Lord of the plants: How a death metal eco-baron rewilds Irish estate

Plunkett at the grounds of the Dunsany Castle in Dunsany, northwest of Dublin. Photo: Paul Faith/AFP

Randal Plunkett, the 21st Baron of Dunsany, strides out of his Irish castle in a T-shirt bearing the name of death metal band Cannibal Corpse in bloody lettering.

In the distance, a russet-coloured stag appears for a moment, before dissolving into the 300ha of ancestral estate Plunkett has surrendered to the wilderness – almost half of his lands.