Hi I’m Holly McCormack, a scientist, artist, and wildlife enthusiast based in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. I have always been fascinated by the natural world, and have fond memories of visiting Dublin’s Natural History Museum as a young child. The vibrant feathers of birds and insights into now extinct and endangered species absolutely fascinated me.
My passion was ignited when my father gave me a greenfinch skull at the age of 10, and my collection quickly spiralled. While I began collecting only skulls, I got my taxidermy license at 19 and have dedicated my time to learning the craft over the last number of years when I have time in between my education.
I have been lucky enough to conserve and restore educational collections, provide and repair props for the media and arts industries, and was even part of the team that helped in removing a rare northern bottlenose whale that stranded on Bangor for future skeletal articulation for the National Trust.
Sustainable, responsible sourcing of my specimens is at the forefront of my practice. I am dedicated to showcasing the beauty of nature through my work, and in turn hope to encourage others to form a deeper connection with wildlife to encourage conservation of our natural world.
“It would be good to include a quote from a happy client here if posible. Make sure you get permission from them to include it here.”
Happy Client
In 2021 I got my honours degree in biomedical science, followed by a MsC of parasitology and pathogen biology. I am currently pursuing a PhD focused on parasitology and combating antibiotic resistance, so I’m quite a busy woman!
I have had the utter luck to be mentored by the wonderful Ingrid Houwers, of Houwers Taxidermy, for the past number of years in my taxidermy journey. Her help has been invaluable and I would not be where I am in my taxidermy without her constant aid and teaching.
In March of 2024 I travelled to Denmark to learn from Master Bird Taxidermist Peter Sunesen & Pernille Stenby (Lindburg Taxidermy). I completed a 5 day course learning the techniques used for passerines and raptors.