| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Mícheál Breathnach | ||
| Sport | Hurling | ||
| Position | Centre-forward | ||
| Born |
23 April 1983 Waterford, Ireland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Nickname | Brick | ||
| Occupation | Banking official | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
2000-present | Stradbally | ||
| Club titles | |||
| Football | Hurling | ||
| Waterford titles | 10 | 0 | |
| Colleges(s) | |||
| Years | College | ||
2001-2006 | Waterford Institute of Technology | ||
| College titles | |||
| Fitzgibbon titles | 3 | ||
| Inter-county(ies)* | |||
| Years | County | Apps (scores) | |
2003-2019 | Waterford | 76 (3-26)[1] | |
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Munster titles | 3 | ||
| All-Irelands | 0 | ||
| NHL | 2 | ||
| All Stars | 4 | ||
| *Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 15:43, 16 October 2019. | |||
Michael "Brick" Walsh (born 23 April 1983) is an Irish hurler and Gaelic footballer who plays for Waterford Championship club Stradbally. He played for the Waterford senior hurling team for 17 seasons, during which time he lined out in a variety of positions. Often considered one of Waterford's greatest-ever players, Walsh won four All-Stars and is one of just three players to claim awards in defence, midfield and attack. He won five major trophies during his inter-county career, including three Munster Championships and two National Leagues, however, an All-Ireland Championship eluded him. Walsh holds the all-time record for championship appearances with 76.
Born and raised in Stradbally, County Waterford, Walsh began his hurling and Gaelic football career with the Stradbally club. He joined the club's senior teams as a 17-year-old dual player and enjoyed his first success, a Waterford Football Championship, in 2001 - the first of five successive championship wins. Walsh later won a further five championship titles between 2009 and 2017.
Walsh lined out for Waterford in three different grades of hurling over a 19-year period. After making his first appearance for the minor team in April 2000, he later progressed onto the under-21 team as a dual player and won a Munster Championship medal as a footballer in 2003. After one season with the Waterford senior football team in 2002, Walsh made his competitive debut for the Waterford senior hurling team aged 19 in 2003 and enjoyed his first success the following year when Waterford claimed the Munster Championship. He claimed a National League title in 2007 before also claiming a second Munster Championship title later that same season. An All-Ireland Championship runner-up in 2008, Walsh won a third Munster Championship medal in 2010 before collecting a second National League title in 2015. He was an All-Ireland Championship runner-up for the second time in his career in 2017. He announced his retirement from inter-county hurling in October 2019.[2]