Frankie Walsh
Encyclopedia
Frankie Walsh is a retired Irish
sportsperson. He played hurling
with his local club Mount Sion from 1955 until 1974 and was a member of the Waterford
senior inter-county team from 1956 until 1969. Walsh captained Waterford to the All-Ireland
title in 1959.
, a distant relative, and others from the 1948 All-Ireland winning team. The year after this great victory Walsh began hurling with Mount Sion CBS in the street leagues in the city. He captured his very first medal that same year when defeating Roanmore in the street league final. In 1953 Walsh was a key member of the Mount Sion team that competed in the prestigious Dr. Harty Cup
competition. Mount Sion defeated St. Flannans College of Ennis
in the final to take the title. Walsh later worked as a welder in his native Waterford.
with the famous Mount Sion club in Waterford and enjoyed much success. He first came to prominence with the club as a member of the Mount Sion minor hurling team. He won a county title
in this grade in 1953, however, Ballygunner
stole the title from Walsh's side in 1954. Walsh made it onto the Mount Sion senior panel in 1954 and although the club won the senior championship that year he didn’t receive a medal. A year later however he won his very first county title at senior level as Mount Sion defeated a really good Abbeyside team in the county final. It was the start of an unprecedented run of success for the Mount Sion club as Walsh collected seven county medals in-a-row. Mount Sion's great run came to an end in the county final of 1962 when Erin's Own
claimed the victory. Walsh, however, won a three in-a-row of county titles in 1963, 1964 and 1965. He won further county honours in 1969 and 1972 and retired from club hurling in 1974. Walsh also won three county football titles with Mount Sion in the 1950s.
minor hurling team, however, he had little success in this grade. He subsequently made his debut for the senior team in a National Hurling League
relegation game against Kilkenny
and later made his championship debut against Cork in 1956. Ironically, Walsh’s first championship game could easily have been his last as he received a fractured skull from a swinging hurley. He had to spend over a month in hospital, however, he made a great recovery.
In spite of his injury Walsh was back on the team again in 1957. That year he lined out in his first provincial decider with reigning champions Cork providing the opposition. Waterford were the underdogs going into the game, however, at the long whistle Walsh ended up with a Munster
title following a 1-11 to 1-6 victory. The men from the déise later lined out in the ALl-Ireland final with Kilkenny
providing the opposition. Over 70,000 spectators turned up at Croke Park
to see an exciting game of hurling. With fifteen minutes left in the game Waterford led by six points. Two quick goals for 'the Cats', together with a great point by captain Mickey Kelly reversed the trend and gave Kilkenny a 4-10 to 3-12 victory.
Waterford lost their provincial crown in 1958, however, the team bounced back in 1959 with Walsh, who was now captain of the side, collecting a second Munster title followinga 3-9 to 2-9 win over Cork. Once again Waterford subsequently lined out in the championship decider and, once again, Kilkenny provided the opposition. The game was another exciting affair and with ninety seconds left in the game Kilkenny were ahead by three points. Just then Séamus Power
scored the equalising point to force a 1-17 to 5-5 draw. The replay was another great game with both sides giving it their all. Waterford score dthree goals in the opening thirty minutes while Walsh scored a spectacular eighth point to help his side to a 3-12 to 1-10 win. It was his first, and only, All-Ireland
medal while he also had the honour of collecting the Liam McCarthy Cup
.
Four years later in 1963 Walsh added a National Hurling League medal to his collection before winning a third Munster title following a victory over the great Tipperary
team of the decade. For the third successive time Kilkenny turned out to be Waterford’s opponents in the subsequent All-Ireland final. Things weren't going well for Walsh's side and at one stage Waterford were eleven points in arrears. The men from the déise clawed back this deficit to two points, however, an expert display by Eddie Keher
proved the difference as Kilkenny won by 4-17 to 6-8.
