ABOUT
History and culture can be dull and dry. I approach history, not as an academic, though I was one, but as a storyteller. My basic themes are history and culture, but there is more than that. As I tell my cruise ship audiences:
“I was not particularly interested in history until I was on a bus tour of Paris one day and the tour guide told the history of France in terms of the great love affairs of the French rulers. All of a sudden, I really liked history! And I couldn’t imagine why, as a kid growing up in Philadelphia, the nuns and priests who taught me history never got around to those great love affairs.”
It draws a laugh and makes a point. History is not just facts and dates, but stories about people. I spend a lot of time on biography and significant events, some a little “off-beat,” and try to add colorful commentary to my stories about people and their “back stories.”
When Don Hewitt retired as founder and producer of the popular TV show, “60 Minutes,” he was asked what the criterion was that got a story on the show. “It gets on if I can say, ‘I didn’t know that,’” he replied. I include lots of “I didn’t know thats” in my talks. For example, speaking on a cruise ship in South America recently:
To the usual stories about the Conquistadors, I added the story of Ines Suarez, a Conquistadora, a female warrior, who was the mistress of Valdivia, the founder of Santiago. Ines Suarez donned armor and swung a sword against the Mapuche Indians in the Atacama desert of Peru and again in the City of Santiago.
The survivors of a plane crash on a glacier in the Andes of 1972 made it through 72 days of grueling hardship by consuming the flesh of their deceased companions. I ended with the questions: What would I do? What would you do?
While the story of the HMS Beagle is often told as the story of Charles Darwin and the findings that led to Origin of the Species, I told the story of the Beagle mostly in terms of Captain Robert FitzRoy, whom I called “Darwin’s chauffeur.” Had it not been for Darwin, who overshadowed him, FitzRoy would have a more prominent place in history than he does now.
SPEAKER ON CRUISE SHIPS SINCE 2009
Dr. Harry Murphy has been a speaker on Celebrity, Cunard, Holland America, Norwegian, Princess, and Royal Caribbean ships.
A DESTINATION AND ENRICHMENT SPEAKER
Harry is a destination and enrichment/special interest speaker who has spoken on
cruises to the Middle East, SE Asia, Mexico, South America, Hawaii and the South Pacific, Scandinavia and St. Petersburg, Russia, the Mediterranean, Holy Land, and Transatlantic and Transpacific voyages.
A SPEAKER WHO INFORMS AND ENTERTAINS
“I tell stories. I tell history stories.” With these words, Harry begins an entertaining and educational talk before large audiences on the high seas.
A STORY TELLER
As a storyteller, he shares the history and culture of an area in an entertaining fashion. “He gives a face, heart, and personality to history,” says one shipboard guest.
“Look for the twinkle in his eye,” says another guest, “a good story is on the way!”
AN EXPERIENCED SPEAKER
In a word, he brings CONTEXT to the port and excursion experiences of the cruise passenger. Harry’s illustrated stories are designed by an award-winning presentation expert.