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Ella Young Letters

 Collection
Identifier: MSE/IR 1086

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of several letters and ephemera sent from Ella Young to Mrs. Roland G. Hopkins while Young was traveling in the United States, 1925-1926. Included are seven letters and one leaflet.

Dates

  • Creation: 1925 - 1926

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright status for collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Biographical / Historical

Irish poet, republican, and mystic Ella Young was born 26 December 1867 near Ballymena, County Antrim to James Bristow Young and Matilda (née Russell) Young. The Young family relocated to Rathmines, Dublin in the 1880s, and Young graduated with a BA in history, political economy, and law from the Royal University of Ireland in 1898. Young also participated in various mystical organizations such as the Theosophical Society and the Hermetic Society.

Prior to 1902 Young had learned to speak Irish and in 1902 and 1903 she accompanied Margaret O’Grady to Achill Island to collect folklore, specifically fairy stories, for their mutual friend George Russell. She published her own interpretations of various Celtic myths, The coming of Lugh (1909) and Celtic wonder tales (1910). Young, alongside Maud Gonne, was a founding member of Inghinidhe na hÉireann and taught classes in Irish history to children and adults in Dublin.

In 1925 Young was appointed the James D. Phelan lecturer in Irish myth and lore at the University of California at Berkeley, a position she held for ten years. During that period she was frequently invited to lecture at other universities, including Columbia, Smith, and Vassar. While in California she lived in Halcyon, a Theosophical community located near Oceano, California. By 1931 she had obtained American citizenship.

Ella Young died 23 July 1956 in Oceano; her ashes were scattered among a nearby grove of redwood trees.

Extent

0.5 Cubic Feet (8 folders)

Language of Materials

English

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased from Antiquariat INLIBRIS Gilhofer Nfg.

Author
Lauren Jean
Date
25 March 2022
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the University of Notre Dame Rare Books & Special Collections Repository

Contact:
102 Hesburgh Library
Notre Dame IN 46556
574-631-0290