James Walsh (4 February 1911 – 26 December 1977) was an Irish
hurler who played as a left wing-forward for the
Kilkenny
Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.
Kilken ...
senior team.
Born in
Ballyhale
Ballyhale () is a village in the south east of Ireland. Located in the south of County Kilkenny, south of the city of Kilkenny and roughly halfway to Waterford city.
The sport of hurling is popular in the area, and the local Gaelic Athletic ...
,
County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny ( gle, Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the cou ...
, Walsh first arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of twenty-one when he first linked up with the Kilkenny senior team. He made his debut during the
1932 championship. Walsh immediately became a regular member of the starting fifteen and won one
All-Ireland
All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...
medals, seven
Leinster
Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...
medals and eight
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
medals. The All-Ireland-winning captain in 1932, he was an All-Ireland runner-up on two occasions.
As a member of the
Leinster
Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...
inter-provincial team on a number of occasions, Walsh won two
Railway Cup
The GAA Interprovincial Championship ( ga, An Corn Idir-Chúigeach) or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster ...
medals. At club level he was a six-time
championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
medallist with
Carrickshock.
Walsh retired from inter-county hurling following the conclusion of the
1944 championship.
Playing career
Club
In 1928 Walsh was just seventeen-years-old when he was included as a key member of the
Carrickshock junior hurling team. That year he won a
Kilkenny Junior Hurling Championship
The J. J. Kavanagh & Sons Premier Junior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1905 for the third-tier hurling teams in the county of Kilkenny in I ...
medal in that grade, as Carrickshcok secured promotion to the senior ranks following a 2–3 to 1–2 defeat of
Wellbrook in the decider.
Three years later in 1931, Carrickshock reached the senior decider, having been runners-up in their inaugural senior championship campaign in 1929.
Urlingford
Urlingford () is a town, as well as a civil parish within the barony of Galmoy. It is located in the north west of County Kilkenny, along the boundary with County Tipperary, in Leinster, Ireland.
Access
The town lies on the R639. The M8 motorwa ...
provided the opposition on that occasion, however, a 5–8 to 3–8 victory gave Walsh his first
championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
medal.
Carrickshock lost the next four championship deciders, and it was 1938 before Walsh reached his next senior showpiece. A 2–5 to 1–5 defeat of
Éire Óg gave him a second championship medal.
Back-to-back titles proved beyond Carrickshock again in 1939, however, the team was back in a third successive decider the following year. A narrow 1–4 to 1–2 defeat of
Mullinavat
Mullinavat () is a town in south County Kilkenny, Ireland. Its main industries are tourism and agriculture. It has a renowned sporting history, particularly in hurling. The town's name in Irish translates as 'The Mill of the Stick' which, accor ...
gave Walsh a third championship medal.
Old rivals Éire Óg provided the opposition in the 1941 county final, however, Carrickshock finally retained the title following a one-point 4–5 to 3–7 victory. It was Walsh's fourth championship medal.
Carrickshock's great run of success continued in 1942 as the club qualified for a fifth successive final.
Threecastles, who were appearing in their first decider in thirty-five years, were the opponents, however, a 3–2 to 2–3 victory gave Walsh his fifth championship medal.
In 1943 Carrickshock set a remarkable record in Kilkenny hurling by winning a fourth successive championship. The 3–6 to 1–3 defeat of Mullinavat gave Walsh a sixth championship medal.
Five-in-a-row proved beyond Carrickshock, with the club losing the next three championship deciders. Walsh's last game for the club was the 1946 final defeat by
Thomastown
Thomastown (), historically known as Grennan, is a town in County Kilkenny in the province of Leinster in the south-east of Ireland. It is a market town along a stretch of the River Nore which is known for its salmon and trout, with a number of ...
.
Inter-county
Early successes
In 1932 Walsh joined the Kilkenny senior hurling team and had the honour of being appointed captain of the side in his inaugural season. He won his first
Leinster
Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...
medal that year following a 4–6 to 3–5 defeat of
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
. The All-Ireland final on 4 September 1932 saw
Clare Clare may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land
Australia
* Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley
* Clare Valley, South Australia
Canada
* Clare (electoral district), an electoral district
* Cl ...
provide the opposition for the first time in almost twenty years. In a low-scoring game, Clare's
Tull Considine
Turlough Owen "Tull" Considine (5 October 1898 – 7 July 1980) was an Irish hurler and Gaelic footballer who played for the Clare senior teams.
