Dr Paul Ryan, lecturer at SETU, was recently conferred with the rank of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes académiques (Knight of the Order of Academic Palms) by official decree of the Ministry of Education in Paris and the French government.
The decoration, instituted by Napoleon in 1808 and the medallion of which remains unchanged since its creation, constitutes the oldest civil honour bestowed by the French Republic and is awarded to distinguished academics in the field of culture, letters, and science. The insignia was presented on behalf of the French Minister of Education by Her Excellence Madame Céline Place, Ambassador of France to Ireland.
“Through your outstanding scholarship, your love of French letters, and your role in the exchange between Ireland and France, you are the true embodiment of the Academic Palms. Today, France expresses its deep gratitude to you by bestowing this honour.”
Madame Céline Place Ambassador of France to Ireland
"Dr Ryan’s award of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes académiques is a wonderful achievement and a testament to his extensive body of publications and research in French literature, most particularly on the life and work of Paul Valéry. We are very fortunate to have his expertise at SETU, which undoubtedly enriches the learning environment for both students and researchers alike.”
Professor Veronica Campbell President of SETU
Dr Ryan developed a long career as a lecturer, researcher, and translator. It began with his postgraduate studies, funded by a French Government Scholarship to the University of Nice, and then his PhD by Swiss Government Scholarship to the University of Geneva. These were followed by numerous Ulysses bursaries as well as post-doctoral funding and fellowships from the Royal Irish Academy, the CNRS (Centre National de Recherche Scientifique, the French state research organisation), the Irish Research Council (IRCHSS), the Sorbonne Université, and the British Academy.
"I am deeply honoured to receive this Order, and I am very grateful to the French Republic for bestowing such a prestigious award.”
Dr Paul Ryan
Dr Ryan’s research specialty is the work of Paul Valéry. Having been invited in 1999 to become a member of the CNRS (ITEM), affiliated to the École Normale Supérieure, he published numerous volumes of Valéry’s work with Editions Gallimard, while working as part of a specialised team that translated these works in three volumes into English (Notebooks).
Additionally, Dr Ryan has published his own books with Classiques Garnier Paris and Peter Lang (Frankfurt). His most recent book Paul Valéry Collected Verse appeared in the Oxford World’s Classics series of Oxford University Press last year and was reviewed in the Times Literary Supplement (London), the world’s premier journal for literature and ideas. A major volume of correspondence, which he undertook as the request of the Valéry estate, will appear later this year.
Dr Ryan is a lecturer on SETU’s Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Arts degree, specialising in French literature, ideas, culture, and language.
