| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Tomás Breathnach | ||
| Sport | Hurling | ||
| Position | Right half back | ||
| Born |
5 May 1983 Tullaroan, County Kilkenny, Ireland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
| Occupation | Bank official | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
1999– | Tullaroan | ||
| Club titles | |||
| Kilkenny titles | 1 | ||
| All-Ireland Titles | 1 | ||
| Inter-county(ies)* | |||
| Years | County | Apps (scores) | |
2002–2014 | Kilkenny | 56 (1–36) | |
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Leinster titles | 10 | ||
| All-Irelands | 9 | ||
| NHL | 7 | ||
| All Stars | 9 | ||
| *Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 20:03, 10 May 2013. | |||
Thomas Walsh (born 5 May 1983) is an Irish hurler who played as a right wing-back at senior level for the Kilkenny county team.
Born in Tullaroan, County Kilkenny, Walsh first played competitive hurling during his schooling at St Kieran's College. He arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he first linked up with the Kilkenny minor team, before later joining the under-21 side. He joined the senior panel during the 2002 championship. Walsh became a regular member of the starting fifteen the following year, and won nine All-Ireland medals (two as a non-playing substitute), ten Leinster medals and seven National League medals. He was an All-Ireland runner-up on two occasions.
At international level Walsh has played for the composite rules shinty-hurling team, captaining his country to the title in 2009. As a member of the Leinster inter-provincial team on a number of occasions (17 games), he won five Railway Cup medals. At club level Walsh continues to play with Tullaroan.[1]
Walsh's grandfather, Paddy Grace, as well as his brother, Pádraig, have also enjoyed All-Ireland success with Kilkenny. His sister, Grace, is a key member of the Kilkenny senior camogie team.[2]
Throughout his career Walsh made 56 championship appearances. He announced his retirement from inter-county hurling on 20 November 2014.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
Walsh is one of the most successful players of all-time.[9] During his playing days he won nine consecutive All-Star awards, while he was later chosen as one of the 125 greatest hurlers of all-time in a 2009 poll. That same year Walsh made a clean sweep of all the top individual awards, winning the All-Star, Texaco and GPA Hurler of the Year awards, while he was chosen on the Leinster team of the past twenty-five years.[10]