Books
The Irish Diaspora / The Irish
Tales of Emigration, Exile & Imperialism
The story of the Irish influence around the world from the early Christian missionaries through to the election of Joe Biden. A stirring account of men and women, great and otherwise, whose journeys whether driven by faith, a desire for riches and adventure, or purely for survival have left their mark on the world.
Paperback released in March 2024.
‘Fascinating … models of lucid compression, lively yet judicious, packed with vivid detail.’
BBC History Magazine
‘Wonderful!’
New York Daily News
Centenary of Naas Racecourse
Nursery of Champions
Naas Racecourse won Racecourse of the Year at the Association of Irish Racehorse Owners annual awards in 2022, 2023 and 2024. This is the history of the popular Irish racecourse from its conception in the early days of the Irish Free State to its present status as one of the most highly regarded training courses for horses bound for international glory on the flat and over jumps.
‘A fascinating canter through Irish history ... gripping stories and great insight.’
Sunday Independent
‘The most impressive publication relating to any aspect of Naas history yet to appear in the 21st century.’
Liam Kenny,
Naas Local History Group
Ireland’s Forgotten Past
A History of the Overlooked & Disremembered
An alternative history that covers 13,000 years in 36 stories that are often left out of history books. Among the characters in these absorbing accounts are a pair of ill- fated prehistoric chieftains, a psychopathic Viking, a gallant Norman knight, a dazzling English traitor, an ingenious tailor, an outstanding war-horse and a brothel queen.
‘A feat of exquisite skill – with a nose for ribald fun, Bunbury disinters the odd, the arcane and the profoundly surprising from the dark recesses of a mostly unknown history.’
The Yorkshire Times
Adare Manor
An Epicurean Journey
Adare Manor is honoured on Condé Nast Traveler‘s Gold List 2025. Turtle traces the gastronomic odyssey that has established it as one of Ireland’s principal culinary landmarks.
The story stretches back to an eight-day festival held 800 years ago and looks at the motives and inspirations of the present-day kitchen crew and the multiple artisan suppliers they work with.
‘A lavishly illustrated exploration of food and drink … a feast of stories and recipes.’
Image Magazine
Adare Manor
The Renaissance of an Irish Country House
Following Adare Manor’s wonderful journey from medieval manor house to its 21st century status as a shimmering 5-star hotel. In 2024, Adare Manor was voted the No.1 Resort in Europe for a third consecutive year at the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards.
The book focuses on the Earls of Dunraven, as well as the meticulous conservation of the existing mansion, along with the construction of a new wing. Adare Manor’s championship golf course will host the Ryder Cup in 2027.
Maxol
Celebrating 100 Years
A sweeping saga that tells Maxol’s fascinating story from its formation under ‘Boss’ McMullan in 1920 through the drama of global wars, oil crises, political conflict and economic hardship to its present-day responses to climate change, Covid 19 and technological advance.
‘Turtle is renowned for his forensic knowledge of Irish history … This chronicle of determination and drive is a treasure trove of archive material, illustrations and personal recollections.’
The Sunday Times
Easter Dawn
The 1916 Rising
Turtle charts the Rising from the landing of the guns at Howth for the Irish Volunteers in 1914 to the arrests and executions that followed. The battlegrounds that erupted across Dublin and elsewhere in Ireland form the stage upon which a remarkable cast is assembled, including the Irish-Americans who bankrolled the whole thing.
‘The whole story, easily told and illustrated by a brilliant populariser.’
Books Ireland
Living in Sri Lanka
The rich history behind an unforgettable architectural landscape is told through villas, hotels, townhouses and jungle retreats scattered around one of the most spectacular visitor destinations on our planet.
‘A sumptuous portrait of an unforgettable architectural landscape.’
The Financial Times
‘A consistently high standard, this has so much to inspire.’
Matthew Dennison, House & Garden
‘An enchanting portrait of this magical tropical island.’
Scotland on Sunday
1847
A Chronicle of Genius, Generosity and Savagery
Twelve momentous months told through a cast that includes show-stopping entertainers Lola Montez and General Tom Thumb, the salty seadogs who explored the Pacific and Arctic oceans, the intrepid pioneers who stumbled through the mountains and prairies of the Americas, the opium magnates who ran roughshod over China, the Irish soldiers who fought for Mexico and the ground-breaking inventors of the doughnut.
‘Vivid, surprising, hugely entertaining.’
Lenny Abrahamson,
2016 Oscar-nominated director of ‘Room’ and ‘Normal People’
‘A brilliant read, an incredible insight into what was going on around the world in the darkest years.’
