Randal Plunkett - Biography

Randal Plunkett is an award-winning Irish film director and producer from Dunsany, County Meath, Ireland. Randal was brought up in the Plunkett family's ancestral home, the historic Dunsany Castle, where many of his famous kin found inspiration before him. Growing up surrounded by 900 years of family history and a sprawling collection of art and antiquities has left an indelible impression on Randal's work, which critics have described as 'lush, macabre, gothic, and beautiful'. The Plunkett family boasts a long and storied history in Ireland. Randal is able to trace his lineage directly to many famed and celebrated Plunkett ancestors, among them: St. Oliver Plunkett, Ireland's famous martyr and saint who perished at the hands of the British and whose head still resides in Drogheda today; Sir Horace Plunkett, co-founder of the Irish agricultural Co-operative movement; Randal's great- Grandfather John Merton Plunkett, aka Lord Dunsany, esteemed play-write and the God-father of fantasy literature; Edward Plunkett, Randal's father and respected modern artist. Upon the passing of Edward in 2011, Randal inherited the title of 21st Lord Dunsany and took his place as head of the Plunkett Family. Randal finds inspiration in the works of legendary directors David Lynch, Akira Kurosawa, Peter Greenaway, and Nicholas Ray, and is particularly drawn to the unnerving and psychologically penetrating storytelling of Roman Polanski. Randal holds a degree in film studies from Kingston University in London and a degree in Digital Video from SAE Institute in London.