Val Noone was educated at De La Salle College, Malvern, Victoria, and at Corpus Christi College, Werribee and Glen Waverley, Victoria. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Melbourne in 1964.
After several years in the ministry, Noone left the priesthood and devoted himself to community work. He also continued his academic interests. Among his publications is a study of Melbourne Catholics and the Vietnam War, Disturbing the War (Spectrum, 1993), based on his doctoral dissertation.
Noone is a Fellow in the School of Historical Studies at the University of Melbourne, and was the founder, editor and publisher of Táin, the magazine of the Australian Irish Network.
In 2012, Noone was learning the Irish language.
