We marked the retirement of Dr Mary Noonan, Senior Lecturer in French, on Wednesday 11 September with a gathering of colleagues and friends in the Staff Common Room. Mary's many contributions to UCC life and to the department were noted, most recently as Head of French. Her active and brilliant research career, her creative life as a poet and author, and the esteem in which she is held by students and colleagues in UCC and far beyond were very clear, as we listened to speeches given by current and former colleagues and the Head of the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences. We in the Department of French warmly wish Mary all the very best for her retirement and thank her for her substantial contribution over the past three decades, her care for our students and her collegiality.