It may have passed through the county in the blink of an eye, but the Tour de France has had a lasting impact on Co Wexford.
The "buzz" from the tour and the 1798 bi-centenary commemorations provided the fillip for a major adult learning programme, "Focus on French Culture", started in Enniscorthy last week.
Language courses are just one element of the programme, which draws on a vast amount of documentation and other material, much of it purchased over the past 12 months by the Wexford County Librarian, Ms Fionnuala Hanrahan.
Users of the county's libraries will now have access to a wide range of modern French literature, from "easy reads" to titles for fluent speakers. "Given the high regard that many Irish writers, among them Wexford's John Banville, enjoy in France, it's only right that we should return the compliment with an investigation of their contemporary writers," Ms Hanrahan said.
The information collections available are not restricted to books and audio-visual materials, however. Under the heading "French Culture on the World Wide Web", libraries in Wexford will recommend Internet sites.
They include news sites to help people with language-learning and business interests, travel sites for those planning holidays and sites with links to local radio for students working on colloquial vocabulary and pronunciation.
Among those likely to use the service is the Wexford County Council chairman, Mr Sean Doyle, who told guests at the launch of the programme that, despite being a regular visitor to France, he was far from fluent. "I'm also told my French-speaking accent is dreadful," he joked.
He learned a costly lesson in the company of his daughter, Noelle, who taught him in a restaurant how to say: edition, "L'addition, s'il vous plait". He didn't realise, he admitted, that he was asking for the bill, "and that it was intended that I should pay".
Most of the material available under the "Focus on French Culture" programme is being held at Enniscorthy library, but it is obtainable on request to library-users throughout the county. Brochures outlining the services on offer are also available.