Ollie Walsh
Encyclopedia
Patrick Oliver Walsh better known as Ollie Walsh, was an Irish
sportsperson. He played hurling
with the Kilkenny
senior inter-county team from 1956 until 1972 and subsequently served as manager
of the team from 1990 until 1995. Walsh is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all-time.
Walsh's status as one of the all-time greats is self-evident. He had a style uniquely his own, coupled with great skill and ability, and as a hurler he was colourful, flamboyant, acrobatic and heroic. In a senior inter-county career that lasted for sixteen years he won four All-Ireland
titles, nine Leinster
titles, two National Hurling League
titles and four Railway Cup titles.
Walsh has also been the recipient of many awards and honours off the field. In 1967 his hurling prowess earned him the prestigious Texaco Hurler of the Year
award, thus becoming the first goalkeeper to win the title. He also won three consecutive Poc Fada titles in 1962, 1963 and 1964 and was considered unlucky not to be named on either the GAA Hurling Team of the Century
or the GAA Hurling Team of the Millennium
.
As a manager Walsh has had much success with his own native county. Between 1990 and 1995 he guided Kilkenny to back-to-back All-Ireland titles, three Leinster titles and a National Hurling League title.
with Graiguenamanagh in 1956.
inter-county selectors and he soon joined the county minor panel. He won a Leinster
winners' medal in this grade in 1955, however, an All-Ireland
medal at this level eluded him as Kilkenny were later defeated by Galway
in the championship semi-final.
Walsh made his debut in the senior Leinster Championship
in 1956 and claimed his first provincial medal in 1957. This was subsequently converted into his first All-Ireland
medal following a win over Waterford
in the final. In 1958 Walsh won a second Leinster title, however, Kilkenny were later defeated by Tipperary
in the All-Ireland semi-final. A third consecutive provincial medal was claimed in 1959, however, Walsh ended up on the losing side in the All-Ireland final as Waterford emerged victorious. In this era, he regarded Jim 'Link' Walsh of Dunamaggin as his great protector, who gave him excellent cover as Kilkenny's full-back when rampaging forwards did not stand on ceremony as they bore down on goal.
Three years later in 1962 Walsh captured his first major title with 'the Cats' when he won a National Hurling League
medal. It was Kilkenny’s first league title since 1933.
The following year Walsh won his fourth senior Leinster
title following a comfortable victory over Dublin. This victory allowed Kilkenny to advance directly into the All-Ireland final where, for the third successive occasion, their opponents turned out to be Waterford. This was the second All-Ireland final to be broadcast live on Telefís Éireann, allowing the whole nation to witness Eddie Keher
’s outstanding scoring talents. In the game itself he scored a record 14 points, ten of which came from frees, giving the Kilkenny men a comfortable 4-17 to 6-8 victory over the Decies. It was Walsh's second All-Ireland medal.
In 1964 Walsh won a fifth Leinster title following another huge win over Dublin. Staunch local rivals Tipperary later provided the opposition in the All-Ireland final, however, Kilkenny were the pundits’ favourites to retain the title. Jimmy Doyle
had other ideas, however, as he scored 10 points and set up Seán McLoughlin
for a goal. Tipperary’s fourteen-point winning margin, 5-13 to 2-8, was the biggest All-Ireland final win since Tipperary had overwhelmed Laois
in the 1949 decider. It was the second time that Walsh had lost an All-Ireland final.
Kilkenny lost their provincial crown in 1965, however, Kilkenny bounced back in 1966 with Walsh collecting a second National League medal and a sixth Leinster title. This victory allowed Kilkenny to advance directly to the All-Ireland final where arch-rivals Cork provided the opposition. It was the first meeting of these two great sides since 1947 and ‘the Cats’ were installed as the firm favourites. In spite of this two goals by Colm Sheehan
and a third from John O'Halloran
gave Cork a merited 3-9 to 1-10 victory over a Walsh-inspired Kilkenny. It was his third All-Ireland loss in less than a decade.
