Dr Liam Chambers, Head of the Department of History at Mary Immaculate College, has been honoured with the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes académiques—France’s oldest honorific order—in a special ceremony at Limerick City Hall.
On 5 November, presided over by Mayor of Limerick, John Moran, the new Ambassador of France to Ireland, Her Excellency Céline Place, presented Dr Chambers with the insignia of Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes académiques (‘Knight in the Order of Academic Palms’), which was first created in 1808 by Emperor Napoleon.
Since 1955, the ‘Academic Palms’ are awarded by the French Republic to recognise exceptional achievements in the field of education and Dr Chambers was one of three Limerick residents to receive this prestigious distinction during the ceremony.
Upon presenting Dr Chambers with his medal and award certificate signed by the French Prime Minister, Ambassador Place said: “Dr Liam Chambers, your remarkable voluntary dedication is evident in your involvement with events organised or supported by the French Embassy in Ireland, where you stand out as a high-quality interlocutor. At the request of our Honorary Consul in Limerick, you agreed to assist in the creation and co-chairing of the Wild Geese Expert Group in 2021. This group brings together researchers studying the history of the Wild Geese, the thousands of Irish soldiers who served in the French armies between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries.
A year later, you played a key role as co-organiser of the Wild Geese symposium at the 2022 Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival, for which you obtained an IRC New Foundation grant and received a Shannon Region Ambassador Award. Last year, in Enniscorthy, my predecessor had the pleasure of participating in a panel discussion you moderated on the impact of the French Revolution on the Irish rebels of 1798. I thank you for your contribution to this manifestation of Franco-Irish friendship, honouring our shared values of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law rooted in history.”
Commenting on his award, Liam said: “I am deeply honoured to receive this award. I would particularly like to thank the Ambassador of France to Ireland, Her Excellency Céline Place, and my colleague, Dr Loïc Guyon, who has worked tirelessly to promote Irish-French links, as well as a greater awareness of the historical connections between Ireland and France.”
