To hunker in a medieval castle while a pandemic rages outside sounds like a Black Death chronicle but Laura Jamieson and Michael Smith have rather enjoyed their coronavirus lockdown in Ireland.
The young couple have been the sole occupants of Ashford Castle, a five-star hotel on the shores of Lough Corrib in county Mayo that boasts a cinema, spa, tea boutique, wine tasting tunnels and 83 guest rooms.
Jamieson, 23, from Surrey in England, and Smith, 28, from Perthshire in Scotland, usually live in the nearby village of Cross and commute to the castle for work but have spent the past nine weeks living there while maintaining the buildings and 350-acre estate until tourists return.
“It’s been surreal,” Jamieson said in a phone interview. “We’ve been incredibly fortunate that we were able to have this experience. It’s the most amazing place.”
Quarantine in an 800-year-old castle – where the pair first met three years ago – has been a steep learning curve, said Smith, who manages the estate. “We’re finding out stuff not only about work but about each other. It’s something we’ll look back on with fond memories.”
It may sound like a reality show or a Disney movie, with a couple playing prince and princess, but daily reality was often humdrum, he said. “I don’t know if they’d be rushing to make this movie. When we’re doing our jobs it’s quite boring.”
Duties include vacuuming, flushing 160 toilets, dusting chandeliers and fielding emails and phone calls.
“It’s very strange – we’re used to welcoming guests and look forward to having them back,” said Jamieson, a duty manager. “Initially we were a little bit wary of the place. You hear different floorboards creaking, and the wind and the doors. But as time has gone on it’s started to feel like home.”
The air conditioning turning off took getting used to, said Smith. “It was terrifying at first, as if someone was inside it.” The isolated custodians of a big hotel in Stephen King’s horror novel The Shining did not end well, said Smith, but Ashford Castle was proving benign. “So far so good – may that continue.”
The working day often ends with a visit to the School of Falconry to check on the owls and hawks. For date night they choose a bottle from the wine cellar and head to the 32-seat private cinema. The couple watched all eight seasons of Game of Thrones.
The Anglo-Norman de Burgo family built Ashford Castle in 1228. A French-style chateau was added in the 18th century, after which it passed into the hands of the Guinness family which added trees and Victorian extensions. Since becoming a hotel it has hosted US presidents and Hollywood royalty including John Ford, Barbra Streisand and Brad Pitt.
Jamieson and Smith said friends and relatives have been proud and a bit jealous of their experience. They are due to move back to their more modest digs before the castle reopens on 20 July. “It’s going to be back to reality,” said Jamieson. Smith is bracing for the day. “It’ll be sad when we have to hand over the keys.”
