Introduction
Val Noone is an Australian historian who has written extensively on social history and has a particular interest in the history of the Irish language in the south-east of Australia in its social, cultural and linguistic aspects. He is an Honorary Fellow of the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies atthe University of Melbourne.
He acquired a degree in Biblical studies, philosophy and theology at Corpus Christi College in Melbourne, and did his doctoral thesis on religious attitudes to war. He spent a number of years as a Catholic priest and retains a strong interest in the social history of the Church.
He has published many books, articles and reviews, and has been a co-contributor to historical articles in Irish published by the Irish journal Feasta. He is a member of the Irish Language Association of Australia and was the editor of Táin, the magazine of the Irish Australian Network, which ceased publication in 2007. His most notable recent work is Hidden Ireland in Victoria, an overview of the history of the Irish language in the State of Victoria, Australia.
He was awarded a medal of the Order of Australia in June 2009.
In 2013 the Senate of the National University of Ireland (NUI) conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Literature, honoris causa, for his contribution to Irish Studies in Australia.
Selected publications
- 'Michael Davitt, Melbourne and the Labour Movement,' in Australian Journal of Irish Studies, Vol. 6, pp 25-42
- 'Printers and New Technology around 1980: an Age Proof Reader's View' in The Time of Their Lives - The Eight Day and Working Life, J. Kimber, P. Love (eds.), Australian Society for the Study of Labour History (Canberra) 2007
- Disturbing the War: Melbourne Catholics and Vietnam, Melbourne, Spectrum 1993
- 'An Irish Rebel in Victoria: Charles Gavan Duffy, Selectors, Squatters and Aborigines' in Echoes of Irish Australia - Rebellion to Republic, J. Brownrigg, C. Mongan, R. Reid (eds.), National Library of Australia (Canberra) 2007
- 'Nioclás Ó Domhnaill: Laoch na Gaeilge san Astráil' (with Colin Ryan) in Feasta, Bealtaine 2009
- 'Ór agus Adhmad: Éireannaigh Bungaree' (with Mary Doyle and Colin Ryan) in Feasta, Márta 2012.
- Hidden Ireland in Victoria, Ballarat Heritage Services 2012