The following year Kilkenny continued their provincial dominance with Walsh picking up a seventh Leinster title before lining out in yet another All-Ireland final at Croke Park
. Tipperary were Kilkenny’s opponents on the day, however, by this stage Tipp’s pool of players was ageing and the county’s hurling fortunes were in decline. Kilkenny proved more than a match for the Munster champions. Goals from Paddy Moran
, Martin Brennan
and Tom Walsh at vital times laid to rest a bogey that Tipperary had over Kilkenny since 1922. Walsh had collected a third All-Ireland winners' medal.
Wexford put an end to Kilkenny’s hopes of retaining the title in 1968, however, the Noresiders bounced back the following year with Keher, who was now captain of the side, collecting an eighth Leinster medal. Cork faced Kilkenny in the subsequent All-Ireland final and revenge for 1966 was foremost in the minds of the Kilkenny team. For a while it looked as if the Leesiders would triumph over their great rivals once again, however, five points from Kilkenny in the last seven minutes gave Walsh a fourth All-Ireland winners' medal.
1971 saw Walsh capture a ninth and final provincial winers' medal as Kilkenny began to assert their dominance over Wexford. The Leinster champions later played Tipperary in the only eighty minute final between these great rivals. The game has gone down in All-Ireland final folklore for a number of reasons. As the first All-Ireland final to be broadcast by RTÉ
in colour, the nation saw Eddie Keher score a remarkable 2 goals and 11 points and still end up on the losing side. Kilkenny’s ever-dependable goalkeeper, however, had a nightmare of a game in which he conceded five goals, one of which passed through his legs, while that year’s Hurler of the Year, Michael 'Babs' Keating, played out the closing stages of the game in his bare feet. After a thrilling game Tipp emerged the victors on a score line of 5-17 to 5-14. This was Walsh's last championship appearance with Kilkenny. In 1972 his first cousin, Noel Skehan
, finally took over as the first-choice goalkeeper after eight years as understudy, however, Walsh remained on as a substitute. In doing son he won his tenth Leinster medal and his fifth All-Ireland medal from the substitutes bench. He retired from inter-county activity shortly after.
hurling team in the Railway Cup inter-provincial competition. He first lined out with his province in 1957, however, Munster
dominated the competition at this stage. It would be 1962, however, before Walsh won his first Railway Cup title. Further honours would come his way in 1964, 1965 and 1967, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1977.
junior hurling team to All-Ireland
titles in 1984, 1986, 1988 and 1990. At the same time Walsh coached the Kilkenny intermediate team to provincial successes in 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1990.
of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team. His appointment was one that quickly bore fruit in the early part of the decade.
In 1991 Walsh led Kilkenny in his first championship campaign as manager. Dublin
provided the opposition on the occasion of the Leinster final; however, the men from the capital proved to be no pushovers. With seconds left in the game ‘the Dubs’ were winning by a single point, however, a last-gasp goal sealed a 1-11 to 0-13 victory for ‘the Cats’. It was Walsh's first Leinster title as manager, however, had his side been defeated by Dublin it may have meant the end of his managerial career. Another nail-biting win over Antrim
in similar circumstances set up an All-Ireland final meeting with Tipperary, their first championship encounter in twenty years. The opening thirty-five minutes saw both sides trade score-for-score, however, a controversial 20-metre free, miss-hit by Michael Cleary
, landed in the net and gave Tipp a lead which they never surrendered. The final score of 1-16 to 0-15 resulted in a loss for Walsh's Kilkenny.
Walsh remained at the help as Kilkenny bounced back from the All-Ireland defeat and collected a second Leinster medal following a comprehensive 3-16 to 2-9 defeat of Wexford in 1992. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw ‘the Cats’ take on Cork for the first time in nearly a decade. The game was well balanced for the first-half, however, D.J. Carey scored a goal four minutes before the break. This seemed to give Kilkenny the impetus to go on and win the game. Two more goals by John Power
and Michael Phelan
in the second-half secured a win for Kilkenny and a first All-Ireland win for Walsh as manager.
In 1993 Kilkenny were still on top of the hurling world and Walsh guided his county to a third consecutive Leinster title after a draw and a replay with Wexford. A third successive All-Ireland final appearance beckoned as ‘the Cats’ faced Galway for the first time since 1987. Galway won on that occasion; however, in 1993 they were lagging behind Kilkenny for much of the game. They went a point ahead coming into the last quarter; however, Kilkenny won the match by five points, giving Walsh a second consecutive All-Ireland victory as manager.
