George W. Russell (AE Æ),- His Life, Paintings and Impact on Irish Cult

George W. Russell (AE Æ),- His Life, Paintings and Impact on Irish Culture Introduction George William Russell (Æ), poet, painter, statesman and friend of many. George Russell definitely was all of those things. But why is it that I, a visiting student from the far North, takes such an interest in a man who despite his greatness not many people outside Ireland has heard of. When asked about visual arts in Ireland, names like Jack Yeats, Paul Henry and James Barry might be heard but only people with a deep interest in Irish culture will also mention George W. Russell, or Æ as he is more commonly known. But Æ Russell was, and still is, Irish culture, which is what I will try to prove to you with this paper. My first encounter with Æ Russell was when I heard about one of the greatest love stories ever heard, the Irish legend about Deirdre and Naisi. Æ Russell took this tale and made it into a play, the one and only play he would ever write, published in 1901 under the name â€Å"Deirdre†. The mythological tales has always been a keen interest to me and to learn that Æ Russell wrote plays, poems and painted pictures with mythological content, sure was a true excitement for me. But to get a better understanding of what kind of man Æ Russell was and what he had done for Irish culture I embarked on a cultural trip around Dublin. I started off by going to the Oriel Gallery a Clare Street to see some of his paintings. My next step was a visit to 3 Upper Ely Place (behind Saint Stephen’s Green), a place where Æ Russell lived between 1891 and 1898 (1897) and one of two places in Dublin where you still can see an original mural signed Æ Russell. Sadly, a lot of his other murals on Dublin walls has been torn down, taking an important part of cultural heritage away with it. Lastly I visited the Mount Jerome Cemetery (Harold’s Cross) where Æ Russell is buried. All this, together with my own strong interest in mythology, made this cultural â€Å"journey† in Æ Russell footsteps a pure pleasure. George â€Å"Ɔ Russell, the man George William Russell, son and one of three children of Tomas Elias Russell & Marianne Russell (formerly Armstrong), was born in William Street, Lurgan, County Armagh on the 10:th of April 1867. At the age of 11, the family moved to Emorville Avenue in Dublin where in 1880 George Russell enrolled in the Art School on Kildare Street. At the age of 16, George Ru... ... the â€Å"human†. As of today, that favorite of mine goes for about IR £ 8.500 but that in my view is a small price for such a work of excellence. It is also a part of Irish culture as it was 100 years ago; and still is†¦.. 1. â€Å"Neptunes Daughters† (Original size: 16† x 21â€Å") 2. â€Å"A Vision in the Glade† (15 ½Ã¢â‚¬  x 21†) 3. â€Å"Trailing Clouds of Glory† (18 ½Ã¢â‚¬  x 24†) 4. â€Å"Neptunes Angels† (21† x 32†) 5. â€Å"The Young W.B. Inscribed and Dated 1897† (17† x 14†) References: Main Publications: Davis, R.B., 1977, George William Russell (â€Å"AE†). George Prior Publishers, London, England. Denson, A., 1961, George W. Russell (Æ) – A Bibliography. Northwestern University Press, New Jersey, U.S.A. Kain, R.M. & O’Brien, J.H., 1976, George Russell (Æ). Bucknell University Press, Lewisburg, U.S.A. Other publications: Nulty, O., 1989, George Russell – Æ â€ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦at The Oriel’s, 21st Anniversary. The Oriel Gallery, Dublin, Ireland. Smythe, C., 1988, The Descent of the Gods – The mystical writings of G. W. Russell – Æ. By: Michael Arrhenius University: Jà ¶nkà ¶ping International Business School, Sweden. Class: Irish Culture Instructor: Mr. Smyth Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), Aungier Street, March 2000.