User:Catherine Orman/sandbox

Later Life and Death
There is limited information concerning Mary Ryan's later life and death, however, she officially retired from her career as the Professor of Romance Languages at University College Cork in 1938, at the age of 65, after teaching for 28 years. Ryan had built herself a reputation as a skilled academic and teacher, as well as for sending multiple of her students to Sorbonne University.

Much of Ryan’s academic work was published in her later life, post her 1938 retirement. Ryan wrote and published multiple academic pieces during her lifetime, which are housed in the National Library of Ireland. Much of Ryan’s work was published in the ‘Studies: an Irish quarterly review,’ which was founded in March 1912 by the Irish Jesuits. Mary Ryan published scholarly books in this quarterly review, such as “A German Nun at the Reformation,” published in 1913, “Some impressions of Albania,” published in 1939 and “Paul Claudel,” published in 1955. One particular book which Ryan published in 1921, was “A Dante Discovery.” According to University College Cork’s own blog, Ryan travelled to Florence in 1897, where she purchased for herself a copy of La Divina commedia di Dante Alighieri with commentary by Scartazzini. From this, one might deduce that Mary Ryan was interested in the work of Dante.

Mary Ryan’s death certificate reveals that she was documented as having passed away at the age of 88, as a retired university professor, on the sixteenth of June 1961 in Douglas, Co. Cork. Parts of Ryan’s cause of death as registered on her death certificate are somewhat illegible, however it was organ failure of some kind. Moreover, it was documented on Ryan’s death certificate that she suffered from senile decay. Senile decay is an archaic medical term, which referred to ongoing decay of mental capacity, often leading to dementia. Modern medical terminology assumes that senile decay was used to refer to what is now called Alzheimer’s. Ryan’s death was reported by a family member named Robert F. Ryan, who was also documented as being present at Mary Ryan’s death. Interestingly, Mary Ryan’s death certificate also reveals that Ryan never married. Perhaps worthy of mention, is that Ryan’s death certificate is certified, meaning that her death certificate may be used for legal purposes.

In regards to obituaries published at the time of her death, Mary Ryan was barely acknowledged for her academic accomplishments, whereas the accomplishments of her brothers and fellow male colleagues were referenced to a great extent.