William Joseph Walsh (30 January 1841 – 9 April 1921) served as the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin from 3 July 1885 until his death in 1921.

Early life and priestly ministry

He was born at 11 Essex Quay in Dublin, the only child of Ralph and Mary Perce Walsh. His father was a watchmaker and jeweler. William inherited his sympathy for Irish nationalism and independence from his father, who had the boy enrolled in the

Repeal Association The Repeal Association was an Irish mass membership political movement set up by Daniel O'Connell in 1830 to campaign for a repeal of the Acts of Union of 1800 between Great Britain and Ireland. The Association's aim was to revert Ireland to th ...

before he was two years old. William was educated locally at Mr Fitzpatrick's School on Peter St. and at St. Laurence O’Toole Seminary School, Harcourt St, Dublin. In 1856, he went to the

Catholic University of Ireland The Catholic University of Ireland (CUI; ga, Ollscoil Chaitliceach na hÉireann) was a private Catholic university in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1851 following the Synod of Thurles in 1850, and in response to the Queen's University o ...

and three years later St. Patrick's College, Maynooth where he became Professor of Theology in 1867. He was appointed vice-president of Maynooth in 1878 and president in 1880. A poor preacher, he made the press his pulpit, and made a name for himself in the areas of land law and education.

Archbishop

The Land issue divided the Irish hierarchy. Walsh supported agrarian reform on behalf of the rural population. Walsh was openly sympathetic to

Irish nationalism Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cu ...

, and an advocate of both

Home Rule Home rule is government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governance wit ...

and agrarian land reform. It was his support for this movement, led by

Michael Davitt Michael Davitt (25 March 184630 May 1906) was an Irish republican activist for a variety of causes, especially Home Rule and land reform. Following an eviction when he was four years old, Davitt's family migrated to England. He began his caree ...

, which made the Vatican honour Michael Logue in Armagh with the dignity of Cardinal in 1893 rather than Walsh in Dublin. Walsh served on the Senate of the

Royal University of Ireland The Royal University of Ireland was founded in accordance with the ''University Education (Ireland) Act 1879'' as an examining and degree-awarding university based on the model of the University of London. A Royal Charter was issued on 27 Apri ...

(1883–4) and as part of the Commission of National Education (1885–1901). He was appointed Chancellor of the newly founded

National University of Ireland The National University of Ireland (NUI) ( ga, Ollscoil na hÉireann) is a federal university system of ''constituent universities'' (previously called ''university college, constituent colleges'') and ''recognised colleges'' set up under t ...

in 1908, a position he held until he died, after which he was succeeded by

Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (, ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was a prominent Irish statesman and political leader. He served several terms as head of governm ...

. Walsh has been described as "the greatest archbishop of Dublin since

Laurence O'Toole Laurence is an English and French given name (usually female in French and usually male in English). The English masculine name is a variant of Lawrence and it originates from a French form of the Latin ''Laurentius'', a name meaning "man from ...

.Dorgan, Carol. "To Tell Our Story is to Praise God", Little Sisters of the Assumption, 2016
/ref> Walsh Road in

Drumcondra, Dublin Drumcondra () is a residential area and inner suburb on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is administered by Dublin City Council. The River Tolka and the Royal Canal flow through the area. History The village of Drumcondra was the central a ...

is named after him.

Publications

Walsh wrote: the following texts: * ''A Plain Exposition of the Irish Land Act of 1881'' (1881). * ''The Queen's Colleges and the Royal University of Ireland'' (1883–1884). * ''The Irish University Question'' (1897). * ''Trinity College and the University of Dublin'' (1902). * ''Trinity College and its Medical School'' (1906). * ''Harmony of the Gospel Narratives of the Passion, Resurrection and Ascension of Our Blessed Lord'' (1907)

References

External links

Chancellors of the NUI
– National University of Ireland website
William Walsh (1885–1921)
– Dublin Diocese website {{DEFAULTSORT:Walsh, William Joseph 1841 births People from County Dublin Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth 19th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Ireland Roman Catholic archbishops of Dublin 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Ireland Presidents of St Patrick's College, Maynooth Chancellors of the National University of Ireland 1921 deaths Burials at Glasnevin Cemetery