Salvador Ryan is Professor of Ecclesiastical History at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth where he teaches a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Ecclesiastical History and Patrology. His professional memberships include the European Network on the Instruments of Devotion (ENID and the Ecclesiastical History Society (EHS). He is the Secretary of the Irish Theological Quarterly and Treasurer of the Catholic Historical Society of Ireland.

Qualifications: BA, PhD.

Modules: Church History.

Contact Details: smryan@stpats.ie

Research Interests: - Popular religion and ritual in late medieval and early modern Europe, and especially Gaelic Ireland.
Irish bardic religious poetry and its relationship with English and European medieval religious lyrics.
Theology of Christ’s Passion and its devotional manifestations in the middle ages.
Medieval and early modern hagiography.
Devotion to the Virgin Mary in the history of Christianity.
Popular reception of biblical material in late medieval and early modern Ireland.
The Catholic Reformation.
The implementation of the Council of Trent in early modern Ireland.
The catechetical and devotional writings of the Irish Franciscan friars at St Anthony’s College Louvain in the seventeenth century.
The writing of ecclesiastical history in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
The history of preaching.
Nineteenth and twentieth-century popular devotion.

Select Publications:

EDITED VOLUMES
• Art and Devotion in late medieval Ireland (co-editor with Rachel Moss and Colmán Ó Clabaigh), (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2006)

• Devotional Cultures of European Christianity, 1790-1960 (co-editor with Henning Laugerud), (Dublin: Four Courts Press, forthcoming, 2011)

ARTICLES AND BOOK CHAPTERS
‘“I, too, am a Christian”: early martyrs and their lives in the late medieval and early modern Irish manuscript tradition’, in Peter Clarke and Tony Claydon (eds), Saints and Sanctity: Studies in Church History 47. Abingdon: Boydell Press, 2011.

‘Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556): Christian soldier or “Soul-aider”?’, in Brendan McConvery (ed.), Living in Union with Christ in Today’s World: the Witness of John Calvin and Ignatius Loyola. Dublin: Veritas Publications, 2011.

‘“Reaping a rich harvest of humanity”: images of redemption in Irish bardic religious poetry’, in Brendan Leahy and Seamus O’Connell (eds), Having Life in His Name: Living, Thinking and Communicating the Christian Life of Faith. Dublin: Veritas Publications, 2011.

‘Florilegium of faith: religious verse in the Book of the O'Conor Don’ in Pádraig Ó Macháin (ed.), The book of the O’Conor Don: essays on an Irish manuscript. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 2010.

‘Wily women of God’ in Cavan’s late medieval and early modern devotional collections’, in Brendan Scott (ed.), Culture and society in early modern Breifne/Cavan. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2009.

‘A wooden key to open heaven’s door: lessons in practical Catholicism from St Anthony’s College, Louvain’, in Edel Bhreatnach, Joseph McMahon and John McCafferty (eds), The Irish Franciscans, 1540-1990. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2009.

‘Fixing the eschatological scales: judgment of the soul in late medieval and early modern Irish tradition’, in Peter Clarke and Tony Claydon (eds), The Church, the afterlife and the fate of the soul: Studies in Church History, 45. Woodbridge: Boydell and Brewer, 2009.

‘Weapons of Redemption: piety, poetry and the Instruments of the Passion in late medieval Ireland’ in Henning Laugerud and Laura Skinnebach (eds) Instruments of Devotion: the practices and objects of religious piety from the late Middle Ages to the 20th century. Aarhus: Aarhus University Press, 2007.

“‘New wine in old bottles”: implementing Trent in early modern Ireland’, in Thomas Herron and Michael Potterton (eds), Ireland in the Renaissance, c.1540-1660. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2007.

(With Madeleine Gray), ‘“Mother of Mercy”: the Virgin Mary and the Last Judgement in Welsh and Irish tradition’ in Karen Jankulak, Thomas O’ Loughlin and Jonathan Wooding (eds) Ireland and Wales in the Middle Ages. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2007.

‘Creation and Recreation in Irish bardic poetry’, in Sven Rune Havsteen, Nils Holger Petersen, Heinrich W. Schwab, and Eyolf Østrem (eds.), Creations: Medieval Rituals, the Arts and the Concept of Creation. Turnhout: Brepols, 2007.

