Random Quote
Random Date
Latest News
BIOGRAPHY
Turtle Bunbury is a best-selling author, award-winning travel writer and historical consultant based in Ireland. In September 2007, he moved to his family farm at Lisnavagh, Rathvilly, Co. Carlow. In July 2008, he moved into a newly built house on the farm with his ever-loving wife Ally and daughter Jemima Meike McClintock Bunbury.
He 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 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.
He is presently working on an illustrated history of the Dublin Docklands. Turtle's fifth book, 'The Irish Pub' (Thames & Hudson) will be launched on 29th September 2008. Together with photographer James Fennell, Turtle toured of all 32 counties in Ireland on a quest to capture, in words and images, the lesser spotted old style Irish pub. The book follows on from the stunning success of Turtle and James's last book, 'Vanishing Ireland', which was shortlisted for the Easons Irish Published Book of the Year Award 2007.
Since his return to Ireland from Hong Kong in 1999, he has developed his interest in Irish and world history, contributing articles to magazines and newspapers around the world. He is a frequent columnist with The Irish Times Magazine.
He has published four books since December 2004, achieving sales of over 15,000 books in 2006 alone. 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 22,000 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 and a documentary based on the book are in the pipeline for 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 2008.
Turtle was historical consultant and scriptwriter for 'John Henry Foley - Ghost of the Empire'. The one-hour documentary is 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 previous 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 recently 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 and The Book of Interiors. 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 Independent, Sunday Independent, The Irish Examiner, 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 was one of the key organizers behind the debut gathering of The Flat Lake Festival which took place at Hilton Park, Clones, Co. Monaghan on the last weekend of August 2007. The Flatlake Festival was a splendid success. Concieved by writer Pat McCabe and film-maker Kevin Allen, it focused on all things literary, artistic, cinematic and miscellaneously bizarre. In the Damien Hirst Auction, the real deal sold for €95,000. Keith Allen placed a bid on the other 39 and Turtle fetched up with some elk antlers. Colm Toibin interviewed Eugene McCabe. Pat McCabe debated the merits of Beckett with Neil Jordan and Stephen Rea. Dylan Moran read some of his works and went awol. Shane MacGowan drank cider and tried to drive a tractor. David Holmes didn't show up but Jinx Lennon hit every spot there was. The X-Tractor Talent Show was won by a poetess. Hugo Hamilton, Eoin McNamee and Tim O'Grady charmed the eardrums off those gathered in the Butty Tent. A chap called Aidan showed up with a keyboard and wooed the crowds out front of the house. It was weird, free-style, full of energy, spectacular successes and glorious disappointments. And it will all happen again in August 2008 with Seamus Heaney and Paul Brady at the helm.
To read an interview with Turtle Bunbury, click The Carlow People.
On May 20th 2006, Turtle married Miss Ally Moore of Bishopscourt, Clones, Co. Monaghan. Their daughter Jemima Meike McClintock Bunbury was born in Drogheda on 17th June 2007.