Pádraig Walsh

Pádraig Walsh (born 12 March 1992) is an Irish hurler who plays for Kilkenny Senior Championship club Tullaroan and at inter-county level with the Kilkenny senior hurling team. He usually lines out as a centre back

Pádraig Walsh
Personal information
Irish name Pádraig Breathnach
Sport Hurling
Position Midfield
Born (1992-03-12) 12 March 1992
Tullaroan, County Kilkenny, Ireland
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Occupation Primary school teacher
Club(s)
Years Club
2009-present
 Tullaroan
Club titles
Kilkenny titles 0
Colleges(s)
Years College
2010-2014
 University of Limerick
College titles
Fitzgibbon titles 0
Inter-county(ies)*
Years County Apps (scores)
2012-present
 Kilkenny 39 (0-21)
Inter-county titles
Leinster titles 7
All-Irelands 2
NHL 4
All Stars 2
*Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 22:16, 17 July 2021.

Playing career

St. Kieran's College

Walsh first came to prominence as a hurler with St. Kieran's College in Kilkenny. He played in every grade of hurling before eventually joining the college's senior hurling team. On 3 March 2010, he lined out at left wing-forward when St. Kieran's College faced Kilkenny CBS in the Leinster final. Walsh scored a 44th-minute goal to secure a 2–14 to 1–10 victory.[1] He was again at left wing-forward for the All-Ireland final against Ardscoil Rís from Limerick. Walsh scored three points from play and collected a winners' medal following the 2–11 to 2–08 victory.[2] The victory gave Walsh an All-Ireland medal.

Tullaroan

Walsh joined the Tullaroan club at a young age and played in all grades at juvenile and underage levels before joining the club's top adult team. He made his first appearance for the club's senior team on 20 September 2009 in a 1–13 to 0–15 defeat by Graigue-Ballycallan.

On 28 October 2018, Walsh lined out in his first decider at adult level when Tullaroan faced Graigue-Ballycallan in the final of the Kilkenny Intermediate Championship. He scored 1-02, including a 15th-minute penalty, in the 2–16 to 2–13 defeat.[3]

On 27 October 2019, Walsh lined out in a second successive final when Tullaoran qualified to play Thomastown. He ended the game with a winners' medal after the 3–18 to 0–21 victory.[4] On 30 November 2019, Walsh claimed a Leinster Club Championship medal after a 2–25 to 2–13 defeat of Seir Kieran in the final.

Minor and under-21

Walsh first lined out for Kilkenny as a member of the minor team during the 2009 Leinster Championship. He was an unused substitute for the entire provincial campaign, however, he collected a Leinster Championship on 5 July following a 1–19 to 0–11 defeat of Wexford in the final.[5] Walsh was again included amongst the substitutes for the All-Ireland final against Galway on 6 September. He was introduced as a 56th-minute substitute for Geoff Brennan in the 2–15 to 2–11 defeat.[6]

Walsh was eligible for the minor grade again the following year and established himself as a regular member of the starting fifteen. On 4 July 2010, he won a second successive Leinster Championship medal following a 1–20 to 0–10 defeat of Dublin in the final.[7] On 5 September, Walsh was at centre-forward when Galway faced Clare in the All-Ireland final. He was substituted by Paul Holden in the 39th minute but collected a winners' medal following the 2–10 to 0–14 victory.[8]

Two years later Walsh was a key member of the Kilkenny under-21 team. He won his sole Leinster medal that year following a 4–24 to 1-13 trouncing of Laois.[9] Kilkenny later faced Clare in the All-Ireland decider. A powerful second-half display, in which they outscored Kilkenny 1–10 to 0–4, saw Clare take their second ever All-Ireland under-21 crown.[10]

On 7 June 2011, Walsh made his first appearance for the Kilkenny under-21 team. After starting the game on the bench, he was introduced as a substitute in the 1–16 to 2–12 defeat by Wexford in the Leinster Championship.[11]

On 11 July 2012, Walsh won a Leinster Championship medal from centre-forward after scoring six points in Kilkenny's 4–24 to 1–13 defeat of Laois in the final.[12] On 15 September, he was again at centre-forward for Kilkenny's 2–17 to 2–11 defeat by Clare in the All-Ireland final.[13]

Walsh was moved from the forwards to the right wing-back position for the 2013 Leinster Championship. He made his last appearance in the under-21 grade on 11 July 2013 when Kilkenny suffered a 1–21 to 0–21 defeat by Wexford in the Leinster final.[14]

Senior

Walsh was added to the Kilkenny senior team as a substitute for their National Hurling League semi-final against Clare on 22 April 2012.[15] He was again included amongst the substitutes for the final against Cork on 6 May. Walsh remained in the bench but collected a winners' medal following the 3–21 to 0–16 victory.[16] He failed to be included on the Kilkenny panel for the Leinster Championship.