‘From late medieval piety to Tridentine pietism? The case of 17th century Ireland’ in Fred Van Lieburg (ed.), Confessionalism and Pietism: Religious Reform in the Early Modern period. Veröfentlichungen des Instituts für Europäische Geschichte. Mainz: Verlag Philipp Von Zabern, 2006.

‘Exchanging blood for wine: Envisaging Heaven in Irish bardic religious poetry’, in Carolyn Muessig and Ad Putter (eds.), Envisaging Heaven in the Middle Ages. Abingdon: Routledge Press, 2006.

‘Windows on late medieval devotional practice: Máire Ní Mháille’s “Book of Piety” (1513) and the world behind the texts’, in Rachel Moss, Colmán Ó Clabaigh and Salvador Ryan (eds), Art and Devotion in late medieval Ireland. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2006.

‘The most traversed bridge: a reconsideration of elite and popular religion in late medieval Ireland’, in Kate Cooper and Jeremy Gregory (eds.), Popular and Elite religion: Studies in Church History 42. Woodbridge: Boydell and Brewer, 2006.

‘News and Good News: Christ in the marketplace’, in Joseph Putti (ed.), Time for change: connecting the Good News with contemporary living. Dublin: Veritas Publications, 2006.
‘Penitent’s Progress’, The Tablet, 11 June, 2005.

‘Steadfast saints or malleable models? : Seventeenth-century Irish hagiography revisited’, The Catholic Historical Review, 91:2 (April, 2005)
‘Resilient Religion: Popular Piety today’, The Furrow (March, 2005)

‘The Quest for tangible religion: a view from the pews’, The Furrow (July/August, 2004)

‘A slighted source: rehabilitating Irish bardic religious poetry in historical discourse’, Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies, 48 (winter, 2004)

‘Bonaventura Ó hEoghusa’s An Teagasg Críosdaidhe (1611/1614): a reassessment’, Archivium Hibernicum, lviii (2004)

‘The persuasive power of a mother’s breast: the most desperate act of the Virgin Mary’s Advocacy’, Studia Hibernica, 32 (2002–2003)
‘The most contentious of terms: towards a new understanding of late medieval “popular religion”’, Irish Theological Quarterly, 68, no.3 (Autumn 2003)
‘Reign of blood: devotion to the wounds of Christ in late medieval Ireland’ in Joost Augusteijn and Mary Ann Lyons (eds.), Irish History: a research yearbook. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2002.

FORTHCOMING
‘Continental Catechisms and their Irish Imitators in Spanish Habsburg Lands, c. 1550-c.1650’ in Raymond Gillespie and Ruairí Ó hUiginn (eds), Irish Europe: language, text and culture. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2011.

‘Late medieval cultural Catholicism’, in Oliver Rafferty (ed.), Irish Catholic Identities. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2011.

‘“No milkless cow”: the Cross of Christ in medieval Irish literature’, in Peter Clarke and Charlotte Methuen (eds.), The Church and Literature: Studies in Church History 48. Abingdon: Boydell Press, 2012.

‘Weapons of love / instruments of doom: the arma Christi in medieval and early modern Ireland’, in Lisa Cooper and Andrea Denny-Brown (eds), Arma Christi: Objects, Representation, and Devotional Practice in Medieval and Early Modern Culture.

‘Reconstructing Irish Catholic origins after the Reformation’, in Simon Ditchfield, Kate van Liere and Howard Louthan (eds), Sacred History: Visions of the Christian Past in the Renaissance World. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.

“Once I heard a story … from scripture does it come”: biblical allusions in Irish bardic religious poetry’, in Seán Duffy (ed.), Princes, prelates and poets in medieval Ireland: essays in honour of Katharine Simms. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2012.

(with Brendan Leahy), Treasures of Irish Christianity: People, Texts and Events. Dublin: Veritas Publications, 2012.

Book Reviews:
I have reviewed books for the following publications: Celtic Studies Association of North America Yearbook, Church History, Doctrine and Life, H-Net, Intercom, Irish Historical Studies, Irish Theological Quarterly, The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, Studia Hibernica, The Catholic Historical Review, The Furrow, The Sixteenth Century Journal.

