• John Hutchinson
  

• William Blake
  

• 
  Spring 2026
  Volume 43. No. 1

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In their 1893 edition of his works, WB Yeats and Edwin John Ellis proposed that the artist and poet William Blake’s paternal lineage could be traced to an Irishman, John O’Neil, who was said to have left Dublin in the early 18th century, married Ellen Blake, the owner of a shebeen, and adopted her surname. Their son, James, lived in London and married Catherine, who gave birth to William on 28 November 1757. Nevertheless, there is no dependable proof of Irish ancestry. James’ occupation as a hosier and the family’s Dissenting Protestant background are amply documented and the Blake surname has English and Norman origins. While Blake’s family bonds with Ireland are at best contested, there can be little doubt that he and his work resonated strongly with some Irish writers. It is clear that Yeats, who said that Blake’s writing had an ‘Irish’ flavour, admired him greatly, and James Joyce, responding to his contrarianism and sense of rebellion, was an enthusiast: there are connections to Blake in Ulysses and Finnegans Wake. Another apparent link with this country was Blake’s interest in Irish independence, but this was probably as much due to his general support of revolutionary causes and empathy with the poor as to any nationalistic ideals. Blake was not politically active. Instead, he believed that the imagination, which he held in extremely high regard, was the most effective way of making improvements to society and that imagination would do more to liberate people than anything else.

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