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BIOGRAPHY
Turtle Bunbury is a best-selling author, award-winning travel writer and historical consultant based in Ireland.
Turtle's most recent book, 'Dublin Docklands - An Urban Voyage', was launched at The O2 in Dublin in March 2009. He is presently completing his seventh book, a sequel to his best-selling book, 'Vanishing Ireland', which will be published in late 2009. The first volume was shortlisted for the Easons Irish Published Book of the Year Award 2007. The books, a collaboration with photographer James Fennell, mark part of the 'Vanishing Ireland Project', an attempt to chronicle in words and images an aspect of Irish life fading fast in the 21st century. Another volume in this project was 'The Irish Pub', published by Thames & Hudson in 2008, which quickly became a major hit both in Ireland and abroad. See reports on RTE's Nationwide and BBC News here.
Turtle was born on 21st February 1972 and raised at Lisnavagh. He received his early education at St. Mary's of Baltinglass, Castle Park School in Dublin and Glenalmond College in the Scottish Highlands. At the age of 18, he left Ireland for the USA,making his way across the continent from New York to Los Angeles over three months. He subsequently returned to Ireland via Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia, to read law at Trinity College Dublin. In 1994 he merrily transferred to history and spent one year at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands before completing his degree at Trinity in 1996. He spent three years in Hong Kong working freelance with the South China Morning Post and Business News Indochina.
Returning to Ireland from Hong Kong in 1999, he spent two years working with the late, (sometimes) lamented travel compnany, Trailblazer.com, an early victim of the Dot Bomb crash of 2002. He simultaneously developed his interest in Irish and world history, contributing articles to magazines and newspapers around the world. He is a frequent contributor to the Irish Daily Mail and the The Irish Times Magazine. He has published six books since December 2004, achieving sales of over 45,000 books.
A 'triumph' is how the Daily Mirror described 'Vanishing Ireland', the No. 1 selling Picture Book in Ireland for Christmas 2006. All 10,000 copies of the first print vanished in nine weeks. Published by Hodder Headline, the book is now in its fourth print run with over 23,000 copies sold. It features interviews with sixty senior citizens from across Ireland and over 150 hypnotic portrait photographs by James Fennell. The result is an invaluable, humorous and often poignant chronicle of a rapidly disappearing world. A second volume is now in motion and will be published in the autumn of 2009. Vanishing Ireland is available from Amazon and all good bookshops nationwide. The book was also nominated for three 2007 CLE Book Industry Awards from the Irish Book Publishers' Association for Best Production, Best Publicity Campaign and Best Cover Design. 'Vanishing Ireland' (Hodder Headline) charted at No. 8 on Ireland's Hardback Non-Fiction Bestseller List, reached No. 5 in April 2007 and bounced back into the No. 3 spot for Christmas 2007.
Turtle was historical consultant and scriptwriter for the BIFF award-nominated 'John Henry Foley - Ghost of the Empire' which first aired on TG4 in November 2008. The documentary was directed by Se Merry Doyle of Loopline Films and looks at the life and works of the controversial Victorian sculptor. Foley's best known works include the Albert Memorial in London, Sir James Outram in Cacutta and the statues commemorating Daniel O'Connell, Lord Gough, Henry Grattan, Edmund Burke and Oliver Goldsmith in Dublin. See: 'Foley's Asia'.
Turtle's book, 'Living in Sri Lanka' (Thames & Hudson), again with James Fennell, was launched in March 2006. It immediately received widespread attention for its positive portrayal of post-tsunami Sri Lanka. The Financial Times proclaimed it "a sumptuous portrait of an unforgettable architectural landscape" and devoted 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 now been sold.
In January 2006, Turtle Bunbury won the Travel Extra Longhaul Journalist of the Year Award. Outside of Europe, his travels have brought him to Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Vietnam, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Mexico, Thailand, Nova Scotia, Montreal, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Hawaii.
Turtle's other published books include The Landed Gentry & Aristocracy of Co. Wicklow (IFN, 2005) and The Landed Gentry & Aristocracy of Co. Kildare (IFN, 2004).
He is currently Homes Editor of The White Book. He is also an inspector for the Alastair Sawday's 'Special Places to Stay'accommodation guide series.
Turtle's articles have been published in Vogue Living, The Financial Times, The New York Post, The Irish Times, The South China Morning Post, The Scotsman, Sunday Express, The Australian, The Irish Echo, The Independent, Sunday Independent, The Irish Examiner, The Irish Daily Mail, House & Garden, Country Life, Homes Worldwide, Home International, Sunday Independent, International Homes Magazine, Hong Kong Standard, Magill, Cara, Serendib, Identity, Irish Tatler, Social & Personal, Objekt, Prudence, Visitor, imode and Abroad.
Turtle's wife Ally Bunbury looks after the Public Relations for a number of clients, including publishers Thames & Hudson, Lisnavagh House (which hosts the Lisnavagh Wedding Fair, 21-22 March 2009) and The Flat Lake Festival (15-16 August 2009). Located on the sprawling Hilton Park estate in Co Monaghan, The Flat Lake Festival is organised by the local novelist Patrick McCabe (author of The Butcher Boy) and the Welsh film director Kevin Allen. In its first two years, guest performers have included Seamus Heaney, Neil Jordan, Colm Toibin, Eugene McCabe, Stephen Rea, Edna O’Brien, Jinx Lennon, Paul Brady, Eoin McNamee and the Canadian poet George McWhirter. The X -Tractor Talent Contest witnessed all manner of singing ‘n dancing to general buffoonery and old style recitals. In 2007, the nail biting Damien Hirst Auction thrilled spectators as bidding figures spiralled out of control and Turtle fetched up with some fetching elk antlers by Atalanta Pollock.
To read a 2007 interview with Turtle Bunbury, click The Carlow People, or for a 2008 interview, try The Irish Independent.
On May 20th 2006, Turtle married Miss Ally Moore of Bishopscourt, Clones, Co. Monaghan. Their eldest daughter Jemima Meike McClintock Bunbury was born in Drogheda on 17th June 2007. Their second daughter Bay Hermoine McClintock Bunbury was born in Drogheda on 4th February 2009. In September 2007, the Bunburys moved to their family home at Lisnavagh, Rathvilly, Co. Carlow, where they began building a new house on the farm. The Bunburys moved into Old Fort in July 2008.