A new headstone is unveiled for the writer George Russell at Mount Jerome cemetery in Dublin.
George Russell (1867 - 1935), who wrote under the pseudonym AE, was a writer, poet, editor, critic, painter, mystic and nationalist. Born in Lurgan, County Armagh, he spent most of his life in Dublin.
A central figure in the Irish literary revival, he was an early publisher of James Joyce's short stories. A friend of WB Yeats, he moved in the same circles as Douglas Hyde, George Moore, Lady Gregory and JM Synge.
George Russell also held the post of secretary of the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society, a co-operative which worked to improve agriculture in Ireland, and create a better standard of living for rural communities. From 1905 to 1923 he was editor of their journal The Irish Homestead.
At a ceremony in Mount Jerome cemetery today, on the forty fifth anniversary of his death, Dr Robert O'Driscoll of Toronto University spoke of AE's life and work, describing him as
A man never afraid to speak his mind.
Writers Anthony Cronin and Benedict Kiely are in attendance, as is Denis Johnston. In his opinion, AE is best summed up by the quotation on his headstone,
I moved among men and places, and in living I learned the truth at last.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 17 July 1980. The reporter is Dermot Keogh.
