Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Bishop Willie Walsh to Be Honoured by Tipperary Association

The retired Bishop of Killaloe is to be honoured by his native county.  

The most Reverend Willie Walsh has been nominated by the Tipperary Association Dublin as its Hall of Fame winner for 2010. 

Bishop Walsh who is a native of Roscrea is a past pupil of Corville National School and Saint Flannan's College in Ennis where he would later teach. 

He was ordained to the priesthood in 1959 and later went on to study Canon Law before taking up a teaching post firstly at Coláiste Einde in Galway and later at Saint Flannan's College in Ennis in County Clare. 

In 1988 he was appointed curate at Ennis Cathedral and became cathedral administrator in 1990.  

He was also an active member of ACCORD in the Diocese. 

He pursued his interest in hurling in Saint Flannan's and coached college teams and county Clare teams at all grades. 

Indeed he was a selector of the Clare Senior Hurling Team during Ger Loughnane's reign as manager.

He succeeded the late Bishop Michael Harty as Bishop of Killaloe in 1994 having served as co-adjudicator Bishop for a short period.  

On his 75th birthday, as is compulsory for all Bishops, Bishop Walsh submitted his resignation to the Pope and was succeeded by Bishop Kieran O'Reilly in August 2011.

No stranger to awards, last year Bishop Walsh received the Roscrea Person of the Year Award. 

The award will be presented to Bishop Walsh at the Tipperary Association Dublin's annual dinner at the Regency Hotel in Dublin on Friday April 29.