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Photo from Vanishing
Ireland by Turtle Bunbury and
photographer James Fennell. The book was the
No. 1 selling Picture Book in Ireland over Christmas 2006
and retained the No. 3 position at Christmas 2007. A sequel, 'Vanishing Ireland - Volume 2',
will pe published in Autumn 2009.
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AROUND ABOUT NOW ...
Turtle Bunbury is a best-selling author, travel writer, historian, speaker and scriptwriter based in Ireland. Launched in Spring 2009, his new book, Dublin Docklands - An Urban Voyage, is presently garnering excellent reviews in the Irish press. His next book, Vanishing Ireland 2, with photographer James Fennell, will be launched in October 2009. Turtle is now working on his eighth book, Sporting Legends of Ireland, again with Fennell, which will be published in 2010.
Bunbury and Fennell's best-seller, Vanishing Ireland, was shortlisted for the Eason's Irish Published Book of the Year Award 2007. The pair have also collaborated on two books for Thames & Hudson - The Irish Pub (2008) and the acclaimed interiors bible, Living in Sri Lanka (2006). The latter book helped earn Turtle the Travel Extra Longhaul Journalist of the Year Award 2006.
DUBLIN DOCKLANDS - AN URBAN VOYAGE
'Enlightening and rewarding', said The Irish Times (20 June 2009). 'Fascinating and insightful', agreed Cara, the Aer Lingus in-flight magazine (June 2009). 'If You Do One Thing This Week', advised the Sunday Independent, 'delve into this intriguing book'. Turtle's most recent book, 'Dublin Docklands - An Urban Voyage', an illustrated history of Dublin's inner city dockland, was launched at The O2 in Dublin in March 2009 by John Gormley, Minister for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government. The book is available from Eason's.
THE IRISH PUB
'Delightful' said The Irish Times. 'Fascinating' concurred the Independent-on-Sunday. 'A brilliant history of the Irish pub' declared Country Life. 'A masterpiece of pub porn' concluded the Sunday Independent. Turtle's book 'The Irish Pub' - his third with photographer James Fennell - certainly gathered the plaudits upon its publication in October 2008. National Geographic gave it the thumbs up in December, while it also generated considerable coverage on BBC News, BBC World, The Today Show (BBC Radio 4) and Saturday Magazine (BBC Radio Ulster), as well as Nationwide (RTE1), Ireland AM (TV3) and The Tom Dunne Show (Newstalk 106). The Irish Pub was selected as Bookseller's Choice by Hughes and Hughes and for The Irish Times Christmas Gift Special. The sumptuous hardback has sold over 7,000 copies. The book has also been a major feature story in The Guardian, Country Life, The Independent (UK), The Irish Times, The Irish Examiner, Sunday Independent, The Irish Mirror, The Daily Mail, Sunday World, The Dubliner, Hospitality Ireland and the Oct/Nov 08 issue of Cara. A review in the Irish Echo is imminent. All media and customer reviews can be viewed here. Published by Thames & Hudson, the book offers a colourful tour of 39 classic pubs from across all 32 counties of Ireland. The book is selling in shops for around €30. However, it is available at a 10% discount price from Dubray Books for those in the know. Simply visit www.dubraybooks.ie/offer and enter the promotional code: irishpub
See special reports on 'The Irish Pub' on RTE's Nationwide, Ireland AM and BBC News here.
ON THE SHELF
Turtle lives in County Carlow with his wife Ally and two daughters, Jemima and Bay. He shares an office at Lisnavagh House with the noted writer Tom Sykes. Readers of the Irish Daily Mail have lately been enjoying Turtle's tales on the original Golden Circle, Queen Victoria's Irish patronage, Irish oil tycoon Knox D'Arcy, the Irish connection to vampire literature and the origins of the Pigeonhouse in Dublin. Irish Times 'Curioisties' have concerned the glory days of Ballroom Floor Gloss, scary children’s book 'Struwwelpeter', the bizarre Foxes Earth in County Kildare, Bindon Stoney’s Diving Bell and the passage grave on Baltinglass Hill.
Turtle is Homes Editor of The White Book and his family home at Lisnavagh forms a delightful 22 page spread in the present edition, with a story by Turtle. Writer Catherine Heaney profiled the whole Bunbury family in the February 2009 edition of The Gloss. He frequently reviews hotels and restaurants throughout the world for international magazines and for the Alastair Sawday's 'Special Places to Stay' series. NWA passengers can read Turtle's tips on where to dine, shop and hang out in Dublin in the March 2009 edition of World Traveler. Meanwhile, Aer Lingus passengers have lately been reading up on the state of the Irish pub in Cara magazine. A modern Sotogrande hideaway was one of the lead features in the July 2008 issue of Homes & Gardens. An interview with Turtle entitled 'How I Got Here' appeared in the Irish Independent in April 2008. An article on three Irish villages at a Crossroads featured in The Irish Times Magazine on April 5th. Meanwhile,Turtle's verdict on Ireland's oldest pub ran in Visitor. Other articles by Turtle on the shelf lately include a look at Huntington Castle in County Carlow for Wealth, a review of Temple House in County Sligo for Objekt and a review of a County Louth sea lodge in 25 Beautiful Homes. An extract from 'Vanishing Ireland' formed a major feature in both Country Life and the Irish Independent in December 2007.
