SO much attention is given each year to the fashion graduates from NCAD in Dublin that other colleges around the country can be overlooked.

Last week, for example, Limerick School of Art and Design staged its own annual show for diploma and degree students.

External assessor Martin Raymond, late of RTE's Head to Toe and now based in London, commented that the entire group was "exceptional in that over half of them would go straight into the workplace and become commercially viable quickly. That's just not the case in England".

Among the 13 degree students, Andrea Neville from Co Clare was one of the young designers Raymond particularly noticed. Her "incredibly contemporary and very wearable collection" called Protec was selected by D'Side magazine's Melanie Morris for the £600 Shannon Development Prize for the most creatively commercial degree collection.

Also worth watching is Norah McDonald of Adare, Co Limerick, whose range of knitwear in shades of inky blue and old gold with subtle textures and lacy open work should quickly find buyers.

According to Martin Raymond, her emphasis on detailing in the knit is similar to what made Lainey Keogh so interesting to everyone when she showed in London earlier this year".

Diploma student Brigid Ryan from Newport, Co Tipperary produced a collection summarised by Raymond as suitable for "a reformed Hell's Angel bride".

Combining fabrics such as crystal organza, plastic and reflective strips, she designed large crinoline skirts topped with cropped biker jackets and bustiers for a range which managed to be fun but not silly.

"Again, she's someone to watch," said Martin Raymond. So, too, are Ireland's regional ~fashion colleges