Walsh continued playing with Waterford until 1969, however, apart from a Munster final appearance in 1966 he enjoyed no further success.
in the inter-provincial hurling competition and enjoyed much success. He first lined out with his province in 1957 and collected a coveted Railway Cup medal that year as Munster defeated arch-rivals Leinster
. Walsh was captain of the side in 1960 as Leinster were accounted for again in Railway Cup final. It was the first of two in-a-row for the southern province and for Walsh. After defeat in 1962 he collected two more Railway Cup medals in 1963 and 1966.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
sportsperson. He played hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
with his local club Mount Sion from 1955 until 1974 and was a member of the Waterford
Waterford GAA
The Waterford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Waterford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for all levels of Gaelic games in County Waterford. The County Board is also responsible for the Waterford inter-county teams. The county...
senior inter-county team from 1956 until 1969. Walsh captained Waterford to the All-Ireland
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....
title in 1959.
Biography
Frankie Walsh was born in the city of Waterford in 1936. He showed a great interest in the game of hurling as a dand was hugely influenced by the great John KeaneJohn Keane (hurler)
John Keane was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Mount Sion and with the Waterford senior inter-county team in the 1930s and 1940s...
, a distant relative, and others from the 1948 All-Ireland winning team. The year after this great victory Walsh began hurling with Mount Sion CBS in the street leagues in the city. He captured his very first medal that same year when defeating Roanmore in the street league final. In 1953 Walsh was a key member of the Mount Sion team that competed in the prestigious Dr. Harty Cup
Dr. Harty Cup
The Dr. Harty Cup is a hurling competition for schools in the province of Munster in Ireland. The cup is presented to the winners of the Munster Colleges Senior "A" Hurling Championship. Players have to be under the age of 19 to compete. The winning team represents Munster in the Dr. Croke Cup...
competition. Mount Sion defeated St. Flannans College of Ennis
Ennis
Ennis is the county town of Clare in Ireland. Situated on the River Fergus, it lies north of Limerick and south of Galway. Its name is a shortening of the original ....
in the final to take the title. Walsh later worked as a welder in his native Waterford.
Club
Walsh played his club hurlingHurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
with the famous Mount Sion club in Waterford and enjoyed much success. He first came to prominence with the club as a member of the Mount Sion minor hurling team. He won a county title
Waterford Minor Hurling Championship
The Waterford Minor Hurling Championship is a hurling competition played by GAA teams in Waterford in Ireland. All players have to be under the age of 18 in the year in which they take part here. The competition is organized by the two divisions of Waterford GAA county board - East Division and...
in this grade in 1953, however, Ballygunner
Ballygunner GAA
Ballygunner GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the parish of Ballygunner in County Waterford, Ireland. The club is exclusively concerned with hurling.- History :...
stole the title from Walsh's side in 1954. Walsh made it onto the Mount Sion senior panel in 1954 and although the club won the senior championship that year he didn’t receive a medal. A year later however he won his very first county title at senior level as Mount Sion defeated a really good Abbeyside team in the county final. It was the start of an unprecedented run of success for the Mount Sion club as Walsh collected seven county medals in-a-row. Mount Sion's great run came to an end in the county final of 1962 when Erin's Own
Erin's Own GAA (Waterford)
Erin's Own GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Waterford City, Ireland. The club enters teams in both GAA codes each year, which includes two adult hurling teams and two adult Gaelic football team in the Waterford County Championships....
claimed the victory. Walsh, however, won a three in-a-row of county titles in 1963, 1964 and 1965. He won further county honours in 1969 and 1972 and retired from club hurling in 1974. Walsh also won three county football titles with Mount Sion in the 1950s.
Inter-county
Walsh first came to prominence at inter-county level as a member of the WaterfordWaterford GAA
The Waterford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Waterford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for all levels of Gaelic games in County Waterford. The County Board is also responsible for the Waterford inter-county teams. The county...
minor hurling team, however, he had little success in this grade. He subsequently made his debut for the senior team in a National Hurling League
National Hurling League
The National Hurling League is an annual hurling competition between the county teams of Ireland. Contested by 35 teams , it operates on a system of promotion and relegation between four different divisions, with Division One...
relegation game against Kilkenny
Kilkenny GAA
The Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...
and later made his championship debut against Cork in 1956. Ironically, Walsh’s first championship game could easily have been his last as he received a fractured skull from a swinging hurley. He had to spend over a month in hospital, however, he made a great recovery.
