Dick Walsh
Encyclopedia
Richard Walsh better known as Dick 'Drug' Walsh, was a famous Irish
sportsperson. He played hurling
with his local club Mooncoin and with the Kilkenny
senior inter-county team in the early years of the 20th century. Walsh captained Kilkenny to three All-Ireland
titles in 1907, 1909 and 1913.
Walsh's status as one of Kilkenny’s all-time greats is self-evident. In a senior inter-county career that lasted for ten years he won seven All-Ireland
titles and seven Leinster
titles. Walsh, together with Dick Doyle
, Jack Rochford
and Sim Walton
, became the first player in the history of the championship to win seven All-Ireland hurling titles on the field of play. This record was later surpassed by Christy Ring
and John Doyle
.
, County Kilkenny
in 1878. He grew up on the family farm and developed the necessary skills on the land, the river and on the hurling
field. Walsh earned his nickname 'Drug' in the local national school as he liked to sing the song Clare's Dragoons
. In singing it he appeared to pronounce the word dragoons as ‘drugoons’ and so his school-mates gave him the nickname 'Drug.' It was a nickname that he came to dislike in later life. A more acceptable form of the name, accepted by himself, was ‘Dhroog’, a corrupt sounth Kilkenny form of the first part of the word ‘dragoon.’
Dick Walsh died in 1958 and was buried in Carrigeen cemetery.
with the famous Mooncoin side in Kilkenny. He enjoyed much success with the club, winning senior county titles in 1906, 1908 and 1913. Walsh captained the club to two of these county victories.
team in the early years of the 20th century. He mad ehis debut in 1904 as Kilkenny defeated Dublin
, giving Walsh his first Leinster
title. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw Kilkenny face Cork in Carrick-on-Suir
. In a close game that saw Kilkenny goalkeeper make a miraculous save in the last minute, Kilkenny won the day giving Walsh his first All-Ireland
title. It was also Kilkenny’s first championship title; however, it would not be the last time that the county defeated Cork by a point to take the title. In 1905 Walsh added a second Leinster title to his collection following a second consecutive defeat of Dublin. For the second year in-a-row ‘the Cats’ later took on Cork in the All-Ireland final. Cork won the game by 5-10 to 3-13; however, the game had to be replayed for a number of reasons. Firstly, Cork goalkeeper Daniel McCarthy
was a British army
reservist and, secondly, Kilkenny’s Matt Gargan
had played with Waterford
before playing for Kilkenny. The replay produced another high-scoring, however, Kilkenny won the game by 7-7 to 2-9, giving Walsh his second All-Ireland title. In 1906 Walsh played in another provincial final, however, Kilkenny were defeated by Dublin on that occasion.
In 1907 Kilkenny got the better of Dublin once again giving Walsh, who by this stage was appointed captain of the side, a third Leinster title. For the third time in four years Cork provided the opposition in the subsequent All-Ireland final. In yet another high-scoring encounter between these two sides Kilkenny won by a single point giving Walsh a third All-Ireland title. This game became the benchmark by which all subsequebt performances were judged. Kilkenny did not play in the championship in 1908, however, Walsh was appointed captain again in 1909. That year he won a fourth Leinster title as ‘the Cats’ defeated Laois
in the provincial final. The subsequent All-Ireland final pitted Kilkenny against Tipperary
in Cork
. Once again, the game was a high-scoring one as Tipperary suffered their first defeat in nine All-Ireland final appearances. A 4-6 to 0-12 victory gave Walsh his fourth All-Ireland medal. Kilkenny surrendered their Leinster and All-Ireland crowns in 1910, however, 1911 saw Walsh picking up his fifth provincial winners’ medal. There was controversy in the All-Ireland final as Kilkenny were destined to play Limerick
. On the first occasion the pitch in Cork was water-logged and the game was refixed for Thurles
. Limerick pulled out of the replay and the title was awarded to Kilkenny. Limerick defeated Kilkenny in a challenge match later that same year; however, Walsh was the one who had collected a fifth All-Ireland medal. In The following year Walsh collected a sixth Leinster medal before lining out in another All-Ireland final. Cork provided the opposition on that occasion in a low-scoring but close game. A 2-1 to 1-3 victory gave Walsh an impressive sixth All-Ireland medal. In 1913 Kilkenny were attempting to make history by capturing their third championship in-a-row. Walsh was appointed captain for the third time. Kilkenny retained their provincial dominance with Walsh collecting a seventh Leinster title. The All-Ireland final saw ‘the Cats’ square up to Tipperary in the first fifteen-a-side final. Kilkenny had the lead at half-time and only scored a goal in the second-half. They won the game by 2-4 to 1-2 giving Walsh a seventh All-Ireland winners’ medal. Following victory Walsh accepted the Great Southern and Western Railway
company trophy – the first All-Ireland trophy to be presented to a victorious team captain. As well as that Walsh made history on that day by becoming the first player to captain both fifteen-a-side and seventeen-a-side teams to All-Ireland titles.
