A Sheepdog Named Oscar

‘A captivating story … Exquisitely written … a powerful study of grief and companionship intersected with compelling descriptions of the countryside’ * Irish Times *
‘A Sheepdog Named Oscar is essential reading. Dara’s voice is warm and humane and full of hard-won wisdom and empathy as he guides us along the paths of loss and grief, love and life, taking care always to show how rich life can be, even when we’re struggling. This book will do great good, and bring light to many lives’ – Donal Ryan, author of The Spinning Heart
’ A poignant and endearing portrait of the profound love between one man and his dog’ – Jay Griffiths, author of How Animals Heal Us
‘Waldron’s moving memoir on how his adopted border collie gave him emotional and even spiritual kinship … is a touching meditation on the ever-shifting nature of grief, “akin to waves that roll in”, as well as an ode to the Irish countryside: its myths, its agricultural traditions and the restorative wisdom of nature’ * Irish Independent *
‘This is an age-old story yet wonderfully modern about a man and his dog and the healing, restorative good that comes with companionship. A beautifully written account of friendship, grief and the human heart. I loved this book’ – John Connell, author of The Cow Book and Twelve Sheep

Dara Waldron is a film scholar and author of two monographs and multiple articles in international film journals and magazines. In 2023, he published a study of sheepherding traditions that formed the background for A Sheepdog Named Oscar, his first memoir. Born in Manchester and raised in the west of Ireland, he currently lives on the border between County Limerick and County Tipperary in Ireland’s Midwest region, close to the gates of well-known Glenstal Abbey and school, which feature prominently in his memoir.

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