In spite of his injury Walsh was back on the team again in 1957. That year he lined out in his first provincial decider with reigning champions Cork providing the opposition. Waterford were the underdogs going into the game, however, at the long whistle Walsh ended up with a Munster
Munster Senior Hurling Championship
The Munster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Munster in Ireland....
title following a 1-11 to 1-6 victory. The men from the déise later lined out in the ALl-Ireland final with Kilkenny
Kilkenny GAA
The Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...
providing the opposition. Over 70,000 spectators turned up at Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
to see an exciting game of hurling. With fifteen minutes left in the game Waterford led by six points. Two quick goals for 'the Cats', together with a great point by captain Mickey Kelly reversed the trend and gave Kilkenny a 4-10 to 3-12 victory.
Waterford lost their provincial crown in 1958, however, the team bounced back in 1959 with Walsh, who was now captain of the side, collecting a second Munster title followinga 3-9 to 2-9 win over Cork. Once again Waterford subsequently lined out in the championship decider and, once again, Kilkenny provided the opposition. The game was another exciting affair and with ninety seconds left in the game Kilkenny were ahead by three points. Just then Séamus Power
Séamus Power
Séamus Power is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Mount Sion and was a member of the Waterford senior inter-county team in the 1950s and 1960s.-References:...
scored the equalising point to force a 1-17 to 5-5 draw. The replay was another great game with both sides giving it their all. Waterford score dthree goals in the opening thirty minutes while Walsh scored a spectacular eighth point to help his side to a 3-12 to 1-10 win. It was his first, and only, All-Ireland
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....
medal while he also had the honour of collecting the Liam McCarthy Cup
Liam McCarthy Cup
The MacCarthy Perpetual Challenge Cup is a trophy awarded annually by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the hurling team that wins the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.-The trophy:...
.
Four years later in 1963 Walsh added a National Hurling League medal to his collection before winning a third Munster title following a victory over the great Tipperary
Tipperary GAA
The Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or C is one of over 30 regional executive boards throughout the world. These executive boards are known as County Boards even though some no longer correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the counties from which their names...
team of the decade. For the third successive time Kilkenny turned out to be Waterford’s opponents in the subsequent All-Ireland final. Things weren't going well for Walsh's side and at one stage Waterford were eleven points in arrears. The men from the déise clawed back this deficit to two points, however, an expert display by Eddie Keher
Eddie Keher
Edward Peter Keher , better known as Eddie Keher, is a retired Irish hurling manager and former player. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the game....
proved the difference as Kilkenny won by 4-17 to 6-8.
Walsh continued playing with Waterford until 1969, however, apart from a Munster final appearance in 1966 he enjoyed no further success.
Provincial
Walsh also lined out with MunsterMunster GAA
The Munster Council is a Provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, rounders and handball in the province of Munster.-Constituent counties:*Cork*Clare*Kerry*Limerick*Tipperary*Waterford-Honours:...
in the inter-provincial hurling competition and enjoyed much success. He first lined out with his province in 1957 and collected a coveted Railway Cup medal that year as Munster defeated arch-rivals Leinster
Leinster GAA
The Leinster Council is a Provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, rounders and handball in the province of Leinster. The Leinster Council has been partnered with the European County Board to help develop Gaelic Games in Europe...
. Walsh was captain of the side in 1960 as Leinster were accounted for again in Railway Cup final. It was the first of two in-a-row for the southern province and for Walsh. After defeat in 1962 he collected two more Railway Cup medals in 1963 and 1966.
Waterford
- All-Ireland Senior Hurling ChampionshipAll-Ireland Senior Hurling ChampionshipThe GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....
:- Winner (1): 1959
- Runner-up (2): 1957, 1963
- Munster Senior Hurling ChampionshipMunster Senior Hurling ChampionshipThe Munster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Munster in Ireland....
:- Winner (3): 1957, 1959, 1963
- Runner-up (3): 1958, 1962, 1966
- National Hurling LeagueNational Hurling LeagueThe National Hurling League is an annual hurling competition between the county teams of Ireland. Contested by 35 teams , it operates on a system of promotion and relegation between four different divisions, with Division One...
:- Winner (1): 1963
- Runner-up (2): 1959, 1961,
Munster
- Railway Cup:
- Winner (5): 1957, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1966
- Runner-up (1): 1962,