A talented dual player, Considine first played for the senior hurling team during the 1918 cha ...
scored two goals and was foiled for what would almost certainly have been a third. These goals were negated by Kilkenny's three goal-scoring heroes
Matty Power
Matthew "Matty" Power (18 October 1899 – 7 October 1965) was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling at various times with his local clubs Dicksboro and Garda. Power was also a member of the Kilkenny and Dublin senior inter-county team ...
,
Martin White and
Lory Meagher
Lorenzo Ignatius "Lory" Meagher (25 May 1899 – 17 May 1973) was an Irish hurler who played as a midfielder at senior level for the Kilkenny county team.
Born in Tullaroan, County Kilkenny, Meagher arrived on the inter-county scene at the ag ...
, who scored a remarkable goal from a line ball. The final score of 3–3 to 2–3 gave victory to Kilkenny and gave Walsh an
All-Ireland
All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...
medal while he also had the honour of lifting the
Liam MacCarthy Cup
The Liam MacCarthy Cup is a trophy awarded annually by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) to the team that wins the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the main competition in the prehistoric sport of hurling. Based on the design of a ...
. At 21 years and 222 days old, he remains one of the youngest All-Ireland-winning captains of all-time.
1933 saw Walsh add a
National Hurling League
The National Hurling League is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the l ...
medal to his collection following a 3–8 to 1–3 defeat of
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
. He later won a second Leinster medal following a stunning comeback against Dublin which produced a 7–5 to 2–5 victory. The All-Ireland final on 3 September 1933 saw a record crowd of 45,176 travel to
Croke Park
Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...
to see Kilkenny face and up-and-coming Limerick. After being level at the interval, the game remained close in the second half until a solo-run goal by
Johnny Dunne
Johnny Dunne (1 December 1903 – 7 September 1954) was an Irish hurler who played as a full-forward for the Kilkenny senior team.
Born in Bennettsbridge, County Kilkenny, Dunne first arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of twenty-thr ...
sealed a 1–7 to 0–6 victory. It was Walsh's second consecutive All-Ireland medal.
Continued dominance
After surrendering their provincial crown to Dublin in 1934, Kilkenny faced
Laois
County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from LoÃgis, a medie ...
in the decider again the following year. A 3–8 to 0–6 victory gave Walsh a third Leinster medal. Another record crowd gathered at Croke Park for the All-Ireland final between Kilkenny and Limerick on 1 September 1935. In spite of rain falling throughout the entire game both sides served up a classic. At the beginning of the second-half Lory Meagher sent over a huge point from midfield giving Kilkenny a lead which they wouldn't surrender. A narrow 2–5 to 2–4 victory gave Walsh a third All-Ireland medal.
Kilkenny dominated the provincial series again in 1936 and Walsh won his fourth Leinster medal following a 4–6 to 2–5 defeat of Laois. The lure of a Kilkenny-Limerick clash brought a record crowd of over 50,000 to Croke Park for the All-Ireland decider on 6 September 1936. The first half produced a game that lived up to the previous clashes, and Limerick had a two-point advantage at half-time.
Jackie Power
Jackie Power (30 May 1916 – 23 February 1994) was an Irish sportsperson. A renowned dual player, he played both hurling and Gaelic football with his local club Ahane and with the Limerick senior inter-county teams in both codes from 1935 ...
scored two first-half goals, while a solo-run goal by captain
Mick Mackey
Michael John Mackey (12 July 1912 – 13 September 1982) was an Irish hurler who played as a centre-forward at senior level for the Limerick county team.
Born in Castleconnell, County Limerick, Mackey first arrived on the inter-county scene a ...
in the second-half helped Limerick to a 5–6 to 1–5 victory.
