The book tells for the first time the remarkable life story of John Hunt, one of the world’s greatest medievalists and someone whose legacy to Ireland lives on today with most of the major cultural attractions in the Shannon region including Bunratty Castle and Folk Park and the Hunt Museum, owing their existence to either his initiative or generosity. Details of his family background are also provided which differ greatly from those previously published.
This biography brings together a host of information about one of the most remarkable figures in the 20th century art scene, who collected treasures can be found in some of the world’s major museums.
Circa l’autore
Brian O’Connell is a former chairman of Shannon Heritage, the State company which operates a network of cultural tourism venues, such as Bunratty Castle, in Counties Limerick and Clare. In that role, and as a member of the Hunt Museums Trust, he had the opportunity to observe the economic and cultural legacy that John Hunt left to the region. He has spent years travelling world-wide researching the life of Hunt and his impact internationally on the art world.
He initiated the publication in 2004 of an oral archive on regional development pioneer, Brendan O’Regan. He is the co-author of ‘In Bello Fortis’, a biography of Tipperary man General Sir William Parker Carrol, published in Spanish by Fundacion Gustavo Bueno, Oviedo, May 2009.