George William Russell (Æ): A Forgotten Irish Mystic George William Russell, known to the world as Æ, was a figure of remarkable breadth and depth within Irish cultural life. Born in Lurgan, Ireland, in 1867, his journey wasn’t confined to a single discipline; he flourished as a writer, editor, poet, painter, and fervent nationalist, all while deeply immersed in the currents of mysticism that flowed through Dublin society. Æ was not m…