{"podcast":{"title":"Slightly Foxed","slug":"slightly-foxed-725618","podcast_index_feed_id":725618,"rss_url":"https://audioboom.com/channels/4974324.rss","website_url":"https://audioboom.com/channels/4974324","image_url":"https://audioboom.com/i/33763391.jpg","author":"Slightly Foxed: The Real Reader's Quarterly","episode_count":60,"summary":"The independent-minded book review magazine that combines good looks, good writing and a personal approach. Slightly Foxed introduces its readers to books that are no longer new and fashionable but have lasting appeal. Good-humoured, unpretentious and a bit eccentric, it’s more like a well-read friend than a literary magazine. Come behind the scenes with the staff of Slightly Foxed to learn what makes this unusual literary magazine tick, meet some of its varied friends and contributors, and hear their personal recommendations for favourite and often forgotten books that have helped, haunted, informed or entertained them. For more information about Slightly Foxed visit: foxedquarterly.com","last_synced_at":"2026-07-15T18:20:50.929915+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/slightly-foxed-725618"},"episode":{"title":"53: Dervla Murphy: A Life at Full Tilt","slug":"53-dervla-murphy-a-life-at-full-tilt","published_at":"2025-04-15T08:45:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/slightly-foxed-725618/53-dervla-murphy-a-life-at-full-tilt","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/slightly-foxed-725618","url":"https://audioboom.com/posts/8703652","audio_url":"https://audioboom.com/posts/8703652.mp3?modified=1744637441&sid=4974324&source=rss","summary":"Described as ‘the first lady of Irish cycling’, Dervla Murphy was renowned for her intrepid spirit, and she remained passionate about travel, writing, politics, conservation and bicycling until her death in 2022. In this episode of the Slightly Foxed podcast we have gathered a number of those who knew and worked with Dervla to discuss the life and work of this extraordinary travel writer. Gail Pirkis and Steph Allen, from Slightly Foxed, worked with Dervla during their time at John Murray Publishers. Rose Baring was her editor at Eland Books and Ethel Crowley was a friend and editor of the recent anthology, Life at Full Tilt: The Selected Writings of Dervla Murphy . Together with our host Rosie Goldsmith they discuss Dervla’s early years and inspiration, consider the experience of publishing her work and examine her place in the Ireland of her time. Born in Lismore, Ireland, in 1931, Dervla lived there until the end of her life. She was an only child and her parents, who originated from Dublin, encouraged her independence and love of books. Her father – who later became the much-loved Waterford County Librarian ‒ had been involved in the Irish republican movement and had served time in Wormwood Scrubs prison for his activities. Dervla spent her childhood caring for her mother who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, and then left school at 14 to care for her full-time. When her parents died in 1962 Dervla, at the age of 30, found herself free to travel. She acquired a bicycle and set out on a journey to Istanbul, through Iran and on to India during one of the worst winters in recent memory. This would become the subject of her first, and most famous book, Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle , published in 1965. There followed numerous voyages with her trusty stee…","meta_description":"Described as ‘the first lady of Irish cycling’, Dervla Murphy was renowned for her intrepid spirit, and she remained passionate about travel, writing, pol…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3543,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/slightly-foxed-725618/episodes/53-dervla-murphy-a-life-at-full-tilt/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/slightly-foxed-725618/53-dervla-murphy-a-life-at-full-tilt.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}