Ella Young

Ella Young immigrated to the United States from Ireland in 1925 at the age of 58, disillusioned by civil war. In America she found a revitalizing natural beauty and a wide circle of friends among the artists and bohemians of the mid-century. 

Through her stories, beliefs, and poetry, she restored people’s connection with the sacred in nature. She brought from Ireland a concept, cóir, found in Irish folklore, sometimes translated as “natural balance" or "kinship with the earth." She taught that the land holds spirits, that you can talk to a mountain, and that humans are part of the planet, and not here to dominate it. This connection of ecological consciousness to daily life was Ella’s wisdom for her time and ours.

The Ella Young Society exists to share information about events, publications, and productions about Ella Young, her life and legacy.

• Halcyon Days is the second in a series of media projects bringing the life and legacy of Ella Young to modern audiences. You can listen to Part One, “The Morrigan,” here.

• Ella Young Remembered is a transcript of the 1966 interviews with Ella Young’s friends by local historian James D. Cain. The book is available in paperback or eBook from Lulu.org.

• Holythorn Press will be publishing Ella Young’s rare memoir, Flowering Dusk, in early 2025.

• Watch a presentation about Ella Young as presented by Linda Rosewood and Dorothea MacDowell at AE/George Russell Appreciation Society meeting in April 2024.

Our work is supported by publications, grants, and donations. Our fiscal sponsor is the History Center of San Luis Obispo county. If you would like to help promote the life and legacy of Ella Young, you can donate to the History Center.