management in London, Anthm in New York and Major in Milan.

The Limerick man recently modelled at London Fashion Week for designers Genaro Rivas, Mirabela Brinzan, and Halves London. Reflecting on the experience, Daire said it was surreal. “I just walked London Fashion Week three times. It's crazy but I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity to do it and I'll be back next season as well.”

Balancing modelling with university is no small feat. “I just do a lot of scheduling,” Daire explained. “My calendar is my most used app.”

Daire is still very much focused on his studies and plans to take some time out to pursue modelling full-time after completing his degree before returning to a career in science. “Modelling isn’t something that you can do for your entire life. I can't be 80 going for the same jobs,” he smiles.

International work has also brought its own set of unique experiences. Daire has appeared in a variety of magazines globally, such as Roll Up New York, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosas, Untold Greece, Vous España and Gmaro. “I've done two New York magazine covers. I've never been to New York!”

Looking ahead, a PhD is a future possibility after he devotes his time to modelling for a period. “I just know that I'd be really annoyed at myself if I got to 50 and thought I didn't give that a proper go to see how far I could actually go so I'm going to model full-time for a bit.”

Daire's major goal in terms of his modelling career is to appear in Vogue magazine. “I've kind of gone past now what all my goals were and I'm very proud of that. It's something that I never imagined so I'm just kind of excited to see what's next.”