In 1994 Kilkenny were aiming for an impressive third All-Ireland in-a-row, however, the team fell at the first hurdle in the provincial championship. In spite of this defeat Walsh was retained as manager
In 1995 it looked as if Kilkenny’s hurling fortunes were turning. At the start of the year Walsh's team annexed the National League title as Kilkenny defeated Clare
to take the cup. In spite of this victory 1995 proved to be an unhappy year for Walsh as Kilkenny were trounced by Offaly in the Leinster final. Walsh resigned as manager shortly after this defeat.
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 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 from 1956 until 1972 and subsequently served as manager
Manager (Gaelic games)
In Gaelic games, a manager or coach is an individual involved in the direction and instruction of the on-field operations of a team. Managing, or coaching, entails the application of sport tactics and strategies during the game itself, and usually entails substitution of players and other such...
of the team from 1990 until 1995. Walsh is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all-time.
Walsh's status as one of the all-time greats is self-evident. He had a style uniquely his own, coupled with great skill and ability, and as a hurler he was colourful, flamboyant, acrobatic and heroic. In a senior inter-county career that lasted for sixteen years he won four 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, nine 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, two 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...
titles and four Railway Cup titles.
Walsh has also been the recipient of many awards and honours off the field. In 1967 his hurling prowess earned him the prestigious Texaco Hurler of the Year
Texaco Hurler of the Year
The Texaco Hurler of the Year is a hurling award, created in 1958, that honours the achievements of a hurler of outstanding excellence. The award is part of the Texaco Sportstars Awards, in which Irish sportspeople from all fields are honoured....
award, thus becoming the first goalkeeper to win the title. He also won three consecutive Poc Fada titles in 1962, 1963 and 1964 and was considered unlucky not to be named on either the GAA Hurling Team of the Century
GAA Hurling Team of the Century
The Hurling Team of the Century was chosen as part of the Gaelic Athletic Association's centenary year celebrations in 1984 to comprise, as a fifteen-member side divided as one goalkeeper, three half-backs, two midfielders, three half-forwardss and three full-forwards, the best hurling players of...
or the GAA Hurling Team of the Millennium
GAA Hurling Team of the Millennium
The GAA Hurling Team of the Millennium was announced by GAA President Seán McCague at a special dinner at Croke Park on 24 July 2000. The initiative was sponsored by An Post who issued special commemorative stamps of the Millennium team members. The team was chosen to comprise, as a...
.
As a manager Walsh has had much success with his own native county. Between 1990 and 1995 he guided Kilkenny to back-to-back All-Ireland titles, three Leinster titles and a National Hurling League title.
Club
Walsh played his club hurling with his local club in Thomastown. He enjoyed much success at underage levels, beginning in 1947, 1949 and 1951 when he won three Kilkenny Under-14 Hurling Championship medals. Walsh's success continued at under-16 level when he won three back-to-back county titles in 1951, 1952 and 1953. He later won a minor county medal in 1954 before winning a junior county title in 1962. Walsh but never won a senior county championship in hurling, however, he won a senior county title n footballGaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
with Graiguenamanagh in 1956.
Inter-county
Walsh's hurling skills quickly brought him to the attention 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...
inter-county selectors and he soon joined the county minor panel. He won a Leinster
Leinster Minor Hurling Championship
The ESB Leinster Minor Hurling Championship is the Minor "knockout" competition in the game of Hurling played in the province of Leinster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Leinster Council...
winners' medal in this grade in 1955, however, an All-Ireland
All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship is an annual competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1928 for competitors under eighteen years of age in the game of hurling played in Ireland.The series of games are played during the summer months with the All-Ireland final...
medal at this level eluded him as Kilkenny were later defeated by Galway
Galway GAA
The Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Galway GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway. The county boards are also responsible for the Galway inter-county teams.Unlike all other counties in Ireland,...
in the championship semi-final.
Walsh made his debut in the senior Leinster Championship
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....
in 1956 and claimed his first provincial medal in 1957. This was subsequently converted into 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....
medal following a win over 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...
in the final. In 1958 Walsh won a second Leinster title, however, Kilkenny were later defeated by 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 the All-Ireland semi-final. A third consecutive provincial medal was claimed in 1959, however, Walsh ended up on the losing side in the All-Ireland final as Waterford emerged victorious. In this era, he regarded Jim 'Link' Walsh of Dunamaggin as his great protector, who gave him excellent cover as Kilkenny's full-back when rampaging forwards did not stand on ceremony as they bore down on goal.
