Randal Plunkett, 21st Baron of Dunsany

Plunkett was born on 8 March 1983 in New York City, where his parents were living at the time operating an architectural and design studio. and the four children grew up together. On the paternal side, he is the great-grandson of the 18th Baron of Dunsany (usually known as Lord Dunsany) and grandson of his half-Brazilian namesake, Lieutenant Colonel Randal Plunkett, an officer in the British Indian Army. However, encouraged by his parents, he later returned to the idea of working in film, and pursued an intensive course in Digital Video Peerage succession Plunkett succeeded to the title of Baron of Dunsany on 24 May 2011, upon the death of his father. He continues to live at Dunsany Castle, on its estate of over , near Dunshaughlin and Kilmessan, about north of Dublin. While the estate was reduced in size under the Irish Land Acts, with much farmland transferred to tenants, it remains a substantial landholding, between Dunshaughlin and the Hill of Tara. The current heir to his title is his younger brother, Oliver, a games designer and programmer. ==Career==

Lord Dunsany began his filmmaking career around 2009, producing and directing a range of short films, which have been shown at various film festivals. His directorial debut was the thriller Kiss Kiss (2010), set in London, and shown at the Leicester Square Odeon. He then returned to Ireland, producing Guerrilla, directed by Blaine Rennicks and starring Jack Lowe and Darren Killeen, on the Dunsany lands from winter 2009. The low-budget film, with a crew of 40, was based on a concept of Ireland under martial law after social collapse in Europe in 2013, and was released in 2010. Subsequently, it was selected to play Cannes Film Festival. In 2010, the then Randal Plunkett established Dunsany Productions, a film production company, at Dunsany Castle. It was filmed and produced 2018–2019 but only released, after Covid-related delays, mid-2021. Dunsany was director, scriptwriter and executive producer. Dunsany performed the editing himself, alongside Chris Gill. Plunkett has described the film as having semi-autobiographical influences. Lord Dunsany's work and the film itself were awarded as Best Feature Film at the Paris Play Film Festival, April 2021, Best Indie Feature Film and Best Feature Script at the Florence Film Awards, April 2021, and Best Production and Best Editing at the New York Movie Awards, April 2021. ==Rewilding==

Lord Dunsany is a practitioner of and advocate for rewilding. He became a vegan in 2014, and discovered rewilding around the same time. Dunsany Nature Reserve is Ireland's largest privately owned nature reserve, and as of 2022 is the only Irish rewilding project recognised by the European Rewilding Network. A number of animals have returned to the estate and it has grown in biological diversity. Lord Dunsany has also banned hunting on his lands, which he has said resulted in threats. Small groups are allowed a visit by arrangement, but Dunsany has said he does not plan structured paths and signage, or visitor attraction facilities such as a café. The potential revival of a former railway line which used to pass through the estate near the River Skane has been noted as a concern. ==Personal life==

Plunkett's father died in 2011 after a long illness. His mother died in 2020; they are buried on the estate together. Having previously been in a relationship with Irish actress Emma Eliza Regan, The heir to the castle and estate is their daughter. Dunsany has stated that his child will inherit the property, while as of 2022 the title would still pass elsewhere, due to what he has described as medieval provisions reserving inheritance of most titles to males, but he has expressed hope this situation may be changed. Lord Dunsany is Catholic. Dunsany and Dillon subsequently married. ==Popular culture==

In 2013, Lord Dunsany appeared in the final episode of the second series of TLC's reality television series Secret Princes, in which his brother Oliver was appearing as a series regular. In 2025, Dunsany published a memoir, which discusses his rewilding work extensively. ==Descent==