Dervla Murphy
| Dervla Murphy | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
28 November 1931 Lismore, County Waterford, Ireland |
| Occupation | cyclist, travel writer |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Period | 1965–present |
| Genre | Travel (non-fiction) |
| Notable works |
Full Tilt A Place Apart |
| Children | Rachel (b. 1968) |
Dervla Murphy (born 28 November 1931, in Lismore, County Waterford, Ireland) is an Irish touring cyclist and author of adventure travel books for over 40 years.
Murphy is best known for her 1965 book Full Tilt: Ireland to India With a Bicycle, about an overland cycling trip through Europe, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. She followed this with volunteer work helping Tibetan refugees in India and Nepal and trekking with a mule through Ethiopia. Murphy took a break from travel writing following the birth of her daughter, and then wrote about her travels with Rachel in India, Pakistan, South America, Madagascar and Cameroon. She later wrote about her solo trips through Romania, Africa, Laos, the states of the former Yugoslavia and Siberia. In 2005 she visited Cuba with her daughter and three granddaughters.
Murphy has normally travelled alone and unaided, without luxuries and depending on the hospitality of local people. She has been in dangerous situations; for example, she was attacked by wolves in the former Yugoslavia, threatened by soldiers in Ethiopia, and robbed in Siberia. However, she described her worst incident as tripping over cats at home and shattering her left arm.
Dervla Murphy was born and brought up in Lismore, County Waterford. Her parents were from Dublin and had moved to Lismore when her father was appointed county librarian. When Murphy was one year old, her mother developed rheumatoid arthritis, from which she suffered for the rest of her life. They were advised not to have any more children and Dervla grew up as an only child. From a young age, Murphy planned to travel:
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