Mr Ryan was honoured alongside diplomat Frances Collins, Martin Cotter, chief business units officer and president, EMEA, at Analog Devices and investigative journalist Derek Bowler.

Mr Ryan graduated with an LLB from the University of Limerick in 2005 and worked for a number of years as a labour inspector for the National Employment Rights Authority, investigating regulatory offences by employers, before turning to writing full time.

His debut novel, The Spinning Heart (2012) won the Guardian First Book Award and the European Union Prize for Literature, was longlisted for the Booker Prize, and was named Irish Book of the Decade in 2016. He was again longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2018 for From a Low and Quiet Sea, which later won the Prix Jean Monnet de Littérature Européenne.

His novel Be at Peace won both Novel of the Year and overall Book of the Year at the 2024 Irish Book Awards, before receiving the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction in 2025. His latest novel, Where Are The Kings, was published in August 2026 and topped the Irish bestseller charts.

University of Limerick president Professor Shane Kilcommins said: “Tonight marks the nineteenth year of this prestigious programme, a tradition that has celebrated extraordinary graduates since 2006. Over that period, more than 60 alumni have been honoured, each reflecting the values, ambition and impact that define University of Limerick. Tonight, we add four more distinguished names to that remarkable list.

“These awards are about achievement, certainly. But they are also about inspiration.

“They remind our current students of what is possible. They demonstrate the enduring value of education. They highlight the difference that one individual can make in their community, profession, country and, in many cases, the wider world.”