Tributes paid to conservationist and Castle Espie founder Paddy Mackie

A Co Down conservationist will be remembered for his pioneering work in creating a renowned nature reserve dubbed the north’s “cradle of modern environmentalism”, following his death.

Paddy Mackie, who founded the Castle Espie wetland reserve on the banks of Strangford Lough, died last Thursday at the age of 93.

He was a member of the family which ran the well-known Mackie International textile machinery factory in west Belfast, and the son of Jack Mackie, who was chairman of the company between 1968 and 1971.

Paddy made worldwide news in 1972 when he was kidnapped in Belfast by the IRA, but was released unharmed after eight hours.

Although he worked as an engineer in the family firm, his love of nature led him to create a spectacular 35-acre woodland garden at Mahee Island in Co Down, which he started working on in 1959, and for which he was recognised with an award from the Royal Horticultural Society in 2022.

In the 1970s, he founded Castle Espie, which is an important wintering site for almost the entire Nearctic population of pale-bellied brent geese, and is also home to the north’s largest collection of geese, swans and ducks.

The reserve was transferred to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) in 1989, and remains one of the most important nature sites in Ireland.

In January, it emerged that members of BBC nature documentary series Winterwatch, which filmed at Castle Espie in 2021, discovered a never-seen-before fungus at the site that turns spiders into “zombies” by killing them and using their corpses to release spores.

In 2019, Paddy was appointed President of the NI Heritage Gardens Trust.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the WWT said they were “deeply saddened” by the death of their “dear friend”, who was awarded an MBE in 2004 for services to conservation in Northern Ireland.

“Paddy’s loss will be felt profoundly across conservation, horticulture, and the arts in Ireland,” they said.

“His island garden on Mahee and the creation of Castle Espie in the 1970s remain legendary – widely regarded as the cradle of modern environmentalism in Northern Ireland.

“His family’s friendship with Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust founder Sir Peter Scott led to Castle Espie’s transfer to WWT in 1989, ensuring its legacy as a hub of inspiration and education.”

They added: “He was deeply loved and will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with the Mackie family at this time.”

Paddy was also known as a patron of the arts, and writer Eamon Mallie said in a social media post: “He introduced me to works by Paul Henry, Hans Iten, William Conor, Frank Egginton, Frank McKelvey and scores of other painters. He was so patient and generous with his time.”