Russell, George William (1867–1935)

Irish poet and essayist. Born at Lurgan, County Armagh, Russell was educated at Rathmines School and trained as a painter. An ardent nationalist, he helped found the Irish national stage at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin. His poetry includes Gods of War (1915) and reflects his interest in mysticism and theosophy. Together with W B Yeats, Russell is regarded as a leading figure in the Irish literary revival of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Russell became leader of the circle that published the journal The Irish Theosophist, in which his first poems appeared. These were later published as Homeward: Songs by the Way (1894) and The Earth Breath (1897). These early poems were characterized by great lyrical beauty, and were heavily influenced by his study of Eastern mysticism. Other works include the essay ‘Ideals of the New Rural Society’ (1911); the poem ‘Salutation’ (1917), concerning the Easter Rising of 1916; and the poetry collection Enchantment and Other Poems (1930).

In 1897 Russell gave up his job as an accountant for Pim's drapery in Dublin, and embarked on a bicycle tour of Ireland, during which he interviewed country people. Thereafter, he devoted much of his life to promoting agricultural reform, and became editor of the Irish Homestead, the journal of the cooperative farming movement from 1906 until 1923. The Irish Statesman, his own venture, ran from 1923 until 1930.