Four All-Ireland titles in-a-row proved beyond this Kilkenny team as they were beaten by Laois in 1914. This defeat brought Walsh’s inter-county hurling career to an end.
in an inter-provincial hurling competition that was the forerunner to the Railway Cup. He captained the team to the Railway Shield title in 1908.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
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 Mooncoin and with the 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...
senior inter-county team in the early years of the 20th century. Walsh captained Kilkenny to three 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....
titles in 1907, 1909 and 1913.
Walsh's status as one of Kilkenny’s all-time greats is self-evident. In a senior inter-county career that lasted for ten years he won seven 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....
titles and seven Leinster
Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
The Leinster 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 Leinster in Ireland....
titles. Walsh, together with Dick Doyle
Dick Doyle (Kilkenny hurler)
Dick Doyle was a famous Irish sportsperson who played hurling for Mooncoin and Kilkenny in the 1900s. He is regarded as one of Kilkenny's greatest ever players.- Club :...
, Jack Rochford
Jack Rochford
Jack Rochford was an Irish hurler who played as a full-back for the Kilkenny senior team from 1902 until 1916....
and Sim Walton
Sim Walton
Simon 'Sim' Walton was a famous Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Tullaroan and with the Kilkenny senior inter-county team in the first two decades of the 20th century. Walton captained Kilkenny to the All-Ireland title in 1912.Waltons’s status as one of Kilkenny’s...
, became the first player in the history of the championship to win seven All-Ireland hurling titles on the field of play. This record was later surpassed by Christy Ring
Christy Ring
Nicholas Christopher Michael Ring , better known as Christy Ring, was a famous Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with the Glen Rovers club from 1941 until 1967 and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1939 until 1963. Ring is widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers in...
and John Doyle
John Doyle (hurler)
John Doyle was an Irish sportsperson and politician, hailed as one of the best defenders in hurling and his county's most iconic player upon his death. He played hurling with his local Holycross-Ballycahill club from the 1940s until the 1970s and was a member of the Tipperary senior inter-county...
.
Biography
Richard Walsh was born in Rathkieran, MooncoinMooncoin
Mooncoin is a town situated in the far south of County Kilkenny, in Ireland, just 10 km from Waterford City on the main Waterford to Limerick road...
, County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. The territory of the county was the core part of the ancient Irish Kingdom of Osraige which in turn was the core of the Diocese of...
in 1878. He grew up on the family farm and developed the necessary skills on the land, the river and on the 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...
field. Walsh earned his nickname 'Drug' in the local national school as he liked to sing the song Clare's Dragoons
Clare's Dragoons
The Clare's Regiment, later known as Clare's Dragoons, was initially named O'Brien's Regiment after its originator Daniel O'Brien, 3rd Viscount Clare...
. In singing it he appeared to pronounce the word dragoons as ‘drugoons’ and so his school-mates gave him the nickname 'Drug.' It was a nickname that he came to dislike in later life. A more acceptable form of the name, accepted by himself, was ‘Dhroog’, a corrupt sounth Kilkenny form of the first part of the word ‘dragoon.’
Dick Walsh died in 1958 and was buried in Carrigeen cemetery.
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 Mooncoin side in Kilkenny. He enjoyed much success with the club, winning senior county titles in 1906, 1908 and 1913. Walsh captained the club to two of these county victories.
Inter-county
Walsh first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the KilkennyKilkenny 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...
team in the early years of the 20th century. He mad ehis debut in 1904 as Kilkenny defeated Dublin
Dublin GAA
Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...
, giving Walsh his first Leinster
Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
The Leinster 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 Leinster in Ireland....
title. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw Kilkenny face Cork in Carrick-on-Suir
Carrick-on-Suir
Carrick-on-Suir is a town in South Tipperary in Ireland. As the name – meaning "the rock of the Suir" – suggests, the town is situated on the River Suir. The of the town gives the population as 5,906 and shows that it has grown by 5.7% since 2002...
