SETU lecturer is given the oldest civil honour bestowed by French Republic

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.

Madame Place said, “Today, France expresses its deep gratitude to you by bestowing this honour.” 

President of SETU, Professor Veronica Campbell, said: “We are very fortunate to have his expertise at SETU, which undoubtedly enriches the learning environment for both students and researchers alike.” 

Dr Ryan’s research speciality is the work of Paul Valéry, a French poet, essayist and philosopher. Valéry was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature twelve times. 

Dr Ryan has published numerous volumes of Valéry’s work and is part of a specialised team that translated these works into three volumes in English.

Additionally, Dr Ryan has published his own books. 

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.

Dr Ryan said, "I am deeply honoured to receive this Order, and I am very grateful to the French Republic for bestowing such a prestigious award.” Dr Ryan is a lecturer on SETU’s Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Arts degree, specialising in French literature, ideas, culture, and language.