The Dunsany Estate, which dates back to the 11th century, and is located about 30 minutes from Dublin Airport, covers 1600 acres – of this about 750 acres are being rewilded as a nature reserve. There are around 500 acres of old forest as the lands have been protected for nearly 950 years. We explain why Rewilding with Dunsany Reserve and Irish Trees is a perfect collaboration.
IrishTrees.ie have collaborated with the Earl of Dunsany, Randal Plunkett, to accelerate Tree reforestation and Tree afforestation with the help of patron subscribers helping the Rewilding with Dunsany Reserve and Irish Trees.
Patrons contribute either once off or on a subscription basis and are invited to come along and plant trees with Randal and IrishTrees.ie during the main winter planting seasons.
The soil is fertile, so the land not forested or being rewilded is used to grow crops, the income from agriculture supports the estate, along with the income from the film production facilities based here but nature isn’t free and contributing to the planting of more trees will mean that woods can be reconnected to create interconnecting habitats.
Already wildlife is flourishing, from foxes, badgers and otters to owls, red deer and various birds of prey.
Thousands of insects from dragonflies, to honey bees, enjoy the reserve and no animals are farmed at the estate.
Randal is passionate about the rewilding cause and while rewilding by its own name does most of the work, trees do need to be planted and maintained until they develop beyond saplings so they can compete against grasses and survive the foraging efforts of deer.
Irish Trees offers people a Tree planting service to celebrate life and Life moments including the planting of trees to celebrate a birth and trees that act a thoughful gesture to memorialise those we have lost.
Irish Trees have won a number of National awards for their Tree planting service and were runners-up in the 2022 Bord na Mona sponsored GREEN awards. They continue to receive 5-star rating on Trustpilot where so many senders and recipients of Trees for various occasions praise what they do and how they do it. The founder – Bob Hamilton explains how he and Randal came to work together.
” It was a happy coincidence really, I had been looking for the perfect collaboration for some time and I was asked by a Facilitator in a Development program to define my perfect collaborator, I said somebody with a lot of land, somebody who is passionate about Trees and the environment, somebody that takes action, somebody with credibility, somebody who is commercial, as nature isn’t free as it takes time and money to develop and sustain the work. Then I got really picky and added…and ideally in North County Dublin or South Meath? And guess what… She knew Randal (South Meath) and she arranged an introduction, Randal and I share many values in life, we are aligned and very excited about what we can do together, but we can’t do it without the help of others with similar values and beliefs.”
Randal said ” Bob has a passion for nature but he also has business acumen, he is a man of action who is happy to get his hands dirty and so am I, Bob is about integrity, and that is paramount to me. I will only work with people that share my values, what Bob has done with Irish Trees is amazing, and I know that together we can accelerate habitat development with the support of like-minded people. People that don’t just talk about making a difference, but people that actually take action and plant trees on the land, plant trees in Ireland, and want to create a legacy beyond our own lives. Rewilding with Dunsany Castle and Nature Reserve and IrishTrees.ie just makes sense.
The Planet is in crisis and there will be those that can proudly say that they did their part, and there will be those that just thought about doing something, but didn’t. It is a matter of choice, so if you can’t plant 100 trees in your garden, plant 100 trees, indeed plant 1000 trees with us.”
Patrons of Dunsany can plant trees in Ireland by either subscribing monthly or by choosing to make a once of contribution at https://irishtree.ie
Subscription patrons will be invited to attend planting dates and get to meet both Randal and Bob at the Castle before heading into the woods and fields to plant trees.
Family planting days will also be arranged where parents who subscribe, can come along and plant trees with their children to generate a connection with nature, create memories, and show how committed families can make a positive impact on the environment. There will be other fun activities arranged including forest bathing / nature days etc, Randal and Bob want as many people as possible involved in the Rewilding with Dunsany Reserve and IrishTrees. Check out how to support this exciting development at https://irishtrees.ie
