Dwyers’ Mid-East Odyssey

Hotelier and tourism pioneer Dermod Dwyer and his son Denis have written a riveting account of a 3,500-kilometer road trip through the Middle East, which they undertook in 2024.

Less than six months after the Hamas attack on Israel, and that country’s retaliatory war in Gaza, they travelled in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the West Bank and throughout Israel, right up to the Gazan northern border.

Their book, called Desert Bonds,  is a story told through many voices and illustrated with maps and photographs.

Dermod and Denis began their road trip from Ireland in April 2024, heading for The Levant. They spent 22 days in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the West Bank and Israel, including time at the Erez Crossing into and out of Gaza.

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.

The trip challenged their pre-travel preconceptions of each of the countries visited, as well as of the regional claims and counterclaims.

Desert Bonds will be published on 24th January and can be pre-ordered here