Grip Fast
We live in lands carved by giant Glaciers over 10,000 years ago, and these very lands have shaped our shared past. Over the last four eventful centuries, the Castle Leslie Estate, and the community of Glaslough have been as one, our fortunes forever entwined.
Just 30 years ago, at the tender age of 24 my father gave me the front door key, and little else. I received one fifth of one third of the remnants of the Estate, and over the decades have I have striven to pull this amazing place back together. In 1992 with a handful of fine local teenagers, a talented baker and a £5k grant from the County Enterprise Board, I first opened the tea rooms in the leaky conservatory of the castle. And so began my journey to create what you see today – one of Ireland’s finest country estates to come and stay on.
My 100-year plan was always to build a strong social enterprise which reinvests everything to support nature and heritage-led restoration on the estate within communities. One day I hoped we would get to a place to be able to do all the other things we really wanted to, put very simply – to create the best place to live, learn, work, stay and play in a planet friendly way.
The creation of the Leslie Foundation in 2017 is core to this mission, it was the missing part of the jigsaw. In a world lurching from one crisis to another I am driven by a simple philosophy to create a new way of thinking and working. It’s about collaboration with all the voices in our communities. It’s about inclusion, diversity, climate justice and equality in all its guises and anchored deeply in an appreciation of the value of our natural capital – the beauty and richness of this land.
I want to stimulate constant debate on circular projects, circular economies, and inclusive thinking, and I want Castle Leslie to be a beacon of best practice, a genuine pioneer project in the world of true sustainability, a champion for climate justice and a place where people come to stay, live, learn, heal and recharge. You will therefore find that our manifesto is bold, and our purpose is clear.
It sets out how we will protect, restore, and share this land for the centuries to come, wrapping it in nature and positioning Castle Leslie as one of Ireland’s finest working estate destinations.
The possibilities are endless, this is a personal invitation to you, dear reader, to join us and help deliver something quite special.
If you would like to hear more about our projects or contribute in any way, please get in touch at sammy@castleleslie.com
Sammy Leslie
Current Custodian.