Patrick Geoghegan, Talking History
The Irish Pub
A nostalgic and entertaining tour of 39 classic pubs from across the Island of Ireland, including The Long Hall in Dublin, Tigh Neachtain in Galway, Dick Mac’s in Dingle, McCarthy’s of Fethard and the Crown Liquor Saloon in Belfast.
‘A brilliant history of the Irish pub.’
Country Life
‘A superb collaboration chronicling our best loved institutions, redolent of ‘free-flowing banter, fireside fiddles and unforgettable nights’.
Sunday Business Post
The Glorious Madness
Tales of the Irish and the Great War
Exploring the lives of nationalists, nuns, artists, sportsmen, poets, aristocrats, nurses, clergymen and film directors whose lives coincided with one of the most brutal conflicts our world has ever known. By turns poignant, enlightening, whimsical and darkly comic, this is history as it should be – free-wheeling and finely tuned to the rhythms of the human heart.
‘Turtle holds out his hand in the present, seeking the lost hands of the past in darkness, in darkness, but also suddenly in the clear light of kindness – in the upshot acknowledging their imperilled existence with a brilliant flourish, a veritable banner, of wonderful stories.’
Sebastian Barry
‘A most magnificent book and beautifully done …something to be proud of and something to guard.’
Gay Byrne
Vanishing Ireland Series
Vanishing Ireland
(Hodder Headline, 2006)
Vanishing Ireland 2
Further Chronicles of a Disappearing World
(Hodder Headline, 2009)
Vanishing Ireland 3
Recollections of Our Changing Times
(Hachette, 2011)
Vanishing Ireland 4
Friendship and Community
(Hachette, 2013)
Dublin Docklands
An Urban Voyage
Originally commissioned by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority, Turtle offers an updated, online version of a comprehensive work that charts the evolution of the docklands. The book covers an area of 1,300 acres bordered by Clontarf to the north, the Irish Sea on the east, Ballsbridge and Pearse Street to the south and Amiens Street to the west.
‘A fascinating, visually-driven and insightful book full of facts and entertaining historical trivia.’
Cara (Aer Lingus)
Sporting Legends of Ireland
Exclusive interviews and contemporary photographs with 44 of Ireland’s leading sports men and women, in which Turtle examines just what it was that made each star tick, looking into their family background and formative years, as well as their reaction to the success and fame which followed.
‘An absolutely gorgeous book’
Tom Dunne, Newstalk.
‘A fabulous record of those so passionate about their sport on this small island.’
Maeve Kyle, Irish Olympian
Hope in 1847
Amid all the sorrow and turmoil of the Great Hunger, there were numerous episodes of positivity as people around the world sought to help alleviate the appalling situation. This book gathers four of those stories – a breath-taking gift from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the remarkable voyage of the USS Jamestown from Boston, the heroics of the Barnstable boys and an extraordinary gesture from the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, as well as an epic meeting between the US abolitionist Frederick Douglass and Daniel O’Connell, the Irish Liberator.
The Landed Gentry & Aristocracy of County Wicklow
Detailing the history of some of the most prominent families in County Wicklow during the hey-day of the Ascendancy. Turtle brings his readers on a journey into the past, tracking each family as far back as he can go.
‘Deeply peculiar, quietly amusing and written with great style’
The Dubliner
The Landed Gentry & Aristocracy of County Kildare
Turtle Bunbury’s debut book was launched in 2004 and offers a unique and lively historical insight into eighteen of County Kildare’s most influential “big house” families. The book features fifty illustrations and covers more than a thousand years of Irish history.
Clonmel Show
150 Years – A history 1865 – 2015
Turtle brings the rich history of the show to life by telling the story of its early years from the perspective of those who witnessed it first hand. The narrative not only introduces the principal characters who defined each epoch but adds colour and personality through an exploration of the wider social, political, and professional circles in which they moved.
Carlow 800
800 Years of an Irish Castle
Carlow was one of the key crossings on the River Barrow between the Anglo-Norman controlled Pale and the lands ‘beyond the Pale’. This book details the history of the castle from its construction to its bizarre finale, as well as its role at the heart of a cultural, creative, and socially vibrant town.
Corkagh
The Life & Times of a South Dublin Demesne, 1650-1960
A colourful and enlightening history of the families who lived at Corkagh between the 17th and late 20th centuries including the Finlays, the Colleys, the Galvins and the Huguenot families of Arabin, Chenevix, Chaigneau and Grueber.
Dublin
From the Etihad Skyline
Croke Park is the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), Ireland’s largest sporting and cultural organisation, which promotes the country’s unique national games of hurling and Gaelic football. Beautifully illustrated, this charming book showcases 32 landmarks of Dublin City and County as seen from its rooftop.
