Hertford Honorary Fellow Paul Muldoon awarded Ulysses Medal

14 October 2026

We’re delighted to congratulate Hertford Honorary Fellow and internationally acclaimed poet Paul Muldoon on receiving the Ulysses Medal, the highest honour bestowed by University College Dublin.

This prestigious award recognises individuals whose work has made an outstanding global contribution.

One of the most celebrated poets of his generation, Paul has published more than a dozen collections of poetry and received numerous literary accolades, including the Pulitzer Prize, the T.S. Eliot Prize, the Griffin International Poetry Prize and the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry.

Born in County Armagh in 1951, Paul studied at Queen’s University Belfast, where he became part of the influential Belfast Group of poets alongside Seamus Heaney. His distinguished academic career includes serving as Professor of Poetry at the University of Oxford from 1999 to 2004, and many years teaching at Princeton University. He was also Ireland Professor of Poetry from 2022 to 2025.

The Ulysses Medal was established in 2005 to celebrate the creative brilliance of author James Joyce. Speaking about the award, Paul described it as ‘a terrific thrill to have this medal’. He also spoke of his admiration for James Joyce and Ulysses, describing the latter as ‘probably my favourite book’.