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'An invaluable record of times past'.
That
was the verdict of the
Irish Independent
on the best-selling
'Vanishing Ireland:
Recollections of Our
Changing Times'.
Published in October 2011, this is
the third volume of the
acclaimed
'Vanishing Ireland' series by Turtle
Bunbury & photographer
James Fennell.
The book was the best-selling Picture
Book in Ireland over Christmas 2011,
with sales of over 13,000. This
brings total sales for the 'Vanishing
Ireland' series to more than 62,000 books.
The
two
previous volumes were
shortlisted for the Irish
Published Book of the Year
at the
2007 and
2010
Irish Book Awards respectively.
Click here to Join the
'Vanishing Ireland' Facebook page.
The project is a collaboration
between
Turtle
and James and
accounts for nearly 200 insightful
& poignant portrait interviews with
the unsung elders of Irish society.
Blacksmiths,
saddlers, farmers,
fishermen and horse
dealers unite
with housemaids, lacemakers,
publicans, postmen and musicians
to bring to life a world
which
is fading fast.
The 3rd volume was launched in October
2011 with
two well-attended events at the
Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin and the
Hunt Museum in Limerick City where
legendary
GAA commentator
Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh gave
a
most eloquent speech.
The
best of 'Vanishing Ireland' was on
show at the Hunt Museum in Limerick
City for six weeks during autumn 2011.
The exhibition drew over 11,000 visitors.
Both the first and second volumes
of the 'Vanishing Ireland' series
are available in bookshops
across Ireland or click here to
buy it on Amazon.
(Photo: Suki Stuart).
Turtle Bunbury
is a best-selling
author,
historian
and
presenter
based in
Ireland.
His books
include
the Vanishing
Ireland
series,
Sporting Legends of Ireland,
The
Irish Pub
and Living in Sri Lanka.
On the weekend of 9-10 June 2012,
Turtle
will co-host the inaugural
History
Festival of
Ireland
at
Lisnavagh House
(above),
Rathvilly, Co. Carlow.
The stellar line up already includes
Ruth Dudley Edwards, Myles Dungan,
Kevin Myers, Diarmaid Ferriter,
David Norris, Patrick Geoghegan,
Manchán Magan,
Catriona Crowe,
Maura Duggan, Jeananne Crowley,
Robert
O’Byrne, Michael Sheridan
and Tommy Graham.
There will also be presentations by the
Federation of Local History Societies of
Ireland, & the Ulster Federation,
and the
people behind
Gathering Ireland 2013.
Anyone seeking further details should
contact Turtle directly or
sign up to the
History Festival Facebook
page.
The festival is an Éigse 2012 initiative.
TURTLE AT LARGE
With nine published books and a rapidly growing media profile in Ireland, Australia, Canada and the USA, Turtle Bunbury is a prolific author.
His latest book Vanishing Ireland - Recollections of Our Changing Times was No. 7 in the Irish hardback non-fiction charts at Christmas 2011.
He is now organizing the History Festival of Ireland to take place at Lisnavagh House in Co. Carlow on the weekend of 9-10 June 2012.
Turtle also runs Your History in a Book, researching and writing family histories for both Irish people and descendants of Irish emigres. His conclusions are assembled in handsomely illustrated, leather-bound books.
Turtle's work has been published in The Financial Times, The New York Post, The Irish Times, The Australian, The Irish Daily Mail, The Guardian, Vogue Living, The World of Interiors and Playboy.
Turtle frequently lends his historical expertise to documentaries and shows such as 'The Genealogy Roadshow', 'Who Do You Think You Are?' and 'Wogan's Ireland' where he pondered the drunkenness of the Jacobite troops at the battle of the Boyne with Sir Terry Wogan. A second series of 'The Genealogy Roadshow' is pencilled in for the autumn of 2012.
In December 2011, he spoke with the Wild Geese Blog about the Vanishing Ireland project. Turtle was one of the three judges for the Powers Whiskey Ireland's Best Snug competition in November 2011, which was won by the Dylan Whiskey Bar in Kilkenny City. Earlier this autumn, he was the Ireland Fund of Monaco's Writer-in-Residence at the Princess Grace Irish Library where he gave a talk on the Vanishing Ireland project. He also gave a talk on that subject at Clones Library in Monaghan (November 28), to the Turf Grass Producers International (October) and the Hunt Museum in Limerick City (September). In August, he launched the opening exhibition of the Greenway Artists Project in Mulranny, Co Mayo, and talked family history with Daisy Banks of The Browser. Other events at which he has spoken lately include the Carlow Enterprise Awards 2011.
Other recent articles include West Coast Story (Ryanair Magazine, Jan-Feb 2012), the Life of Sir Richard Burton (Playboy, Nov 2011), the Schoolboys Strike of 1911 (Irish Daily Mail, Sept 2011), the Legend of Ned Kelly (IDM, Sept 2011), George IV's bawdy trip to Ireland in 1821 (IDM, Aug 2011) and Obama's Irish Roots (Daily Mail, May 2011). International readers have also enjoyed a four page feature by Turtle called Big House Hospitality, Hidden Ireland in Cara (Feb-March 2011), the Aer Lingus in-flight magazine, and a four page feature on Irish sporting icons in Ireland of the Welcomes (March-April 2011).