. In a close game that saw Kilkenny goalkeeper make a miraculous save in the last minute, Kilkenny won the day giving Walsh his first 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. It was also Kilkenny’s first championship title; however, it would not be the last time that the county defeated Cork by a point to take the title. In 1905 Walsh added a second Leinster title to his collection following a second consecutive defeat of Dublin. For the second year in-a-row ‘the Cats’ later took on Cork in the All-Ireland final. Cork won the game by 5-10 to 3-13; however, the game had to be replayed for a number of reasons. Firstly, Cork goalkeeper Daniel McCarthy
Daniel McCarthy
Daniel McCarthy was an Irish politician. McCarthy was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Sinn Féin Teachta Dála at the 1921 elections for the Dublin South constituency. He subsequently went on to support the Anglo-Irish Treaty, becoming a member of Cumann na nGaedheal when the party was founded....
was a British army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
reservist and, secondly, Kilkenny’s Matt Gargan
Matt Gargan
Matt Gargan was a famous Irish sportsperson who played hurling with the Kilkenny. In a senior inter-county career that lasted from 1905 until 1917 he won six All-Ireland titles and five Leinster titles.-Teams:...
had played with 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...
before playing for Kilkenny. The replay produced another high-scoring, however, Kilkenny won the game by 7-7 to 2-9, giving Walsh his second All-Ireland title. In 1906 Walsh played in another provincial final, however, Kilkenny were defeated by Dublin on that occasion.
In 1907 Kilkenny got the better of Dublin once again giving Walsh, who by this stage was appointed captain of the side, a third Leinster title. For the third time in four years Cork provided the opposition in the subsequent All-Ireland final. In yet another high-scoring encounter between these two sides Kilkenny won by a single point giving Walsh a third All-Ireland title. This game became the benchmark by which all subsequebt performances were judged. Kilkenny did not play in the championship in 1908, however, Walsh was appointed captain again in 1909. That year he won a fourth Leinster title as ‘the Cats’ defeated Laois
Laois GAA
The Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Laois GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Laois and the Laois inter-county teams.-History:...
in the provincial final. The subsequent All-Ireland final pitted Kilkenny against 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...
in Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
. Once again, the game was a high-scoring one as Tipperary suffered their first defeat in nine All-Ireland final appearances. A 4-6 to 0-12 victory gave Walsh his fourth All-Ireland medal. Kilkenny surrendered their Leinster and All-Ireland crowns in 1910, however, 1911 saw Walsh picking up his fifth provincial winners’ medal. There was controversy in the All-Ireland final as Kilkenny were destined to play Limerick
Limerick GAA
The Limerick County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Limerick GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Limerick...
. On the first occasion the pitch in Cork was water-logged and the game was refixed for Thurles
Thurles
Thurles is a town situated in North Tipperary, Ireland. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Eliogarty and is also an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly...
. Limerick pulled out of the replay and the title was awarded to Kilkenny. Limerick defeated Kilkenny in a challenge match later that same year; however, Walsh was the one who had collected a fifth All-Ireland medal. In The following year Walsh collected a sixth Leinster medal before lining out in another All-Ireland final. Cork provided the opposition on that occasion in a low-scoring but close game. A 2-1 to 1-3 victory gave Walsh an impressive sixth All-Ireland medal. In 1913 Kilkenny were attempting to make history by capturing their third championship in-a-row. Walsh was appointed captain for the third time. Kilkenny retained their provincial dominance with Walsh collecting a seventh Leinster title. The All-Ireland final saw ‘the Cats’ square up to Tipperary in the first fifteen-a-side final. Kilkenny had the lead at half-time and only scored a goal in the second-half. They won the game by 2-4 to 1-2 giving Walsh a seventh All-Ireland winners’ medal. Following victory Walsh accepted the Great Southern and Western Railway
Great Southern and Western Railway
The Great Southern and Western Railway was the largest Irish gauge railway company in Ireland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
company trophy – the first All-Ireland trophy to be presented to a victorious team captain. As well as that Walsh made history on that day by becoming the first player to captain both fifteen-a-side and seventeen-a-side teams to All-Ireland titles.
Four All-Ireland titles in-a-row proved beyond this Kilkenny team as they were beaten by Laois in 1914. This defeat brought Walsh’s inter-county hurling career to an end.
Provincial
Walsh also lined out with LeinsterLeinster 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...
in an inter-provincial hurling competition that was the forerunner to the Railway Cup. He captained the team to the Railway Shield title in 1908.