Æ George Russell Society

Join us for this unique two-part presentation:
1. The Literary Revival in The Strange Glass of Genius - a talk on the life, work, and deep connections to the Literary Revival of Dublin-born stained-glass artistic genius, Harry Clarke (1889-1931) by Patrick O’Donnell.

2. A Song Cycle on ‘The Geneva Window’ by Dutch Composer/Musician/Tour guide, Remco.
In a world premiere, Remco will present three original songs inspired by depictions of the work of AE, James Stephens, and James Joyce in the stained-glass masterpiece, The Geneva Window.

Free to Society members or €10/€20 depending on ability to pay.

With only 9 days to go until the start of the AE Society Summer School 2026, let's take a look at some of the upcoming events ...

In October 1913, AE wrote an open letter berating Dublin’s master class for its treatment of the city’s working class, later republished by James Connolly in The Reconquest of Ireland. Yet the ideals they shared ran much deeper than the treatment of organised labour. This talk will explore those links, in particular with regard to the cooperative movement and the issue of socio-economic rights. It will place both men within the small but influential “avant-garde” in Irish intellectual life at the time, which held up a vision of self-rule that was decidedly at odds with the conservative nationalist mainstream.
Dr. Conor McCabe, researcher at DCU and editor of The Lost and Early Writings of James Connolly, 1889-1898.

Free to Society members or €10/€20 depending on ability to pay.

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How do I become member of the Æ George Russell Society? We’d love for you to join us—keep reading to find out how!

The Society brings together people from many different backgrounds who share an interest in the life, writings, art, ideas, and legacy of Æ (George Russell). Some come through literature, some through history, some through art, spirituality, co-operation, or the Irish Revival. All are welcome.

Membership helps support the Society’s work throughout the year, including our lectures, salons, publications, Spring School, Summer School, and ongoing international efforts to promote greater awareness of Æ and his remarkable impact within Irish society and beyond.

🌟 Now is a great time to join, as paid-up members receive free access to all events at the 2026 Summer School!

👉 Become part of our growing community through one of the following memberships:
- €20 standard annual membership
- €10 students and OAPs annual membership
- €100 five-year membership

🔗 To join or renew membership email [email protected]

✨ Flights of Spiritual Genius! Step into Big Ideas at the International AE Russell Summer School, 1st - 5th July 2026

This July, we invite you to join us in Dublin for the Æ George Russell Society Summer School. From 1–5 July, we will gather to explore the life, work, ideas, and enduring legacy of Æ (George Russell) through talks, discussions, performances, walks, and shared conversation.

Poet, painter, editor, mystic, co-operator, and cultural visionary, Æ was one of the most remarkable figures of the Irish Revival. This year’s Summer School offers an opportunity to engage with his world alongside fellow readers, researchers, artists, and friends of the Society.

Whether you have been attending our events over the years, or are discovering Æ for the first time, you will be very welcome!

📖 See the full programme at the link in our bio or here: https://issuu.com/aegeorgerussell/docs/ae_society_summer_school_dublin_-_2026?fr=sMDVkYjg2MzMyODI

👉 Please note that places for the Gael Linn sessions on July 1st and 2nd are limited and advance registration is essential as it will be first come first served. To register for those sessions please email Mary McCormick [email protected]

We look forward to seeing you in Dublin!

The 2nd International Æ George Russell Society Spring School concluded with a remarkable cultural collaboration.

In Afro-Irish AE Drumming Collaboration Across the Oceans: Senegal, Armagh, Minnesota, traditional bodhrán players Fergal O'Brien and Traditional Arts Partnership - South Armagh (TAP) performed alongside Keur Gu Rutmo, Senegalese musicians from Dakar, in a unique cross-cultural exchange, combining rhythm, tradition, and creativity across continents.

The evening continued with a lively céilí led by TAP, celebrating music, movement, and community!

A fitting close to a programme that reflected Æ’s spirit of meaningful connection, creativity, and shared cultural life.

Our warmest thanks again to everyone (near and far) who engaged, shared and helped make this year’s Spring School so special!

The AE Spring School’s Saturday programme brought together scholarship and discussion around Æ’s intellectual and cultural legacy.

Sessions at Aonach Mhacha included:

– A Franco-Irish panel exploring connections between Æ, James Stephens, and Simone Téry, co-presented by Laura Ostertag and Dr Patrick O'Donnell

– A discussion circle on Æ’s core mystical writing, The Hero in Man, facilitated by Réamonn Ó Ciaráin.

– Remarks from artist Dara Vallely, who produced the series of 24 paintings inspired by Æ’s visionary text, A Candle of Vision.

The keynote by Dr Patrick Doyle delivered in the Armagh County Museum, titled 'Æ and the Spirit of Co-operation: Rethinking the Irish Moral Economy'. His talk examined the rationale of economic modernisation as understood by Æ and those people engaged in other such efforts across his milieu. And it will attempt to start answering the still relevant question that preoccupied the minds of these heterodox political economists — what is the point of economic development?

Together, these conversations and gatherings highlighted the continued relevance of Æ’s thought in both cultural and economic life today.

🎭 Performance brought Æ’s world to life at this year’s Spring School. Audiences were invited into the literary and spiritual milieu of 19th-century Dublin, through two original works written by Dr Patrick O'Donnell.

Windswept Mind, a one-man play premiered at Aonach Mhach, with actor Jack Walsh exploring the mystic imagination of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu.

The one-man play, Maimed Mystics: AEIOU, performed by actor Denis Conway, give voice to Æ himself in the Armagh County Museum.

These dramatic works offered engaging insights into the figures and ideas that shaped Æ’s mystical philosophy.

Despite the weather, the journey continued. As part of the Spring School programme, participants travelled to Navan Centre & Fort for ‘Into the Mystic’, an evening of poetry readings inspired by Æ’s work.

Though the elements kept the group on the bus, the spirit of the occasion remained undiminished, with readings by Jim Conway, Réamonn Ó Ciaráin, Michael McKernan and Brigid McGibbon. A reminder that Æ’s work continues to resonate wherever it is shared🙏✨

💫 The first evening the Æ George Russell Society Spring School brought together a wide range of voices reflecting on Æ’s enduring legacy, including contributions from scholars, artists, and performers.

Highlights included (in order of appearance in photos):

The launch of ‘The Sage: The Journal of Æ Studies’ - Dr Patrick O'Donnell (Chair of the Æ George Russell Society)

Reflections from invited speakers:

– Jonathan Hackett Art (Artist)

– Réamonn Ó Ciaráin (Chair of Aonach Mhacha and Treasurer of the Æ George Russell Society)

– Frank Ferguson (Chair of the The John Hewitt Society)

– Fergal O'Brien from Traditional Arts Partnership (TAP) Traditional Arts Partnership - South Armagh

– Torlach Denihan (Organiser of the Susan Mitchell Centenary Commemoration & Æ Society Membership Officer / Vice-Treasurer)

– Patrick Doyle, Æ Society Committee Member and Lecturer in Politics, University of Limerick

Dramatic performances bringing to life figures such as Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, by Jack Walsh (Actor), and Æ himself, by Denis Conway (Actor).