Wainwright honour for author Dara

Wainwright honour for author Dara

16 September 2020

SCHOOLBOY Dara McAnulty has proved that “miraculous things can happen” by becoming the youngest person to win the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing.

The 16 year-old from Castlewellan was confirmed at a virtual ceremony last week as winner by judge chair and broadcaster Julia Bradbury, who described Dara as a role model for his generation. 

Dara’s debut book, Diary of a Young Naturalist, was released in May and was quickly critically acclaimed by fellow nature writers and naturalists, young and old.

Written when he was aged 14-15, the book chronicles the autistic teen’s world and “breaks the mould of modern nature writing”.

The Wainwright Prize lauded Dara for his “extraordinary portrayal of his intense connection to the natural world alongside his perspective as an autistic teenager juggling exams, friendships and a life of campaigning.”

Ms Bradbury praised Dara’s work as “a significant nature book” and all the more remarkable because it was completed before his 16th birthday.

She said: “It’s a wonderful diary that fits around Dara’s personal endeavours and family experiences, but ultimately, shaped by the nature that surrounds us all. 

“The judges were almost breathless from reading it and would like to call for it to be immediately listed on the national curriculum. Such is the book’s power to move and the urgency of the situation we face,” she added.

In his acceptance speech, Dara said: “This is an astounding moment not just for me but for young people, young writers, young nature-lovers.

“This tells our community that our voices matter, our ideas [are] worthy, our stories captivating.

“When young autistic people are nurtured and accepted, miraculous things can happen and this is certainly one of them.”

The Shimna Integrated College A-Level student said he hopes his example could give other young people the confidence to find their voices.

He said: “It feels crazy but what means more to me is that I feel this book also, in a way, feels like a youth voice. 

“For me that feels like the most important thing for me that maybe — just maybe some other young person may take it up and find their own voice. Every voice that we add to the discussion, diversifies it and enriches it.”

Dara knew a few days before the announcement that he had won the award but he and his family kept the good news secret.

He has been open about how some experience with bullying in his earlier life has also been reflected in his writing and how in turn his writing helps him made sense of life. 

“I confronted a lot of different things in my book, which essentially it was about nature, but wasn’t just that,” explains Dara on why he thinks his book resonated with readers.

“I also wrote about mental health, what it’s like being a teenager at school, and being autistic. I tried to create a new perspective and I think people liked it. I wanted to put as much as me into it as possible and I needed to be honest.”

Writing from “when I was first able to”, Dara says that he constantly writes, particularly when an idea comes to him, and often had to collect pieces of writing from around his home to make up chapters in the book.

“I first began to write for my blog, A Diary of a Young Naturalist, and then I began to write diary entry after diary entry,” said Dara.“It was only going to be a tiny book for by blog but then I couldn’t stop writing.”

Mr Kevin Lambe, principal of Shima College, said that everyone in the school’s community was delighted that his book has received such recognition.

“We are very proud of him,” said Mr Lambe. “It’s a great tribute to Dara and his very supportive family that he remains so grounded.

“We hear just today that the book has also been nominated for the Baillie Gifford Prize. It’s important for me to point out that Dara is also an excellent student, having just achieved top grades in his GCSEs and has just begun his A level studies in Chemistry, Biology, Maths and Politics.”

The principal said that Dara had enjoyed a “momentous year” after his family — parents Paul and Roisin and his brother Lorcan and sister Bláthnaid — moved into the area from Co Fermanagh.

Dara founded the school’s Roots and Shoots group inspired by his friendship with conservationist Jane Goodall, whom he met when both were honoured at the Animal Hero Awards.  

He intends to use part of his prize money to help the Roots and Shoots group while doing something to encourage other young writers as well.

Aside from his now regular appearances on Radio Four, Dara is also working on a new children’s book.

Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty is published by Little Toller (RRP £16) and can be bought online or at No Alibis bookshop in Belfast.