ON THE SCREEN
Turtle will feature in an eagerly-awaited epiosde of RTE 1's 'Who Do You Think You Are?' series in the autumn 2009. Watch this space for further details. Turtle was also a consultant on 'Outbreak - Killer Influenza', first broadcast in June 2009. The RTE documentary examined the effects of the Spanish Flu epidmic which killed more than 20,000 across Ireland (and 50 million worldwide). Meanwhile, plaudist continue to come in for 'John Henry Foley - Sculptor of the Empire', a documentary first aired on TG4 in November 2008. Examining the life and works of the controversial Victorian sculptor, the film was directed by Se Merry Doyle of Loopline Films, Turtle was closely involved as both historical researcher and co-scriptwriter.The film was short-listed for the Best Documentary BIFF Award at the 2008 Magners Irish Film Festival in Boston. The Sunday Independent described the programme as one that showed 'all the signs of a work that was not just well done, but that needed to be done'. The Sunday Business Post concurred that 'Sé Merry Doyle’s film has put [Foley] in his proper place - on a pedestal - for that’s what he deserves'. Foley's best known works include the Albert Memorial in London, Sir James Outram in Calcutta and various statues commemorating Daniel O'Connell, Lord Gough, Henry Grattan, Edmund Burke and Oliver Goldsmith in Dublin. See 'Foley's Asia' for more. Turtle featured in TG4's 2007 series about the Presidents of the Irish Republic, weighing in with some family background on the enchanting Erskine Childers.
VANISHING IRELAND
‘Vanishing Ireland’ was one of the best-selling books of 2007. The first volume featured photographic portrait interviews with sixty characters of senior vintage from all across Ireland. The book was short-listed for the Eason’s Irish Published Book of the Year and was the No. 1 selling Picture Book in Ireland for Christmas 2006. The book, which has now sold 25,000 copies in Ireland alone, was declared 'a triumph' by the Daily Mirror. It was the centre-piece of a special episode of 'Nationwide' on 8th December 2006. 'Vanishing Ireland' is available from Amazon and all good bookshops nationwide. Workis nearing completion on 'Vanishing Ireland - Volume 2', due to be published in autumn 2009.
LIVING IN SRI LANKA
Turtle's book, 'Living in Sri Lanka' (Thames & Hudson, 2006), again with James Fennell, was widely acclaimed for its positive portrayal of post-tsunami Sri Lanka. The Financial Times declared it 'a sumptuous portrait of an unforgettable architectural landscape', devoting an entire page in pink to the book. The Australian applauded 'page after glorious page of airy villas with colonnades'. The Essential KBB declared it Book of the Month. In Style nominated it The Hot Read. Elle Decoration proclaimed it a Hot Summer Read. Over 8000 copies of the book have sold since. For a concise review by author Christopher Ondaatje, visit The Times Higher Education.
OTHER BOOKS
Turtle's other recently published books include The Landed Gentry & Aristocracy of Co. Wicklow (IFN, 2005) and The Landed Gentry & Aristocracy of Co. Kildare (IFN, 2004). These are both now out of print. James Fennell's book on 'Irish Furniture' was launched by the Irish Georgian Society in May 2007 and he was also closely involved with 'Thomas Roberts: Landscape and Patronage in Eighteenth-century Ireland' by Brendan Rooney and William Laffan (Churchill Press, 2009).
FLAT LAKE FESTIVAL (14-16 AUGUST 2009)
The Flat Lake Literary & Arts Festival is the brainchild of BAFTA-nominated director Kevin Allen and two-time Booker Prize nominee Pat McCabe and takes place every August at Hilton Park, Clones, Co. Monaghan. Past guests have included Seamus Heaney, Neil Jordan, Colm Toibin, Stephen Rea, Canadian Poet Laureate George McWhirter, Paul Brady, Barry McGuigan and his band, Jinx Lennon, Rowan Somerville, Edna O'Brien, Dylan Moran, Paul Muldoon, Ciaran Carson, Medbh McGuckan, Bernard Louchlin, Little John Nee, Adrian Dunbar, Dermot Healey, John Maher, Sean O’Reilly, Eoin Mcnamee and Ailbhe Slevin. Pat McCabe’s ‘Radio Butty’ broadcast live from a biscuit tin receiver throughout. The X -Tractor Talent Contest is there to be believed while the nail biting Damien Hirst Auction was also a mighty moment. Among those rumoured to be attending the 2009 event are Roman Polanski, Ken Russell, Brian Eno, Alexi Sayle, Big Tom and Lily Allen.
MAGAZINE ARTICLES
Turtle's articles have been published in Vogue Living, The Financial Times, The New York Post, Country Life, The Guardian, The Irish Times, Irish Examiner, South China Morning Post, Scotsman, Sunday Express, The Australian, The Independent, The Irish Echo, The Irish Daily Mail, House & Garden, International Homes Magazine, Homes Worldwide, Sunday Independent, International Homes Magazine, Hong Kong Standard, Objekt, Serendib, Magill, The Dubliner, Cara, Identity, Wealth, Irish Tatler, Social & Personal, Prudence, Visitor, iMode and Abroad.
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Family Histories and Heros & Villains
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Book Reviews.
Family History
- The history of the McClintocks, Bunburys, Drews, Colleys
and other families..
Interviews
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