Explore the lives of over forty men and women - great and otherwise - whose pioneering journeys beyond the Irish shore played a profound role in world history.The Irish have always been a travelling people. Since 1800 an estimated 10 million people have left the Irish shores, and today more than 80 million people worldwide claim Irish descent. In the centuries after the fall of Rome, Irish missionaries carried the word of Christianity throughout Europe, while soldiers and mariners from across the land ventured overseas in all directions. The advent of the British Empire ignited a slow but extraordinary exodus from Ireland that has continued to the present. In his inimitable fashion, Turtle Bunbury explores the lives of those 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.
Turtle Bunbury Book order






- 2024
- 2021
The Irish Diaspora
- 304 pages
- 11 hours of reading
Explores the lives of over forty men and women - great and otherwise - whose pioneering journeys beyond the Irish shore played a profound role in world history.
- 2020
An original and irreverent retelling of overlooked stories from Irish history, hailed by Sebastian Barry as 'a stirring atlas of Irishness'
- 2016
1847: A Chronicle of Genius, Generosity and Savagery
- 370 pages
- 13 hours of reading
Rediscover the events, characters and pioneering spirit that helped create the modern world in 1847, this eclectic collection of events, stories and character portraits.
- 2015
Set against the backdrop of World War I, the narrative explores the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland, where Irish Republicans fought to end British rule. The rebellion resulted in over 400 deaths and more than 2,000 injuries, with a significant number of civilian casualties. Through detailed photographs and poignant text, the book provides a vivid portrayal of this pivotal moment in Irish history, capturing the emotions and impact of the uprising on the nation.
- 2015
Easter Dawn
- 320 pages
- 12 hours of reading
A comprehensive overview of the dramatic events of Easter Week 1916 in Dublin and around the country interspersed with fascinating stories of the people and places who featured in it.
- 2014
The Glorious Madness
- 352 pages
- 13 hours of reading
Based on first-hand accounts of the conflict, this collection of character portraits and stirring anecdotes brings to life the hopes, fears and ambitions that defined Ireland's lost generation.
- 2011
Vanishing Ireland: Recollections of our Changing Times
- 180 pages
- 7 hours of reading
The third instalment in the hugely successful, bestselling Vanishing Ireland series - another invaluable chronicle of a disappearing Ireland
- 2008
The Irish Pub
- 191 pages
- 7 hours of reading
Presents the historic pubs that epitomize Ireland's essential charm. This book covers each pub in four or six pages with about 1,000 words of colorful description, history and anecdote, and atmospheric photographs that capture its interior and ambiance. It includes Victorian bars of Belfast and Dublin.
- 2006
Vanishing Ireland
- 180 pages
- 7 hours of reading
In Vanishing Ireland II, the follow up to the bestselling Vanishing Ireland I, we take another journey down memory lane and, through a unique collection of portrait interviews, we look at the dying ways and traditions of Irish life. Illustrated with over a hundred evocative and stunning photographs, we meet the people and the customs that are fast becoming a distant memory. Through their own words and memories, men and women from every corner of Ireland transport us back to a simpler time when people lived off the land and the sea, and when music and storytelling were essential parts of life. Vanishing Ireland brings together the stories of those who lived through Ireland's formative years. These poignant interviews and photographs will make you laugh and cry but, above all, will provide a valuable chronicle that connects twenty-first century Ireland to a rapidly disappearing world.