Jack Fitzsimons

He is well known for publishing Bungalow Bliss under the Kells Arts Studio label. There was a strong social context to this publication as at the time, architects' fees were high and the book was intended to make affordable designs available at a low cost. Bungalow Bliss, which was first published in 1971 and reprinted 10 times, explained the detail of all aspects of building a bungalow, from planning laws to how to put in a septic tank. As a book, its influence has been debated as significant and as a phrase it has entered common parlance in mainstream media and was referenced in books such as The Pope's Children. He responded directly to the various controversies that grew up around Bungalow Bliss in his book called Bungalow Bashing. In an essay titled "The House that Jack Built" in Ireland Unbound (a collection of 20 essays edited by Michel Peillon and Mary P. Corcoran, on the rapid transformation of Ireland as it entered the 21st century), Stephen Quilley addresses a disagreement between Jack Fitzsimons and journalist Frank McDonald who coined the phrase "Bungalow Blitz" as part of a series of articles attacking the "spreading fungus" of the proliferation of ribbon development bungalows in Ireland. In his contribution Quilley highlights the country's planning laws rather than the architectural qualities of the bungalows as being the main problem. The essay refers to one of the core drivers of Bungalow Bliss which was that "bright modern bungalows were synonymous with an escape from rural poverty and domestic drudgery" (p. 94). In 2020, Hugh Wallace (architect and presenter) announced a property makeover series inspired by Bungalow bliss featuring four 1970s, 80s and 90s bungalows. He also published a further range of books on aspects of Meath, heritage, and politics as well as some fiction. These publications included a detailed and personal study of the thatched cottages of Meath illuminated by his own photographs of these dwellings and a history of his native parish of Kilbeg in County Meath, where he attended school in the village of Carlanstown. In his last year, he completed a collection of short stories titled "The Pilates of Geblik". This collection was posthumously published by Kells Publishing Company in 2016 and publicly launched by Thomas Byrne (TD).