Dara McAnulty who writes a blog on Fermanagh nature has a passion for taking photographs of the beauty Fermanagh has to offer RMG03
A 12-year-old boy with a passion for conservation and wildlife is making his mark on the nature world just six weeks after starting his first blog.
When he’s not exploring the great outdoors, Dara McAnulty from Enniskillen is busy blogging about the nature on his own doorstep via his Young Fermanagh Naturalist blog. It has already generated over 3,000 views from as far away as Armenia, Netherlands and the Philippines.
His mother Roisin says that Dara inherits his passion for nature from both of his parents – his father Paul is a conservation scientist with the Environment Agency.
“We are always outside and from a young age, Dara has had a particular fascination and obsession with the natural world, whether it was chasing after bugs or at school,” Roisin explains.
Dara and his parents along with his brother Lorcan (10) and six-year-old sister Blathnaid moved back to Roisin’s native Fermanagh three years ago.
“I fell in love with the place all over again and we’ve been everywhere 20 times,” says Roisin. “We always feel that Fermanagh is overlooked so it’s great for a young person like Dara to get the message out there about exploring the great outdoors which will hopefully inspire other people of his age. There is so much beauty out there and something very special about everything that you see. You might not think twice about it but it’s worth giving it another look as you might appreciate things a little bit more than you did before.”
Currently studying biology, chemistry and physics as a pupil at Portora, Dara hopes to become an ornithologist when he grows up.
Diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome six years ago, Dara hopes his blog will inspire others to get outside and take a closer look at the natural world.
“I was struggling with English a lot in school but have found that when I’m writing about something I truly love, I can spell and organise my thoughts. Nature helps me feel connected to the world in a really meaningful way. Wildlife and nature are my life and in particular, I am obsessed with birds. I think a love of nature should be encouraged more and also that it should be compulsory learning in schools. Some people are not as connected to and excited by nature but it’s not their fault as I don’t think it’s really encouraged enough by schools,” he said.
“That was one of the reasons why I started the blog but also because my Mum posted everyday on Twitter about our family’s Random Acts of Wildness. I could see that she was getting huge enjoyment and satisfaction out of not just our own wild days but also the connection she was making with other nature lovers. Every day, she would show us photos of all the cool wild things and we would learn and grow as part of this community.”
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