About
Us
On land once grazed, now growing wild again, we’ve built something quieter. A place where nature leads, and people listen.
Welcome to Dunsany Estate
At Dunsany Estate, we support forward-thinking businesses with nature-based solutions that restore ecosystems and enhance biodiversity.
Through Rewilding, BNG strategies, community initiatives and corporate partnerships, we help organisations meet sustainability goals while becoming part of something bigger – a collective effort to reconnect people with nature and create lasting impact for both planet and purpose.
Our
Purpose
At Dunsany Estate, we empower businesses to align their ESG and CSR goals with meaningful action — by restoring biodiversity, rewilding land, and supporting nature’s return.
Our work is rooted in simplicity, impact, and connection — not just between business and planet, but among teams coming together to shape a more regenerative and resilient future.
Our
Mission
We strive to provide businesses with accessible, effective ways to strengthen their sustainability practices. Through Nature Shares and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) Solutions, we offer a seamless path for companies to achieve their ESG targets while contributing to the restoration of Ireland’s natural landscapes.
Our
Vision
At Dunsany Estate, our vision is to create a regenerative and reconnected world where people and planet thrive together.
As the largest rewilding project in Ireland, we aim to establish Dunsany Estate as a beacon of change for biodiversity in Ireland — a living example of what large-scale restoration can achieve.
We see Dunsany as a catalyst for future rewilding efforts across the country, a place where communities, businesses, and individuals from all walks of life come to learn, grow, and experience the power of wild nature first-hand.
History of
Dunsany Estate
With a legacy spanning almost 1,000 years, Dunsany Estate is one of Ireland’s oldest continuously inhabited estates since the 11th century. Steeped in history and tradition, the land has now entered a new chapter — a return to wildness. With 750 acres dedicated to rewilding, the estate is being carefully restored to a thriving, natural landscape where nature leads once more.
Meet the Dunsany Estate Team
Say hello to the crew behind 1,600 acres of living landscape. We blend heritage stewardship with modern ecology, maintaining trails, developing partnerships, tracking biodiversity and delivering thoughtful experiences so your time at Dunsany is as enriching as it is restorative.
Founder & Visionary
Randal Plunkett
The 21st Baron of Dunsany, Randal is the visionary behind Ireland’s largest private rewilding project, setting aside 750 acres, nearly half the Estate for nature.
He represents Dunsany as its public ambassador, ensuring the project delivers ecological outcomes with global relevance and a guardian for generation to come.
Co-Founder & Strategic Lead
Bob Hamilton
Founder of Irish Trees and a former senior banker, Bob brings over 35 years of corporate experience and a lifelong passion for landscapes. With half the Estate set aside for nature, he leads the strategy to ensure rewilding can thrive both ecologically and financially.
At Dunsany, Bob leads strategy, proposition development, and corporate partnerships, ensuring that the Estate can generate income while safeguarding space for nature.
Operations & Experience Lead
John Doran
John ensures that every event at Dunsany Estate runs seamlessly. With a farming background, a successful events company, and his own flourishing rewilding project, John brings organisation and resourcefulness to Coordinate events, work areas, catering spaces, preparing saplings and tools for tree planting, to managing meadows, trails, equipment, and eco-facilities to ensure our Corporate and community partners can enjoy their experiences.
Lead Ecologist
Emma Harte
Founder of Habitats.ie and co-author of Farming for Nature (endorsed by the President of Ireland), Emma is one of Ireland’s leading ecologists. She supports Dunsany in becoming the country’s first Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) scheme, and has led ecological studies across grassland, woodland, and freshwater habitats. Well-connected with universities and industry, Emma brings scientific rigour and credibility to Dunsany’s rewilding journey.
Digital Strategy Development & Web Lead
Luke Hamilton
Luke is an International Business graduate with experience across corporate, startup, and freelance roles. He combines expertise in web design, SEO, and organisational development with a passion for sustainability. At Dunsany, he leads on digital storytelling and drone photography, helping to bring the rewilding story to life for corporate partners and public audiences alike.
Official Estate Photographer
Daniel Fields
Daniel is a marine ecologist and passionate photographer, capturing the flora, fauna, and landscapes of Dunsany across the seasons. Living locally but travelling widely for his professional work, Daniel contributes striking visual records that support ecological monitoring, reporting, and storytelling. His images give corporate partners and the wider public a window into the richness of rewilding at Dunsany.
Our Expert Network
At Dunsany, we’re lucky to draw on the insight of a wide network of friends and collaborators – people from ecology, finance, technology, education, and community life who share their knowledge with us along the way.
They don’t carry governance roles, but their advice and perspective add depth and credibility to what we do, helping us rewild with confidence and care.
CEO & Founder, Dúlra (Technology & Monitoring)
Greg Birdthistle
Greg offers technology-led innovation by helping leverage data systems that link restoration actions to funding, impact reporting, and stakeholder engagement.
Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Learn International
Cara Simon
Cara and her wonderful team bring international interns to Dunsany, connecting their learning journeys with our ecological projects. As a patron, Learn International also plants a tree for every student they welcome to Europe -creating lasting educational and ecological impact.
Data Analytics & Visualisation Specialist
Vincent Crimmins
Vincent helps translate complex ecological data into clear, compelling visuals, helping us to share rewilding metrics so they are accessible, informative, and impactful for all stakeholders.
Supervisor, Dúlra Project
Robbie McDonagh
Robbie supports Dunsany with his expertise in habitat restoration, from invasive species control to innovative techniques such as wool and biochar for ecosystem recovery.
Founder, Polliknow (Technology & Monitoring)
Meg Brennan
Meg provides advanced biodiversity monitoring through AI-powered sensor technology, enabling nature-based projects, like Dunsany Estate, measure ecosystem pollinator health with precision and to scale ecological data collection.
CEO & Founder, Habitats.ie (Ecology & Practice)
Emma Harte
Emma advises Dunsany on biodiversity net gain, bringing deep expertise in ecology and a strong understanding of the UK’s BNG framework. She helps align our restoration work with emerging standards in nature recovery and biodiversity accounting.
Internships at Dunsany
We welcome interns to Dunsany to learn by doing – surveying habitats, supporting restoration projects and helping us tell the story of rewilding. It’s our way of opening doors for young people into the environmental space and showing a practical, educational and societal commitment to the next generation of land stewards.
“Partnering with Dunsany Estate has been incredibly grounding. In a world of screens, the chance to step into nature, plant trees, and actively support biodiversity has been truly meaningful. Knowing our efforts will grow and thrive in this protected landscape gives real purpose to our work.”