For an overview of his TV and radio highlights, click here.
THE GENEALOGY ROADSHOW
Turtle Bunbury spent the summer of 2011 with 'The Genealogy Roadshow.' A hybrid of 'The
Antiques Roadshow' and 'Who Do You Think
You Are?', each episode of the pioneering four-part series saw Turtle team up with genealogists Nicola Morris and John
Grenham (pictured below, with Turtle) to investigate claims by people who believed they had famous or
infamous relatives, or that they were connected to a
historical event or ancient mystery. The series, which
aired on RTE1 twice a week in August and September
2011, was produced by Big Mountain and hosted by
Derek Mooney. If you enjoyed the show why not email
RTE c/o feedback@rte.ie and let them know.
The
first Roadshow was filmed at
Adare Manor, Co.
Limerick, and attracted over 300,000 realtime viewers.
It
was Pick of the Day in The Irish Times, The Irish
Indpendent,
RTE Guide and The Sunday Times.
Subsequent episodes were filmed at Glenlo Abbey
(Co. Galway), Carton House (Co. Kildare) and
Slane Castle (Co. Meath).
Turtle Bunbury is the founder of Your History in a Book,
writing privately commissioned
corporate
and family histories.
Each history is extensively
researched, stylishly written
and
beautifully
produced as a leather-bound hardback "coffee table"
book,
including
family
photographs and interviews with
family members. The innovative concept
has
been
acclaimed
by international press
such as The Irish Times and The Australian.
SPORTING LEGENDS OF IRELAND
An exhibition of photographs from Turtle's 2010 book Sporting Legends of Ireland by photographer James Fennell is currently on show at the Hunt Museum in Limerick City.
The book was nominated for the William Hill Irish Sports Book of the Year Award 2010 and features portrait interviews with 44 icons of Irish sport including Olympic gold medallists Ronnie Delany, Michael Carruth and Mary Peters, GAA legends DJ Carey, Jack O'Shea and Mick O'Connell, equestrian giants Eddie Macken, Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh, and a host of champions such as Ken Doherty, Stephen Roche, Sonia O'Sullivan, Willie John McBride, Packie Bonner, Des Smyth and Barry McGuigan. Watch Turtle and James discuss the book on Ireland AM (TV3) or listen to their interviews with Darragh Maloney on RTE Radio One and Tom Dunne on Newstalk 106.
Join the
Vanishing Ireland
Facebook
page for
regular updates.
SPEAKER's CORNER
Aside from his 'Vanishing Ireland' and 'History of Ireland' talks, Turtle's 'Around the World in1847' offers a unique and lively historical insight into the state of our world in 1847. It was the eve of major revolutions across Western Europe, of devastating Black '47 when famine ravaged Ireland, of the great trek of the Mormons to Utah, of the extraordinary U.S. invasion of Mexico, of Britain's acquisition of Hong Kong, of Wuthering Heights and Vanity Fair, of Felix Mendlessohn and Pablo Fanque. Amongst the colourful characters profiled are the Incredible Mr. Kavanagh (the Carlowman born without hands or feet who became a postman in India), Lola Montez (the Sligo woman who effectively became Queen of Bavaria), Richard Burton (the eccentric explorer who translated the Kama Sutra), Jesse James, Bernardo O’Higgins and a host of others.
TURTLE ON TV & RADIO
In 2011, he has appeared on 'The Genealogy Roadshow' (RTE1) and 'Wogan's Ireland' (BBC1), as well as 'The Daily Show' (RTE1), 'The Morning Show' (TV3) and 'The History Show' (RTE Radio 1) where he discussed the wonderful Lola Montez with Myles Dungan, and 'Mooney' (RTE Radio 1) to talk of 'Vanishing Ireland' with Derek Mooney. He also went on the 'Moncrieff Show' on Newstalk to ponder both Lola and the unfortunate Easter 1916 soldier Guy Pinfield. In March 2011, he featured on Australian television during a trip to Queensland to review how the state was recovering after the dreadful floods earlier in the year. He is also a frequent guest on 'Nationwide', TV3's 'Ireland A.M.' and Irish radio. In May 2011, he talked about Obama's visit to Ireland with Michael Patrick Shiels on Michigan's Morning Show (1240 WJIM).
TO BUY TURTLE'S BOOKS ONLINE CLICK ON AN IMAGE BELOW.
This website has been compiled in the interest of furthering the research and study of both local and international history.
Main Site Sub-sections
History
- Irish History, Write around Ireland, House Histories,
Family Histories and Heros & Villains
Published Works
- Books, Interiors, Travel, Features, Columns &
Book Reviews.
Family History
- The history of the McClintocks, Bunburys, Drews, Colleys
and other families..
Interviews
- Meetings with Remarkable People..