Media Presentations:
Over the years I have contributed to projects and broadcasts for the BBC, TG4, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta and Newstalk’s Talking History.

Links and other interests
• http://www.enid.uib.no
• http://www.archiviumhibernicum.ie/
• http://itq.sagepub.com/
• http://www.history.ac.uk/ehsoc/
• http://www.maynoothcollege.ie/

Marie Russell taught Religious Education, Law and Business Studies at post-primary level. Marie has worked in industry and has taught as a volunteer in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Nigeria, West Africa.

Qualifications: BA (Legal Science & History); BA in Theology; MA; H. Dip in Education; Higher Diploma in the Teaching of Religion.

Modules: World Religions, The God Question, Christology & The Trinity.

Research Interests: - Religious pluralism & Interreligious dialogue

Contact Details: mrussell@stpats.ie

Mary has taught and administered at Second Level, lectured at UCC, MIC/UL, All Hallows College, Dublin, DBI Limerick, Dioceses of Kildare & Leighlin, Killaloe, Cork & Ross, and widely in the US. She acted as Editor of Intercom (Resource Magazine of the Irish Bishops’ Conference) 2003-2008. She continues to lecture on the Nostra Programme (MIC/UL) and to conduct Retreats and Workshops in Ireland and in the US. Mary enjoys writing academic papers and articles related to her work and research interests, and acts as a Reviewer for SBL. She is an active member of the Irish Biblical Association, the Catholic Biblical Association of America and the Society of Biblical Literature.

Qualifications: BA in French/Italian (London); BA in German/English (UCC); MA in Linguistics (UCC); MA in Biblical Studies (GTU Berkeley); Currently pursuing the Doctoral Programme at DBI/UL, Limerick.

Modules: Introduction to the Bible, Interpretation of the Bible, the Pentateuch and the Prophetic Literature on the B.A. (Honours) in Education, Business Studies/Irish & Religious Studies and on the B.A in Theology.

Research Interests: - The Pauline Corpus.
- Structure of Paul’s Letter to the Romans.
- Intertextuality.
- Johannine Studies.

Contact Details: mobrien@stpats.ie

Gerard is the Director of Catechetics in the Diocese of Cloyne. His principal role is to support and resource both primary and post-primary Religious Education teachers.

Qualifications: BA (St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth); BD, STL (Gregorian University, Rome); HDE (UCC); DD (Gregorian University, Rome)

Modules: The Spirituality of the Educator


Research Interests: - Christian Spirituality.
- Catechetics in Primary and Post-Primary School.
- Christology.
- Jungian psychology and the interpretation of dreams.
- The Myers Briggs Type Indicator.

Contact Details: gcondon@stpats.ie

Joe is currently ministering as curate in the parish of Moycarkey/Borris in Co. Tipperary. He is involved in various Adult Education Initiatives throughout the Archdiocese of Cashel & Emly. Joe is also a member of the Wellsprings Team, which provides training for Boards of Management in relation to Catholic Ethos for Primary Schools. He facilitates training for Parish Eucharistic Ministers & Readers.

Qualifications:
Certificate in Philosophy; B.A. in Theology; S.T.L

Modules:
The Moral Challenge; Virtue Ethics

Research Interests:
- Analysis of 100 years of Catholic Social Teaching
- The Crisis in Moral Theology as addressed by Veritatis Splendor

Contact Details:
joetynan@stpats.ie

Dr. Mary Shanahan teaches philosophy and religious studies on a full-time basis at the College. Mary has also taught philosophy and Religious Education at a number of other academic institutions including: Mater Dei Institute of Education, University College Dublin, National University of Ireland Maynooth, St. Patrick’s College Drumcondra, Oscail (Dublin City University) and Hibernia College.

