Dervla Murphy was born 28 November 1931 in Ireland and died 22 May 2022.
She was an intrepid traveller and writer whose books recounted stories of her bicycle journeys across the world, including Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Gaza, Siberia, Israel, Peru and Cuba.
Publications
Her first book, Full Tilt: Ireland to India With a Bicycle was published in 1965 and is based on diaries kept during her travels over a six-month journey through Europe, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, into Pakistan and India.
It established her as an exceptional new voice in travel writing. She sought to connect with and understand the experiences of ordinary people in each country she was in.
Awards and achievements
In 2019, in recognition for her popularisation of geography and the wider understanding of our world and its environments, she was presented with the Society's Ness Award.
Read an extended tribute to Dervla Murphy (via The Irish Times).