"Over the years, a wall of stone and beautiful ivy has grown up around me, and only family and wildlife are allowed in."
I've been reading Dara McAnulty's Wainright Prize-winning Diary of a Young Naturalist, an account of four seasons of his young life. Still only sixteen but wise beyond those years, Dara's autism informs a deep and sustaining knowledge of and relationship with the natural world in his native Northern Ireland and beyond. Reading his words, you're struck by his intense sensory engagement with weather, flora, fauna; the energetic shifts of land-, sea- and cloud-scapes as backdrops to the flight of birds, the industry of insects, the essence and purpose of a single blade of grass or a giant, ancient oak.
While the press and pull of people and the manmade world can make it hard for Dara to find his place and point of balance, nature's stimulus opens his heart and mind. Wildlife is his refuge but also his purpose, and capturing his experiences and concerns on the page not only lets him relive them - an important processing function for him - but allows the reader, irrespective of where they live, to see what is around them.
His depth of feeling comes from a place far beyond 'mere' observation but rather an exquisite and deeply forged connection to the natural world which amounts to almost a symbiotic relationship. As both a loving guardian of our planet and an eloquent advocate for its natural treasure and its necessary protection, Dara's is a voice to heed and his example one worth following.
What a remarkable young man and what a wonderful endorsement for his book which I am looking forward to reading.
Posted by: Teresa | 29 December 2020 at 07:06 PM
Dara's knowledge is extensive, and he articulates his visceral response to the natural world with such grace - it's an impressive combination.
Posted by: Cornflower | 29 December 2020 at 10:06 PM
A naturalist in Ireland, I think it will be a perfect pick for the forthcoming Irish readathon, great review !
Posted by: Iza | 31 December 2020 at 03:09 PM
Good idea, Iza, and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did!
Posted by: Cornflower | 31 December 2020 at 03:31 PM