We're Isolating In Wayne's World

Managers on lockdown at five-star hotel with cinema, spa, golf and wine cellars

- Heather Greenaway

They have the run of a luxurious castle, the pick of 83 bedrooms and date nights watching movies in a private cinema.

It’s no wonder that lockdown for Michael Smith and girlfriend Laura Jamieson feels like a Hollywood movie.

The couple, who both work at Ashford Castle in Ireland, are the only staff at the five-star hotel, famous as a venue for celebrity weddings and John

Wayne’s Oscar-winning film The Quiet Man. And it’s where estate manager Michael, 28, from Auchterarder, Perthshire, and duty manager Laura, 23, from Ockham, Surrey, fell in love.

Michael said: “It’s been surreal. We’ve been incredibly fortunate that we were able to have this experience. It’s the most incredible place and, although we have been here for nearly three months, the novelty still hasn’t worn off.

“We moved in at the end of March and have been in our own little bubble ever since. It’s like being in a TV reality show that nobody’s watching. Our working day often ends with a visit to the school of falconry to check on the owls and hawks. And, on our weekly date night, we take a bottle of wine, a pick ‘n’ mix and some popcorn to the cinema. It’s been magic.

“We feel like we are starring in our own Disney movie, with me as the prince and Laura as my princess. But, to be honest, folk are more likely to mistake me for Shrek.”