Books from The Journal of Music/Boluisce Press
Boluisce Press [pronouced ‘bul-ishka’; named after the lake and river in An Spidéal, Co. Galway]
An imprint dedicated to Irish culture and ideas
From the publishers of The Journal of Music
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To be published in February 2025
Count Me Out: Selected Writings of Filmmaker Bob Quinn
Edited by Toner Quinn
Publication date: 20 February 2025
Format: Hardback
Page count: 224pp
Price: €22.50
A landmark collection of essays and articles spanning the 1960s to the 2020s by the iconoclastic Irish filmmaker, photographer and writer.
In 1969, Bob Quinn walked out of RTÉ, published a damning critique of the broadcaster, made a controversial appearance on the Late Late Show, and took refuge in the Conamara Gaeltacht.
After three years trialing various careers, he returned to filmmaking as a result of the Gaeltacht civil rights movement and founded the company Cinegael. What followed was a series of groundbreaking works that changed the course of Irish film, including the first Irish-language feature film, Poitín.
In subsequent decades he continued to challenge convention, from the Atlantean films, which linked Ireland to North Africa, to his role in the activism that led to TG4, and from his bracing analysis of RTÉ in the book Maverick to his outspoken views on the societal impact of television advertising.
Now, in a landmark collection, Bob Quinn’s son, writer and musician Toner Quinn, brings together a selection of his father’s essays, articles and book extracts that trace the artist’s work and thinking over seven decades. Combining wit, irreverence and vision, Count Me Out – Selected Writings of Filmmaker Bob Quinn is an inspiring collection by one of Ireland’s most iconoclastic voices.
The publication of Count Me Out – Selected Writings of Filmmaker Bob Quinn is made possible through the generous support of Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe; Grattan Healy; Telegael; TG4; and Bill Whelan.
About Bob Quinn
Filmmaker, writer and photographer Bob Quinn was born in 1935 in Dublin. His films include Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoire, Cloch, Poitín, The Family, Atlantean and Budawanny. He has also created an extensive photographic record of cultural life in Conamara. His books include Smokey Hollow, Conamara: An Tír Aneoil – The Unknown Country (with Liam Mac Con Iomaire), The Atlantean Irish: Ireland’s Oriental and Maritime Heritage, Maverick: A Dissident View of Broadcasting Today, and he also contributed to Jack Dowling and Lelia Doolan’s 1969 Sit Down and Be Counted: The Cultural Evolution of a Television Station. He was the first filmmaker to be elected to Aosdána, received a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Irish Film Institute, and, in November 2024, was presented with the Ceanntar Scannán award from the UNESCO-designated Galway City of Film for his contribution to film in Ireland.
Toner Quinn is a musician, writer, editor, publisher and lecturer. In 2000, he founded the Irish music publication JMI – The Journal of Music in Ireland (later The Journal of Music), which received the Utne Independent Press Award for Arts Coverage. He has recorded a traditional fiddle album with Malachy Bourke, edited a collection of essays on the Irish writer Desmond Fennell, and recently published a volume of his own writing titled What Ireland Can Teach the World About Music. He lectures in publishing at the University of Galway.
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Published in February 2024
What Ireland Can Teach the World About Music by Toner Quinn
‘Your eyes will be opened to a breadth of music you’ve not considered before [and] you’ll discover more about the Irish music you already enjoy.’ – Irish Arts Minnesota
‘A richly textured, all-embracing compendium … a formidable collection… Collecting so many well-argued pieces in one place underscores the heft of Quinn’s writing.’ – The Irish Times
What Ireland Can Teach the World About Music
Toner Quinn
Publication date: February 2024
Format: Hardback
Page count: 256pp
Price: €19.95
How do we create a deeper public discussion around music? What can folk music tell us about our society? How do we support music in our villages, towns and cities? And what can Ireland teach the world about music?
For over two decades, Toner Quinn, founder and editor of the Journal of Music, has been writing about these questions and more in the multi-faceted world of Irish music. In this book, he gathers a selection of his essays and articles.
From Martin Hayes to Jennifer Walshe, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin to Sinéad O’Connor, and from the impact of the economic crash to the fallout from the pandemic, this collection provides a unique insight into Irish music in the twenty-first century.
Rich in ideas, What Ireland Can Teach the World About Music explores what makes this culture unique, and the challenges it faces into the future.
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Stockists for What Ireland Can Teach the World About Music
Antrim
No Alibis Bookstore, 83 Botanic Ave, Belfast BT7 1JL
Dublin
Hodges Figgis, Dawson Street, Dublin 2
Books Upstairs, 17 D’Olier Street, Dublin 2
Alan Hannah’s Bookshop, Rathmines, Dublin 6
Rathfarnam Bookshop, Rathfarnam Shopping Centre, Dublin 14
UCD Campus Bookshop, Dublin 4
Galway
Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop, Middle Street, Galway
Kenny’s Bookshop, Liosbán Business Park, Tuam Road, Galway
University of Galway Bookshop, James Hardiman Building, Galway
Clare
Banner Books, Ennistymon, Co. Clare
Banner Books, Kilrush, Co. Clare
Custy’s Traditional Music Shop, Ennis, Co. Clare
Cork
Bantry Bookshop, William Street, Bantry, Co. Cork
Limerick
O’Mahony’s Booksellers, 120 O’Connell Street, Limerick
Kildare
The Maynooth Bookshop, 68 Main Street, Maynooth, Co. Kildare
Kerry
Dingle Bookshop, 2 Green Street, Dingle, Co. Kerry