Three years later in 1962 Walsh captured his first major title with 'the Cats' when he won 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...
medal. It was Kilkenny’s first league title since 1933.
The following year Walsh won his fourth senior 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 following a comfortable victory over Dublin. This victory allowed Kilkenny to advance directly into the All-Ireland final where, for the third successive occasion, their opponents turned out to be Waterford. This was the second All-Ireland final to be broadcast live on Telefís Éireann, allowing the whole nation to witness 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....
’s outstanding scoring talents. In the game itself he scored a record 14 points, ten of which came from frees, giving the Kilkenny men a comfortable 4-17 to 6-8 victory over the Decies. It was Walsh's second All-Ireland medal.
In 1964 Walsh won a fifth Leinster title following another huge win over Dublin. Staunch local rivals Tipperary later provided the opposition in the All-Ireland final, however, Kilkenny were the pundits’ favourites to retain the title. Jimmy Doyle
Jimmy Doyle
James 'Jimmy' Doyle , is a retired Irish hurling manager and former player. He played hurling with the famous Thurles Sarsfields club from 1956 until 1975 and was a member of the Tipperary senior inter-county team from 1957 until 1973...
had other ideas, however, as he scored 10 points and set up Seán McLoughlin
Seán McLoughlin
Seán McLoughlin is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Thurles Sarsfields and with the Tipperary senior inter-county team from 1958 until 1969.-References:-Teams:...
for a goal. Tipperary’s fourteen-point winning margin, 5-13 to 2-8, was the biggest All-Ireland final win since Tipperary had overwhelmed 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 1949 decider. It was the second time that Walsh had lost an All-Ireland final.
Kilkenny lost their provincial crown in 1965, however, Kilkenny bounced back in 1966 with Walsh collecting a second National League medal and a sixth Leinster title. This victory allowed Kilkenny to advance directly to the All-Ireland final where arch-rivals Cork provided the opposition. It was the first meeting of these two great sides since 1947 and ‘the Cats’ were installed as the firm favourites. In spite of this two goals by Colm Sheehan
Colm Sheehan
Colm Sheehan is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Éire Óg and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1965 until 1968.-Club:...
and a third from John O'Halloran
John O'Halloran
John O'Halloran is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local clubs UCC and Blackrock and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1963 until 1969.-Inter-county:...
gave Cork a merited 3-9 to 1-10 victory over a Walsh-inspired Kilkenny. It was his third All-Ireland loss in less than a decade.
The following year Kilkenny continued their provincial dominance with Walsh picking up a seventh Leinster title before lining out in yet another All-Ireland final 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...
. Tipperary were Kilkenny’s opponents on the day, however, by this stage Tipp’s pool of players was ageing and the county’s hurling fortunes were in decline. Kilkenny proved more than a match for the Munster champions. Goals from Paddy Moran
Paddy Moran (hurler)
Paddy Moran is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Bennettsbridge and was a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 1963 until 1972.-Early life:...
, Martin Brennan
Martin Brennan (hurler)
Martin Brennan is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Erin's Own and was a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 19678 until 1969.-References:...
and Tom Walsh at vital times laid to rest a bogey that Tipperary had over Kilkenny since 1922. Walsh had collected a third All-Ireland winners' medal.
Wexford put an end to Kilkenny’s hopes of retaining the title in 1968, however, the Noresiders bounced back the following year with Keher, who was now captain of the side, collecting an eighth Leinster medal. Cork faced Kilkenny in the subsequent All-Ireland final and revenge for 1966 was foremost in the minds of the Kilkenny team. For a while it looked as if the Leesiders would triumph over their great rivals once again, however, five points from Kilkenny in the last seven minutes gave Walsh a fourth All-Ireland winners' medal.
