The Yeats Sisters' Vision of Ireland's Saints

The embroidered banners created by the Yeats sisters and Dun Emer Guild for St. Brendan's Cathedral in Loughrea helped define the visual language of Irish national identity.

Mar. 16, 2026 at 8:10pm

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In 1902, sisters Susan Mary (Lily) and Elizabeth Corbet (Lollie) Yeats founded Dun Emer Press and Guild, an Irish Arts and Crafts cooperative, along with textile designer Evelyn Gleeson. The cooperative played a pivotal role in the Irish Revival movement, fusing Irish nationalist politics with a renewed interest in medieval Irish design, craft traditions, and Gaelic literature. In 1903, Dun Emer Guild won a major commission to create 29 embroidered banners for the newly built St. Brendan's Cathedral in Loughrea, Ireland, featuring designs by prominent Irish artists and intellectuals like George William Russell (Æ) and Pamela Colman Smith.

Why it matters

The Yeats sisters' banners helped establish a visual language for Irish national identity that celebrated the country's medieval and ancient traditions, as well as the centrality of women's craft and labor. The banners, which featured depictions of Irish saints like Patrick, Brigid, Ita, and Kevin, were highly regarded in their time and continue to shape the popular imagination of Ireland.

The details

The Dun Emer Guild was founded with the mission of providing training and employment for Irish women and producing beautiful, handmade objects using Irish materials like linen and silk. Lily Yeats oversaw the embroidery work, bringing in prominent Irish artists and intellectuals to design the banners, which were then embroidered by the women of the guild. The banners were used to adorn the pews and in processions at St. Brendan's Cathedral, which was built in 1902 and decorated in an Irish Revivalist style.

  • In 1902, the Yeats sisters founded Dun Emer Press and Guild.
  • In 1903, Dun Emer Guild won a commission to create 29 banners for the new St. Brendan's Cathedral in Loughrea, Ireland.

The players

Susan Mary (Lily) Yeats

One of the Yeats sisters who co-founded Dun Emer Press and Guild and oversaw the hand embroidery work for the cathedral banners.

Elizabeth Corbet (Lollie) Yeats

One of the Yeats sisters who co-founded Dun Emer Press and Guild, which was devoted to publishing works by Irish authors.

Evelyn Gleeson

A textile designer who co-founded Dun Emer Press and Guild with the Yeats sisters.

George William Russell (Æ)

An Irish writer and editor who created the design for the banner of Saint Patrick.

Pamela Colman Smith

An artist and occultist who created the luminous vision of Saint Brigid for one of the cathedral banners.

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What they’re saying

“The banners, designed and made by Irish hands, epitomized the fusion of cultural heritage and religious art, a rarity in a church environment often dominated by imported goods.”

— Lyndsey McDougall, Art historian (Artnet News)

“The Guild's founders believed in the intrinsic value of craftsmanship and the importance of providing fair wages and healthy working conditions for their craftswomen.”

— Lyndsey McDougall, Art historian (Artnet News)

What’s next

The exhibition 'Collaborating in Conflict: The Yeats Family and the Public Arts' featuring the Dun Emer banners will be on view at the McMullen Museum of Art at Boston College through May 31, 2026.

The takeaway

The Yeats sisters and Dun Emer Guild's embroidered banners for St. Brendan's Cathedral helped establish a distinct visual language for Irish national identity that celebrated the country's medieval and ancient traditions, as well as the centrality of women's craft and labor. Their work continues to shape the popular imagination of Ireland to this day.