Halcyon Days: The story of ella young

Lesbian poet Elsa Gidlow (1898–1986) was one of several free spirits to cofound the bohemian community of Druid Heights, located in Marin County, California, in 1954. But the “druid” referred to in the appellation “Druid Heights” was an Irish lesbian, Ella Young (1867–1956). We’re telling her story.

Tulsk Productions, a group of Irish and American producers and scholars, was established to tell the little-known story of Ella Young. Tulsk’s leader, Dorothea Mc Dowell, published the biography Ella Young and Her World in 2016. In 2020, Tulsk developed a radio program, The Morrigan, that aired on Dublin City Radio and explored the story of Young’s early life and influence in the cultural and political movement that led to the Easter Rising in 1916, and later on the foundation of the Irish Free State in 1922. Tulsk is now working on a second radio program, Halcyon Days, which will focus on Young’s life in California.

About Ella Young

The poet Elsa Gidlow described her friend Ella Young in her work I Come With My Songs:

“Ella Young’s whole appearance was of a high spirituality, something bright and translucent shone outward from her. As Colum said, she had the air of an initiate. But there was also earthiness and a quiet strength. No puritanism. She appreciated good wine, well-prepared simple food, the enhancements of life by art and artistry. She not only wrote poetry, poetry singing also through her prose, she lived poetry. It was her conviction that there must be leisure not alone for great thought, noble deeds, but for the aesthetics of daily living—no unnecessary luxury, but a living close to the heart of things. She was not for a moment unaware of our dependence upon all life, the aliveness even of stones, of a pervasive consciousness.”

When Gidlow bought a property in Marin County, establishing a mid-century “unintentional community,” Young, who was often referred to as “Irish Mystic,” “Druid” or “White Witch,” inspired the name and the worldview of the community that gathered there. (Druid Heights may become the nation’s first LGBTQ Historic District; preservation efforts are underway.) Ella Young spent most of her later life in California. By the end, she had lectured at Berkeley, partied with bishops, chanted rituals at Shasta, debated with vegans, ridden horses with millionaires, picnicked with laureates, and hunted fairies at Point Lobos. The most famous photograph of Young was taken by her friend Ansel Adams, the well-known artist whose genius she recognized and promoted.

No one who met Ella Young her ever forgot her. She restored their connection with the sacred in nature. Ella Young is the ancestor of every passionate tree-sitter, neopagan witch, and grubby permaculturalist.

You’ve never heard of her, but once you hear her story, you’ll never forget her either.

Learn more about Ella Young and subscribe to our mailing list to receive updates on the development of this unique story at our website. Through our partnership with the GLBT Historical Society, you can help grow Ella Young’s legacy with tax-deductible donations. Click on the button below to donate.

Halcyon Days is a sponsored project of the GLBT Historical Society. The contents of this page reflect the views and opinions of the project, and do not necessarily reflect the views and positions of the GLBT Historical Society. For information about becoming a sponsored project, contact donate@glbthistory.org.