“Desert Bonds” is an extraordinary and timely new book by father and his son team, Dermod and Denis Dwyer.
Join us for a very special launch event at the Whale Theatre on 23rd January 2025 to learn more about this incredible journey.
It is the story of a remarkable 3,500-kilometre road-trip through the Middle East in 2024. Theirs is a fascinating story, told through many voices and beautifully illustrated with maps and colour photographs throughout.
Dermod and Denis began their special road trip, setting off from Ireland in April 2024 and heading for The Levant, the region of the Middle East that is the cradle of civilisation but which sadly continues to witness turmoil and appalling bloodshed. They spent 22-days in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the West Bank and Israel, including time at the Erez Crossing into and out of Gaza.
Exploring these ancient lands with the best guides and travel companions imaginable, and through the warm welcome from the people they met, their understanding of the region was both deepened and challenged. Their book offers a vivid on-the-ground portrait of this most complex and fascinating region, including the sights and sounds, the harrowing stories, but most of all the warmth, lived experiences and hopes of the people they encountered.
This is a free event, but tickets must be booked in advance.
Reviews
“This book goes beyond being a mere travelogue recounting a hugely memorable and often moving father-and-son trip through one of the most sensitive parts of the world. It is full of awareness about the complexity of people and place, as the authors made it their business to find out what lies behind the harrowing conflict in Israel-Palestine, and were received with warm hospitality wherever they went by people whose chief characteristic is extraordinary resilience” (Author and journalist Frank McDonald)
“This is a great mind opener taking us to places where angels might currently fear to tread. It highlights the fact that large areas of these countries are peaceful, with people going about their everyday business. It is a quick moving, very descriptive story introducing us to a fascinating array of people, cultures, situations, and places. This is an informative, entertaining, and easy to read book. The maps, pictures and illustrations are amazing” (Declan O’Sullivan, author of When Is The Tide Turning?)