Ruth Marshall – författare

After an explosion of conversions to Pentecostalism over the past three decades, tens of millions of Nigerians now claim that 'Jesus is the answer'. But if Jesus is the answer, what is the question? What led to the movement's dramatic rise and how can we make sense of its social and political significance? In this ambitiously interdisciplinary study, Ruth Marshall draws on years of fieldwork and grapples with a host of important thinkers - including Foucault, Agamben, Arendt, and Benjamin - to answer these questions. To account for the movement's success, Marshall explores how Pentecostalism presents the experience of being born again as a chance for Nigerians to realize the promises of political and religious salvation made during the colonial and post colonial eras. Her astute analysis of this religious trend sheds light on Nigeria's contemporary politics, post colonial statecraft, and the everyday struggles of ordinary citizens coping with poverty, corruption, and inequality.Pentecostalism's rise is truly global, and "Political Spiritualities" persuasively argues that Nigeria is a key case in this phenomenon while calling for new ways of thinking about the place of religion in contemporary politics.

County Limerick is a place of kings and commoners. It is where Donn Fírinne, king of the Munster fairies, is said to have once roamed and where Sean na Scuab, a poor broom seller from the wrong side of the river, was chosen to be mayor of the city. It is a land filled with stories, poetry, music and drama. In these pages you can read about Sionainn, who was carried away by the flowing waters of the River Shannon; the bright and beautiful goddess Áine, the fairy queen, who knits the earth’s green mantle below Lough Gur; Finn MacCool and his band of warri ors, the Fianna; the wise woman Joan Grogan and her ingenious cures; foolish Tadhg who outwitted a gang of thieves; and the poet-magician, Gearóid Iarla, on his horse with silver shoes. In this unique collection, storyteller Ruth Marshall recounts tales of mystery, music and magic from across the rich tapestry of the folklore of County Limerick.

Do you know what lurks in the waters of Cullaun Lake? Or why a Clare woman should never, ever, be disturbed while she is knitting? These questions and more will be answered in this unique collection of traditional tales from across the county, which explores Clare’s rich heritage of myths and legends. We will hear the tales of well-known figures, including Cúchulainn, Brian Boru and Clare wise-woman Biddy Early, as well as lesser-known characters such as Grian, Daughter of the Sun, and the Hag of Bealaha. Also featured are fantastic stories of mythical creatures and underwater worlds, including the Newhall mermaid, the fairies of Glandree, and the sunken city of Kilstiofeen. Clare’s varied and vivid landscape, from its ancient oak woodlands and soft drumlin country in the east, to its rugged and windswept Atlantic coastline in the west, is reflected in this tantalising selection of tales collected and retold by local storyteller Ruth Marshall.