With a wide variety of songbirds populating the 350-acre Ashford Castle estate in Cong, staff at the hotel have taken steps to protect the birds, and their young, with the construction of 83 nesting boxes, one for every guest room and suite in the castle.

In every bedroom, guests will now find a unique QR code which, when scanned, provides the location of that room’s personal bird sanctuary.

The boxes were crafted from an old larch tree that once grew on the estate until it fell in a storm. While alive, the tree provided a number of nesting sites amongst its branches, so the team at the 5 star Ashford Castle are delighted that the tree is continuing to help the local birdlife. These include the Goldcrest, whose very high-pitched calls can be heard during the winter months on woodlands adjoining the castle.

The nesting boxes are one of a number of sustainability initiatives undertaken by staff on the Ashford Castle estate including the development of its own polytunnels and beehives.