Margaret was born in India of Irish parents. She studied Modern Languages at Trinity College, Dublin, before training as a printer.

She studied in Dublin and with André L'Hote Paris.

From 1977 to 1991 she lectured at Dun Laoghaire School of Art, Co. Dublin and at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin. Margaret was elected to Aosdána in 2019.

Margaret lives in Connemara, Co. Galway on the west coast of Ireland where she has a modern print studio and an etching press.