This Irish author is renowned for her adventure travel books, chronicling solo cycling expeditions undertaken for over four decades. Her narratives are characterized by raw realism and a focus on the unfiltered experience of traveling light and relying on local hospitality. She weaves profound observations about diverse cultures and complex political landscapes into her accounts, unafraid to voice strong opinions on contentious issues.
Life at Full Tilt is a whirlwind tour of Dervla Murphy s travels. It begins in Spain in 1956, before her first book, and follows in her tracks for over fifty years, including descriptions of her beloved Afghanistan in 1963, of the Peruvian Andes, of South, West and East Africa and most recently of the troubled territories of Palestine and Israel.
Dervla Murphy begins her autobiography in Lismore, Co Waterford. Her father was the county librarian and her mother a chronic invalid. She portrays the strain that her mother's increasing illness had on the family.
A MONTH BY THE SEA gives unique insight into the way in which isolation has shaped this society: how it radicalises young men and plays into the hands of dominating patriarchs, yet also how it hardens determination not to give in and turns family into a towering source of support.
Dervla Murphy and her six-year-old daughter walked into the Karakorum mountains in the heart of the western Himalayas and along the perilous Indus Gorge. Accompanied by only a gallant polo pony, they endured conditions that tested their limits of ingenuity, fortitude and courage and, remarkably, with little loss of good humour. This is their story.
An account of how Dervla Murphy, on her bicycle, pedalled some 3000 miles to India through Eastern Europe, Persia, Afghanistan, the Himalayas and Pakistan. The book is based on the travel diary she kept at the time. Dervla Murphy is the author of "The Ukimwi Road".
Life in Gaza is marked by significant challenges, including structural issues and mental health struggles, yet it thrives on political engagement and strong family bonds. The author offers a keen perspective on how isolation has profoundly influenced the community, revealing both the hardships and the resilience of its people.
At the height of The Troubles, Dervla Murphy cycled to Northern Ireland to try to understand the situation by speaking to people on either side of the divide. She also sought to interrogate her own opinions and emotions. As an Irishwoman and traveller who had only ever spent thirty-six hours of her forty-four years over the border to the north, why had she been so reluctant to engage with the issues? Despite her own family connections to the IRA, she travelled north largely unfettered by sectarian loyalties. Armed instead with an indefatigable curiosity, a fine ear for anecdote, an ability to stand her own at the bar and a penetrating intelligence, she navigated her way through horrifying situations, and sometimes found herself among people stiff with hate and grief. But equally, she discovered an unquenchable thirst for life and peace, a spirit that refused to die.
While bicycling hundreds of miles through beautiful yet tragically depopulated regions of Albania and the former Yugoslavia, Dervla stayed with families forcibly uprooted, their lives devastated by murder and pillage. Conversations revealed the griefs and confusions of ordinary people, many of whom were extraordinarily brave and resilient during the 'decade of decay'. Throughout her travels, Dervla tries to make sense of the confusing history and politics of the area. Through the Embers of Chaos is an extraordinary achievement; it describes a journey that demanded the greatest emotional and physical stamina (not least as she was attacked and robbed three times in Albania). The result is a truly unusual view on the Balkan countryside.
Kidding Around: Tales of Travel with Children - anthology of 37 stories about travelling with children with contributions from Dervla Murphy, Maria Pieri, Adrian Phillips, Mike Unwin, Amy-Jane Beer, Nicola Chester and others. Tales span five continents and range from embarrassing to hair-raising to magical moments with wild creatures.