After being dropped in 1937, Walsh was recalled to the team for Kilkenny's unsuccessful championship campaign in 1938. The following year he was appointed captain for the second time and won a fifth Leinster medal following a 2–12 to 4–3 defeat of reigning All-Ireland champions Dublin. The subsequent All-Ireland final with
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
on 3 September 1939 is regarded as one of the most famous championship deciders of all-time. The game was an exciting one with an explosive finish, as a spectacular thunderstorm lit up proceedings.
Willie Campbell landed a long-range free in the net for an equalising goal for Cork and a draw looked likely.
Terry Leahy
Sir Terence Patrick "Terry" Leahy (born 28 February 1956) is a British businessman, previously the CEO of Tesco, the largest British retailer and the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues.
He now lives in Cuffley, Hertfordsh ...
doubled on a
Paddy Phelan
Patrick Phelan (16 September 1910 – 7 December 1971) was an Irish hurler who played as a left wing-back for the Kilkenny senior team.
Born in Freshford, County Kilkenny, Phelan arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of twenty-one whe ...
70-yard free to secure the winning point for Kilkenny on the stroke of full-time. The 2–7 to 3–3 score line gave Kilkenny the victory and gave Walsh a fourth All-Ireland medal.
Decline
Walsh won a sixth Leinster medal in 1940 following a 3–6 to 2–5 defeat of Dublin. The All-Ireland decider on 1 September 1940 brought Kilkenny and Limerick together for the last great game between the two outstanding teams of the decade. Early in the second-half Kilkenny took a four-point lead, however, once captain Mick Mackey was deployed at midfield he proceeded to dominate the game. Limerick hung on to win the game on a score line of 3–7 to 1–7.
In 1943 Walsh collected his seventh and final Leinster medal following a 3–9 to 2–6 defeat of Dublin. Kilkenny were later defeated by
Antrim in the All-Ireland semi-final in one of the greatest hurling shocks of all-time.
A defeat by
Wexford
Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...
in the 1944 Leinster semi-final brought the curtain down on Walsh's inter-county career.
Inter-provincial
In 1933 Walsh was at right wing-forward on the Leinster team that faced fierce rivals
Munster
Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rà ruirech). Following the ...
in the inter-provincial final. A thrilling contest resulted in a narrow 3–6 to 2–6 victory for Leinster, and a first
Railway Cup
The GAA Interprovincial Championship ( ga, An Corn Idir-Chúigeach) or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster ...
medal for Walsh.
After back-to-back successes for the southern province, Leinster were back in the decider once again in 1936. A narrow one-point 2–8 to 3–4 victory gave Walsh a second Railway Cup medal.
Honours
Player
;Carrickshock
*
Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship
The Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the St Canice's Credit Union Senior Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Kilkenny SHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Kilkenny County Board of ...
(6): 1931, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943
*
Kilkenny Junior Hurling Championship
The J. J. Kavanagh & Sons Premier Junior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1905 for the third-tier hurling teams in the county of Kilkenny in I ...
(1): 1928
;Kilkenny
*
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship, known simply as the All-Ireland Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurling competition i ...
(4):
1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
(c),
1933
Events
January
* January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand.
* January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...
,
1935
Events
January
* January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims.
* ...
,
1939
This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history.
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1
** Third Reich
*** Jews are forbidden to ...
(c)
*
Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
The Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Leinster Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurl ...
(7):
1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
,
1933
Events
January
* January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand.
* January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...
,
1935
Events
January
* January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims.
* ...
,
1936
Events
January–February
* January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...
,
1939
This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history.
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1
** Third Reich
*** Jews are forbidden to ...
,
1940
A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280.
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
*January ...
(c),
1943
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured.
* January 4 – ...
(c)
*
National Hurling League
The National Hurling League is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the l ...
(1):
1932–33
;Leinster
*
Railway Cup
The GAA Interprovincial Championship ( ga, An Corn Idir-Chúigeach) or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster ...
(6): 1933, 1936
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walsh, Jimmy
1911 births
1977 deaths
Carrickshock hurlers
Kilkenny inter-county hurlers
Leinster inter-provincial hurlers
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners
People from Ballyhale