On 18 March 2013, Walsh made his first competitive appearance at senior level. He was introduced as a 24th-minute substitute for Jackie Tyrrell in a 2–15 to 0–15 defeat of Waterford in the National League.[17] He won a second consecutive National League medal as a non-playing substitute on 5 May following Kilkenny's 2–17 to 0–20 defeat of Tipperary in the final.[18] Walsh made his first appearance in the Leinster Championship on 29 June when he came on as a 60th-minute substitute for Jackie Tyrrell at right corner-back in a 1–16 to 0–16 defeat by Dublin.[19]

On 4 May 2014, Walsh was at midfield when Kilkenny faced Tipperary in the National League final. He claimed his third winners' medal - his first on the field of play - following the 2–25 to 1–27 victory.[20] On 6 July, Walsh won a Leinster Championship medal after scoring two points from centre-forward in Kilkenny's 0–24 to 1–09 defeat of Dublin in the final.[21] He was dropped from the starting fifteen for the All-Ireland final against Tipperary on 7 September. He was introduced as a 61st-minute substitute for Joey Holden at left corner-back in the 3–22 to 1–28 draw.[22] Walsh's improved form earned him a place on the starting fifteen at right wing-back for the replay on 27 September. He claimed an All-Ireland medal following the 2–17 to 2–14 victory.[23]

On 5 July 2015, Walsh won a second consecutive Leinster Championship when he lined out at right wing-back in Kilkenny's 1–23 to 2–17 defeat of Galway in the final.[24] On 6 September, he was again at right wing-back when Kilkenny and Galway renewed their rivalry in the All-Ireland final. Walsh collected a second successive winners' medal following the 1–22 to 1–18 victory.[25]

Walsh won a third successive Leinster Championship medal on 3 July 2016. He was in his usual position of right wing-back for the 1–26 to 0–22 defeat of Galway in the final.[26] Kilkenny subsequently qualified for a third successive All-Ireland final on 4 September. Walsh scored two points from right wing-back in the 2–29 to 2–20 defeat by Tipperary.[27] He ended the season by being named in the right wing-back position on the All-Star team.[28]

On 8 April 2018, Walsh won a fourth National League medal. He was at full-back for the 2–23 to 2–17 defeat of Tipperary in the final.[29] On 1 July, he was again at full-back when Kilkenny drew 0-18 apiece with Galway in the Leinster final.[30] The replay a week later saw Kilkenny suffer a 1–28 to 3–15 defeat.[31]

On 30 June 2019, Walsh lined out at left corner-back when Kilkenny suffered a 1–23 to 0–23 defeat by Wexford in the Leinster final.[32] On 18 August 2019, he was selected at centre-back when Kilkenny faced Tipperary in the All-Ireland final. Walsh ended the game on the losing side after a 3–25 to 0–20 defeat.[33]

Personal life

Walsh's grandfather was Paddy Grace, a two-time All-Ireland medal-winner with Kilkenny who served as secretary of the Kilkenny County Board for 37 years. His older brother, Tommy, won nine All-Ireland medals with Kilkenny.[34] His sister, Grace, is an All-Ireland medal-winner with the Kilkenny senior camogie team.