Qualifications:

First Class Honours B. Rel. Ed. (Mater Dei Institute of Education, Dublin City University).
First Class Honours M.A. in Philosophy (University College Dublin).
Ph.D.: ‘The Wisdom of Love at the Service of Love: Mediated Transcendence in Plato and Levinas’ (University College Dublin)

Awards and Scholarships:

UCD Open Postgraduate Scholarship (2005)
UCD MacIntyre Scholarship (2009)

Teaching:

Communicating the Faith, Foundations and Approaches to Religious Education, Religious Education Methodologies, The God of Jesus Christ, The Religious Quest: Searching for Meaning and Values, Searching for Answers: Philosophical and Theological Responses, Teaching Practice

Research Interests:

Ancient Greek philosophy (especially Plato); phenomenology (especially Emmanuel Levinas); moral philosophy; feminist philosophy; philosophy of education; philosophy of religion; literary and critical theory (especially feminist and post-colonial literary theory); religious education.

Select Publications:

(i) Articles:
‘Responsible Reciprocity: Ethical Friendship in Plato and Levinas’. Yearbook of the Irish Philosophical Society, No. 10, (February 2010).
‘Sartre’s Humanist Existentialism: Existentialism and Humanism’, Teaching Religious Education, No. 2, (May 2008).
‘The Love of Wisdom and the Wisdom of Love’, Religion, Education and the Arts (R.E.A.), No. 5, (September 2005).

(ii) Book Reviews:
‘Review of Keith Ward’s More than Matter’, Irish Theological Quarterly (forthcoming, 2012)
‘Review of Keith Ward’s Is Religion Irrational?’, Irish Theological Quarterly (forthcoming, 2012)
‘Review of Murray Rae’s Kierkegaard and Theology’, Irish Theological Quarterly (forthcoming, 2012)
‘Review of Mary P. Nichol’s Socrates on Friendship and Community: Reflections on Plato’s Symposium, Phaedrus and Lysis’, Cambridge Classical Review, No. 61, (October, 2011)
‘Review of Phil Huston’s Martin Buber’s Journey to Presence’, Yearbook of the Irish Philosophical Society, No. 10 (February 2010).
‘Review of Patrick Masterson’s The Sense of Creation: Experience and the God Beyond’, Yearbook of the Irish Philosophical Society, No. 10 (February 2010).

(i) Chapters in Books:
‘Establishing an Ethical Community: Taylor and the Christian Self’, in Ian Leask, Eoin Cassidy, Alan Kearns, Fainche Ryan and Mary Shanahan, (eds.), The Taylor Effect: Responding to a Secular Age, (London: Cambridge Scholars Press, 2010).

(ii) Edited Books:
Ian Leask, Eoin Cassidy, Alan Kearns, Fainche Ryan and Mary Shanahan, (eds.), The Taylor Effect: Responding to a Secular Age, (London: Cambridge Scholars Press, 2010).

Conference Presentations:

Title: ‘Seeing the Site of Infinity: Plato and Levinas on Envisioning the Transcendent’. Conference: TCD & UCD Graduate Work in Progress Conference, Trinity College Dublin (April 2010).
Title: ‘Establishing an Ethical Community: Taylor and the Christian Self’. Conference: International Conference: ‘A Secular Age’: Tracing the Contours of Religion and Belief, Mater Dei Institute of Education, Dublin (June 2009).
Title: ‘To See or Not to See: Eyes, Seeing and Souls in Plato’s Philosophy’. Conference: Aspects of Vision, Mary Immaculate College, Limerick (July 2008).
Title: ‘Divinely Strange Embodiment: Mediation and the Transcendent in Plato and Levinas’. Conference: International Conference: Perspectives on the Body and Embodiment, University College Dublin (June 2007).
Title: ‘The Tracing of the Ethical Face in Levinas’ Philosophy of Alterity’. Conference: Mary Immaculate College Theology Graduate Research Conference, St. Patrick’s College, Thurles (March 2007).
Title: ‘Being and Non-Being in Plato’s Sophist and Jean-Paul Sartre’s Being and Nothingness’. Conference: National Irish Postgraduate Conference, Trinity College, Dublin (June 2005).

Professional Activities:

Member of the Council for Justice and Peace (formerly the ICJSA)
Member of the Irish Philosophical Society
Member of the Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy
Member of the British Society for Phenomenology
Member of the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain

E-mail: mshanahan@stpats.ie