Willie Walsh (hurler, born 1888)

Willie Walsh
Personal information
Irish name Liam Breathnach
Sport Hurling
Position Corner-back
Born 26 September 1888
Little Island, Cork, Ireland
Died 21 April 1964 (aged 75)
South Infirmary, Cork, Ireland
Nickname Bowler
Occupation Train guard
Club(s)
Years Club
Sarsfields
Club titles
Cork titles 0
Inter-county(ies)
Years County
1910-1916
Cork
Inter-county titles
Munster titles 2
All-Irelands 0

William Walsh (26 September 1888 – 21 April 1964) was an Irish hurler, selector and Gaelic games administrator. At club level he played with Sarsfields and was also a member of the Cork senior hurling team. He usually lined out as a corner-back.

Career

[edit]

Born in Little Island, Walsh first came to prominence as a hurler with the Sarsfields club in nearby Glanmire. He first appeared on the inter-county scene as a member of the Cork senior hurling team during the 1910 Munster Championship. Walsh was a regular member of the team over the following few seasons and won two Munster Championship medals. He also lined out in All-Ireland final defeats by Kilkenny in 1912 and Laois in 1915.[1] Walsh's last game for Cork was the 1916 Munster final defeat by Tipperary.

Post-playing career

[edit]

Walsh was the Sarsfields representative on the Cork County Board for a number of years and was Cork’s Munster Council representative from 1931 to 1939. He was elected vice-chairman of the Cork County Board in 1937 before serving as chairman from 1941 to 1946 when he was defeated in an election at the County Convention.[2] Walsh's tenure as chairman saw the Cork senior team claim five All-Ireland Championships in six seasons, including a record-breaking four-in-a-row. He was a selector for the title wins in 1941, 1943 and 1944.[3] After being defeated for the chairmanship Walsh served one more year on the General Purposes Committee before standing down from his administrative duties.

Personal life

[edit]

Walsh's niece married Willie Cummins, who had also lined out with the Cork senior hurling team. His grandnephews, Kevin, Ray and Brendan, all lined out with Cork at various levels from the 1960s until the 1980s. The Cork Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship cup is named in Walsh's honour.[4]

Honours

[edit]

Player

[edit]

Selector

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Kilkenny's search for three-in-a-rows". Hogan Stand. 1 September 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Board officers". Cork GAA website. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  3. ^ Hannigan, Dave (14 January 2021). "Looking after needs of players was key for Cork hurling legend Tough Barry". Echo Live. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Cork GAA cups and trophies". Cork GAA website. Retrieved 25 August 2021.