Career statistics
As of match played 17 July 2021.
Team Year National League Leinster All-Ireland Total
DivisionAppsScoreAppsScoreAppsScoreAppsScore
Kilkenny 2012 Division 1A 00-00——00-00
2013 20-0010-0000-0030-00
2014 80-1240-0730-03150-22
2015 30-0320-0020-0170-04
2016 60-0620-0130-04110-11
2017 60-0010-0020-0090-00
2018 70-0160-0110-00140-02
2019 40-0450-0220-01110-07
2020 Division 1B 10-0020-0110-0040-01
2021 50-0220-0000-0070-02
Total 420-28250-12140-09810-49

Honours
St. Kieran's College
Tullaroan
Kilkenny

Individual
Awards

References
  1. "53rd Leinster colleges hurling title for St Kieran's after today's win over St Peter's". The 42. 28 February 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  2. "Brennan's strike foils Ardscoil bid". Irish Independent. 4 April 2010. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  3. Knox, John (28 October 2018). "Graigue Ballycallan finish with scoring storm to go back to senior grade". Kilkenny GAA website. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  4. Knox, John (27 October 2019). "Tullaroan turned all the pain into terrific intermediate championship win". Kilkenny People. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  5. "Awesome Kehoe fires young Cats to further success". Irish Independent. 6 July 2009. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  6. O'Toole, Fintan (7 September 2009). "Cummins inspires Galway to glory". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  7. Hickey, Paddy (5 July 2010). "Cats sweep Dubs aside to claim minor crown". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  8. O'Toole, Fintan (6 September 2010). "Kilkenny pushed to the limit". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  9. O'Brien, Brendan (12 July 2012). "Cats make Laois nightmare come true". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  10. O'Flynn, Diarmuid (17 September 2012). "Dynamic duo drive Clare to glory". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  11. Furlong, Brendan (8 June 2011). "Kent snatches dramatic late Wexford winner". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  12. O'Brien, Brendan (12 July 2012). "Cats make Laois nightmare come true". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  13. O'Flynn, Diarmuid (17 September 2012). "Dynamic duo drive Clare to glory". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  14. "Wexford need extra time to overcome Cats in U-21 hurling final". Irish Examiner. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  15. "Tyrell among three to return for Cats". Irish Examiner. 21 April 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  16. O'Flynn, Diarmuid (7 May 2012). "Cats' smash and grab". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  17. Cahill, Jackie (18 March 2013). "HL Division 1A: Déise rue missed opportunity as Kilkenny stumble to 1st win". The 42. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  18. "Kilkenny made to work for 16th league title". Irish Examiner. 5 May 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  19. O'Toole, Fintan (29 June 2013). "Dublin hurlers claim historic victory over Kilkenny in Leinster semi-final". The 42. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  20. O'Rourke, Steve (4 May 2014). "Kilkenny win third Allianz Hurling League in a row with last-gasp win over Tipperary". The 42. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  21. Kelly, Niall (6 July 2014). "Kilkenny rule Leinster again after swatting disappointing Dubs". The 42. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  22. "Kilkenny and Tipp finish level in classic final". RTÉ Sport. 8 September 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  23. "Kilkenny too strong for Tipperary in All-Ireland final replay". RTÉ Sport. 27 September 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  24. Rooney, Declan (27 August 2015). "Kilkenny march past Galway to another Leinster win". RTÉ Sport. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  25. McGoldrick, Seán (6 September 2015). "Kilkenny deliver an 11th All-Ireland for Brian Cody as Galway challenge fades away". Irish Independent. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  26. McGoldrick, Seán (3 July 2016). "Galway challenge peters out as Kilkenny claim 71st Leinster crown in familiar style". Irish Independent. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  27. "Tipperary blow Cats away to take All-Ireland title". RTÉ News. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  28. O'Toole, Fintan (4 November 2016). "7 from Tipperary and 4 from Kilkenny - the 2016 All-Star hurling team". The 42. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  29. McGoldrick, Seán (8 April 2018). "Kilkenny whirlwind blows Tipperary away as Brian Cody claims ninth league title". Irish Independent. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  30. "Leinster SHC final: Cats and Tribe must meet again". Hogan Stand. 1 July 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  31. Fogarty, John (8 July 2018). "Galway hold their nerve against Kilkenny in Leinster final replay". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  32. O'Brien, Kevin (30 June 2019). "Wexford land first Leinster title in 15 years with thrilling victory over Kilkenny". The 42. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  33. McGoldrick, Seán (18 August 2019). "Tipperary are All-Ireland champions as Liam Sheedy's men see off 14-man Kilkenny in Croke Park". Irish Independent. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  34. McEvoy, Enda (22 November 2014). "Walsh a wonder of modern hurling". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
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