Dara McAnulty

Dara McAnulty is the multi-award-winning author of Diary of a Young Naturalist, his critically acclaimed debut work of non-fiction. Written in poetic prose, his diary explores his deep relationship with nature alongside campaigning work and the everyday challenges and joys of being autistic. It was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week, longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction and won the Wainwright Prize for UK Nature Writing 2020 — making Dara the youngest ever winner of a major literary prize.

Other awards include the An Post Irish Book Award for Newcomer of the Year 2020, Books Are My Bag Readers Award for Non-fiction 2020, and he was also shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year 2020. In 2021, Dara was awarded the British Zoology Society ‘Clarivate Award’ for his writing. In 2021, Diary of a Young Naturalist also won the British Book Award in the narrative non-fiction category. In December 2022, it was announced that Dara was the youngest recipient on King Charles III’s New Year’s Honours List: he was awarded a BEM (British Empire Medal) for services to nature and the autistic community.

Dara has also published two children’s books, Wild Child: A Journey Through Nature (Macmillan Children’s – 2021) and A Wild Child’s Book of Birds (Macmillan Children’s 2022). Wild Child was longlisted for the Blue Peter Book Award and shortlisted for the Stanfords Travel Writing Prize. Both of his children’s books were shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing (children’s category).

Dara is a prolific environmental campaigner and was the youngest ever recipient of the RSPB Meal for conservation in 2019, aged just 15. He has worked with Chris Packham, the Royal Society Protection of Birds, National Trust, and the Wildlife Trusts. He is an ambassador for the World Wetlands Trust and the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Dara has appeared regularly on BBC’s Countryfile and wrote and performed a piece for ‘A Note For Nature’ a powerful documentary which aired on Boxing Day 2022 on RTÉ to much acclaim. He has also presented for BBC Radio 4 (Tweet of the Day), and BBC Radio Ulster, (Ulster’s Wild North). Dara has made appearances on Blue Peter, CBBC and RTE HUB as well as various news channels and chat shows.

Dara, now 20 years old, is a final year student of Natural Sciences at Queens’ College Cambridge. He is also currently writing a new children’s book and a new work of narrative nonfiction.