1971 saw Walsh capture a ninth and final provincial winers' medal as Kilkenny began to assert their dominance over Wexford. The Leinster champions later played Tipperary in the only eighty minute final between these great rivals. The game has gone down in All-Ireland final folklore for a number of reasons. As the first All-Ireland final to be broadcast by RTÉ
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
in colour, the nation saw Eddie Keher score a remarkable 2 goals and 11 points and still end up on the losing side. Kilkenny’s ever-dependable goalkeeper, however, had a nightmare of a game in which he conceded five goals, one of which passed through his legs, while that year’s Hurler of the Year, Michael 'Babs' Keating, played out the closing stages of the game in his bare feet. After a thrilling game Tipp emerged the victors on a score line of 5-17 to 5-14. This was Walsh's last championship appearance with Kilkenny. In 1972 his first cousin, Noel Skehan
Noel Skehan
Noel Skehan is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local Bennettsbridge club and was a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 1963 and 1985. Skehan is regarded as one of the greatest hurling goalkeepers of all-time.Skehan's status as one of the all-time greats...
, finally took over as the first-choice goalkeeper after eight years as understudy, however, Walsh remained on as a substitute. In doing son he won his tenth Leinster medal and his fifth All-Ireland medal from the substitutes bench. He retired from inter-county activity shortly after.
Provincial
Walsh was also a regular player with the 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...
hurling team in the Railway Cup inter-provincial competition. He first lined out with his province in 1957, however, Munster
Munster 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:...
dominated the competition at this stage. It would be 1962, however, before Walsh won his first Railway Cup title. Further honours would come his way in 1964, 1965 and 1967, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1977.
Managerial career
In the 1980s Walsh turned his hand to club and inter-county management. He coached 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...
junior hurling team to All-Ireland
All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship
The All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship was a hurling competition organized by the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland. The competition was originally contested by the second teams of the strong counties, and the first teams of the weaker counties...
titles in 1984, 1986, 1988 and 1990. At the same time Walsh coached the Kilkenny intermediate team to provincial successes in 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1990.
Kilkenny
In October 1990 Walsh was appointed managerManager (Gaelic games)
In Gaelic games, a manager or coach is an individual involved in the direction and instruction of the on-field operations of a team. Managing, or coaching, entails the application of sport tactics and strategies during the game itself, and usually entails substitution of players and other such...
of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team. His appointment was one that quickly bore fruit in the early part of the decade.
In 1991 Walsh led Kilkenny in his first championship campaign as manager. 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...
provided the opposition on the occasion of the Leinster final; however, the men from the capital proved to be no pushovers. With seconds left in the game ‘the Dubs’ were winning by a single point, however, a last-gasp goal sealed a 1-11 to 0-13 victory for ‘the Cats’. It was Walsh's first Leinster title as manager, however, had his side been defeated by Dublin it may have meant the end of his managerial career. Another nail-biting win over Antrim
Antrim GAA
The Antrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Antrim GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Antrim. The county board is also responsible for the Antrim inter-county teams...
in similar circumstances set up an All-Ireland final meeting with Tipperary, their first championship encounter in twenty years. The opening thirty-five minutes saw both sides trade score-for-score, however, a controversial 20-metre free, miss-hit by Michael Cleary
Michael Cleary (hurler)
Michael Cleary is a former Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Nenagh Éire Óg and with the Tipperary senior inter-county team in the 1980s and 1990s.-Early life:...
, landed in the net and gave Tipp a lead which they never surrendered. The final score of 1-16 to 0-15 resulted in a loss for Walsh's Kilkenny.
Walsh remained at the help as Kilkenny bounced back from the All-Ireland defeat and collected a second Leinster medal following a comprehensive 3-16 to 2-9 defeat of Wexford in 1992. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw ‘the Cats’ take on Cork for the first time in nearly a decade. The game was well balanced for the first-half, however, D.J. Carey scored a goal four minutes before the break. This seemed to give Kilkenny the impetus to go on and win the game. Two more goals by John Power
John Power (hurler)
John Power is a former Irish sportsperson who played hurling with his local club John Lockes and Kilkenny from 1986 to 2004. In that time, he won four All-Ireland titles and two All Star awards, as well as having the honour of being included on the Kilkenny Hurling Team of the Century...
and Michael Phelan
Michael Phelan (hurler)
Michael 'Titch' Phelan , from Glenmore, County Kilkenny, Ireland, is a former inter-county hurler. Phelan was formally recognised as a sportsperson of national significance in 1992 when nominated as a GAA Allstar. He played both for his local club Glenmore and as a member of the Kilkenny senior...
in the second-half secured a win for Kilkenny and a first All-Ireland win for Walsh as manager.
