A trustee of one of County Down's best known castles is horrified by plans to hold an erotic festival on its grounds.

Bliss Ireland is due to hold the event on the weekend of August 7 at Narrow Water Castle, which overlooks Carlingford Lough.

The festival will feature workshops, talks, panel discussions, rituals, ceremonies - all related to the topic of sexual health and pleasure.

According to the Irish Examiner, former lord lieutenant of Co Down and trustee Sir William Hall said "lewdness and lasciviousness will be the theme of this occasion."

Sir William's solicitor has written to Northern Ireland's attorney general John Larkin QC about the issue.

"Sex toys will be on sale, talks will be given which may purport to be serious but the real object is the giving of sexual titillation and gratification to the participants in the festival," the correspondence read.

"Nudity and acts of sexual intercourse will be prevalent."

Though organisers have given assurances that sexual acts will be kept to the privacy of attendees' tents, Sir William remains unconvinced that this will happen in practice:

"The notion that the people attending this festival will restrict their lewd behaviour to the privacy of tents and that there will be no abuse of alcohol or drugs is completely fanciful."

"Most of the Hall family agree with Sir William and are extremely annoyed that this obscene festival should sully the Hall Estate and family name."