Thomas Joseph Walsh (20 November 1911 – 8 November 1988) was an Irish doctor, writer, and founder and director of the Wexford Opera Festival.Boydell, B.: "Walsh, T(homas) J(oseph)", in: '' New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' (London and New York: Macmillan, 1997).

Life

Walsh was born in

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 ...

, Ireland, and graduated in medicine from

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 33,284 student ...

in 1944. During his years in Dublin he took singing lessons from Adelio Viani at the

Royal Irish Academy of Music The Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) in Dublin, Ireland, is one of Europe's oldest music conservatoires, specialising in classical music and the Irish harp. It is located in a Georgian building on Westland Row in Dublin. An institution whic ...

. In 1972, he completed a Ph.D. at Trinity College, Dublin, the thesis becoming the basis for his 1973 book on ''Opera in Dublin''. He became chairman and artistic director of the Wexford Festival in 1951 and established its international recognition over 15 years while still working as an

anaesthetist Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology, or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine ...

at Wexford County Hospital. Known locally as "Doctor Tom" he "inspired great affection, admiration, and, given his great learning, even a measure of awe".Obituary in ''Opera'' magazine, January 1989, p. 38.

Writings

Walsh wrote several books relating to opera, covering 18th century Dublin, opera in Monte Carlo and the

Théâtre Lyrique The Théâtre Lyrique was one of four opera companies performing in Paris during the middle of the 19th century (the other three being the Opéra, the Opéra-Comique, and the Théâtre-Italien). The company was founded in 1847 as the Opér ...

in Paris: *''Opera in Old Dublin, 1819–1838'' (Wexford: The Free Press, 1952) *''Opera in Dublin, 1705-1797: the Social Scene'' (Dublin: Allen Figgis, 1973) *''Monte Carlo Opera, 1879–1909'' (Dublin: Gill and Macmillan, 1975); *''Second Empire Opera: The Théâtre Lyrique Paris 1851–1870'' (London: John Calder & New York: Riverrun Press, 1981); *''Opera in Dublin, 1798–1820: Frederick Jones and the Crow Street Theatre'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993);

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walsh, Thomas Joseph 1911 births 1989 deaths 20th-century Irish medical doctors 20th-century musicologists Alumni of University College Dublin Irish musicologists Opera managers People from County Wexford