In 1993 Kilkenny were still on top of the hurling world and Walsh guided his county to a third consecutive Leinster title after a draw and a replay with Wexford. A third successive All-Ireland final appearance beckoned as ‘the Cats’ faced Galway for the first time since 1987. Galway won on that occasion; however, in 1993 they were lagging behind Kilkenny for much of the game. They went a point ahead coming into the last quarter; however, Kilkenny won the match by five points, giving Walsh a second consecutive All-Ireland victory as manager.
In 1994 Kilkenny were aiming for an impressive third All-Ireland in-a-row, however, the team fell at the first hurdle in the provincial championship. In spite of this defeat Walsh was retained as manager
In 1995 it looked as if Kilkenny’s hurling fortunes were turning. At the start of the year Walsh's team annexed the National League title as Kilkenny defeated Clare
Clare GAA
The Clare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Clare GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Clare. The county board is also responsible for the Clare inter-county teams....
to take the cup. In spite of this victory 1995 proved to be an unhappy year for Walsh as Kilkenny were trounced by Offaly in the Leinster final. Walsh resigned as manager shortly after this defeat.
Death
Ollie Walsh died suddenly on 9 March 1996 and his large funeral bore testimony to his stature in the game, drawing admirers and former opponents from Cork, Tipperary, Wexford and further afield.Kilkenny
- 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 (4): 1957All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1957-Scoring:*Widest winning margin: 19 points**Kilkenny 6-9 : 1-5 Wexford *Most goals in a match: 9**Waterford 4-12 : 5-5 Limerick *Most points in a match: 22...
, 1963All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1963-Miscellaneous:* Waterford's Munster final victory was their last until 2002.* The All-Ireland final was Waterford's ninth time playing at Croke Park. It would be 1998 before the team returned to the stadium for an All-Ireland semi-final against Kilkenny...
, 1967All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1967-Season:-References:* Corry, Eoghan, The GAA Book of Lists .* Donegan, Des, The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games ....
, 1969All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1969-Scoring:*Hat-trick heroes:**First hat-trick of the championship: Charlie McCarthy for Cork against Clare **Second hat-trick of the championship: Paddy Molloy for Offaly against Laois...
, - Runner-up (4): 1959All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1959-Miscellaneous:* Galway, facing no opposition in their own province, enter the Munster championship for the first time.* In the Munster semi-final Waterford lead All-Ireland champions Tipperary by 8-2 to 0-0 at half-time...
, 1964All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1964-Season:-Single game:-Debutantes:The following players made their début in the 1969 championship:-References:* Corry, Eoghan, The GAA Book of Lists ....
, 1966All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1966-Miscellaneous:* Tipperary's defeat by Limerick in the first round of the Munster championship was the team's first defeat since the provincial decider of 1963. It also put an end to Tipperary's hopes of capturing a third All-Ireland title in-a-row....
, 1971All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1971The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship of 1971 was the 85th staging of Ireland's premier hurling knock-out competition. Tipperary won the championship, beating Kilkenny 5-17 to 5-14 in the final at Croke Park, Dublin.-Participating counties:-Format:...
- Winner (4): 1957
- Leinster Senior Hurling ChampionshipLeinster Senior Hurling ChampionshipThe 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....
:- Winner (9): 1957, 1958, 1959, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1971
- Runner-up (4): 1960, 1962, 1965, 1970
- 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 (2): 1961-1962, 1965-1966
- Runner-up (1): 1966-1967
- All-Ireland Minor Hurling ChampionshipAll-Ireland Minor Hurling ChampionshipThe GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship is an annual competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1928 for competitors under eighteen years of age in the game of hurling played in Ireland.The series of games are played during the summer months with the All-Ireland final...
:- Winner (0):
- Runner-up (1): 1955
- Leinster Minor Hurling ChampionshipLeinster Minor Hurling ChampionshipThe ESB Leinster Minor Hurling Championship is the Minor "knockout" competition in the game of Hurling played in the province of Leinster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Leinster Council...
:- Winner (1): 1955