The lady goes full tilt

I first read Dervla Murphy’s Full Tilt: Ireland to India With a Bicycle when I was a teenager. (Yes, I’m a Boomer – the book was published in 1965!) It made a huge impression on me. Imagine, I thought, a woman biking from Ireland to India by herself! Looking back on my decades of traveling alone, I remain thankful for Murphy’s inspiration.

Murphy’s early life in Ireland was extraordinary in many ways. Her mother was crippled by rheumatoid arthritis from Murphy’s early childhood on. Formal schooling for Murphy ceased when she was 14 years old because war shortages in Ireland in the 1940’s had affected the availability of servants. There was no one else available as a caregiver, so Murphy was given the job. Caring for an invalid mother took up most of Murphy’s first 30 years.

In spite of this, Murphy was able to have some interesting local adventures. She got her first bicycle when she was ten, and began taking longer and longer trips by herself around County Waterford, always dreaming that one day she would ride her bike to India. With the exception of a few short trips on the Continent, Murphy had to wait until after her mother’s death in 1962 to fulfill her dream.

With an amazingly small amount of baggage (a full list is provided in the back of Full Tilt) Murphy set off during the worst winter Europe had experienced in decades. But every day was an adventure, and five and a half months later she reached India.

What I love about Murphy’s writing is her humor and her acceptance of cultural differences. She ate the food that was offered and was thankful for the generosity people showed her. She didn’t obsess about not being able to speak the local languages – she just got very good at pantomime.

Murphy has written many travel books, and at 81 years old is still going strong. Recently, Newport Library acquired Murphy’s autobiography Wheels Within Wheels: The Making of a Traveler. I read it, loved it and was even inspired to reread Full Tilt. I highly recommend both of these excellent books.

--Posted by Kay