Only three surnames (Murphy, Kelly and Sullivan) exceed Walsh in numerical
strength among the population of Ireland. It is found in every county and is particularly
strong in Mayo, where it has first place, and also in Galway, Cork, Wexford, Waterford and
Kilkenny. The last area is that most closely associated with the Walshes, where they have
given their name to the Walsh Mountains in Co. Kilkenny. The name originated as a result
of the Anglo- or, more properly, the Cambro-Norman, invasion, and simply means the
Welshman, in Irish Breathnach, which was sometimes anglicized phonetically as Brannagh -
not, however, as Brannock, a name of different though somewhat similar origin. The first
to be so called is said to have been Haylen Brenach, alias Walsh, son of "Philip the
Welshman", one of the invaders of 1172. Unlike many of the Anglo-Norman families such
as Burke, Fitzgerald, Roche etc., which have since become exclusively identified with
Ireland, the Walshes did not all spring from one or two known ancestors, but the name was
given independently to many of the newcomers and, perhaps in consequence of this, no
clearly defined Hiberno-Norman sept of Walsh was formed on the Gaelic Irish model, as
happened with a number of those other families. Nevertheless the Walshes of the
south-eastern part of Ireland are mostly descended from the Philip mentioned above and
from his brother David, and the leading members of this family established themselves as
landed gentry at Castlehowel (Co. Kilkenny), at Ballykileavan (Co. Leix), at Ballyrichmore
(Co. Waterford) and also at Bray and Carrickmines near Dublin. References to men of the
name are very numerous in both national and local records: they appear as sheriffs,
judges, army officers etc., usually on the side of the King (which of course meant
attainder in the seventeenth century) but not always - two for example were killed
"in rebellion against Queen Elizabeth". The pedigrees of the Tirawley (Mayo)
Walshes was compiled by Lawrence Walsh in 1588. He states that they are descended from
Walynus, a Welshman who came to Ireland with Maurice Fitzgerald in 1169 and that this
man's brother Barrett was the progenitor of the Barretts of Tirawley (q.v). The many
famous bearers of the name include Rev. Peter Walsh (1618-1688), pro-Ormond opponent of
Rinnuccini and author of "The Loyal Romonstrance", for which he was
excommunicated and expelled from the Franciscan Order; John Walsh who in 1604 wrote the
beautiful Gaelic "Lament for Oliver Grace"; Edward Walsh (1805-1850), and John
Walsh, (1835-1881), both National School teachers and poets; Most Rev. William John Walsh
(1841-1921), one of the most distinguished of all the Archbishops of Dublin. The Churches
have had many other Walshes of note: among them Most Rev. Thomas Walsh (1580-1654), the
much persecuted Archbishop of Cashel whose active career occupies many pages of the
Wadding (Franciscan) papers; and Most Rev. John Walsh (1830-1898), Catholic Archbishop of
Toronto, who promoted the Irish Race Commission after the Parnell Split, as well as
several Protestant bishops, notably the Rt. Rev. Nicholas Walsh of Waterford, who was
murdered in 1585 by a man whom he had rebuked, and is remembered as the man who introduced
Irish type to the native printing press in connexion with his unfinished translation into
Irish of the New Testament. The Walsh family of St. Malo and Nantes has had a
distinguished history in France since its establishment there at the end of the
seventeenth century, many of its members being notable in war, politics and literature.
The first emigrant was Philip Walsh (1666-1708), shipbuilder and privateer, his father
being the James Walsh, of Ballynacooly in the Walsh Mountains, Co. Kilkenny, who commanded
the ship which brought James II to France after the Battle of the Boyne. Judge John
Edwards Walsh (1816-1869), was the author of a well-known book Ireland Sixty Years Ago,
published in 1847. Many Irish American Walshes have also made their mark, of whom the best
known were Blanche Walshe (1873-1915), actress, and Henry Collins Walsh (1863-1927),
explorer. The ubiquity of the Walshes in Ireland is illustrated by the place names
Walshtown, Walshpark etc., of which there are twenty-four in thirteen counties as far
apart as Down , Mayo and Cork, while the name, in more Irish guise, as Ballybrannagh and
Ballinabrannagh, appears in Counties Carlow, Down, Cork and Kerry.
Only three surnames (Murphy, Kelly and Sullivan) exceed Walsh in numerical
strength among the population of Ireland. It is found in every county and is particularly
strong in Mayo, where it has first place, and also in Galway, Cork, Wexford, Waterford and
Kilkenny. The last area is that most closely associated with the Walshes, where they have
given their name to the Walsh Mountains in Co. Kilkenny. The name originated as a result
of the Anglo- or, more properly, the Cambro-Norman, invasion, and simply means the
Welshman, in Irish Breathnach, which was sometimes anglicized phonetically as Brannagh -
not, however, as Brannock, a name of different though somewhat similar origin. The first
to be so called is said to have been Haylen Brenach, alias Walsh, son of "Philip the
Welshman", one of the invaders of 1172. Unlike many of the Anglo-Norman families such
as Burke, Fitzgerald, Roche etc., which have since become exclusively identified with
Ireland, the Walshes did not all spring from one or two known ancestors, but the name was
given independently to many of the newcomers and, perhaps in consequence of this, no
clearly defined Hiberno-Norman sept of Walsh was formed on the Gaelic Irish model, as
happened with a number of those other families. Nevertheless the Walshes of the
south-eastern part of Ireland are mostly descended from the Philip mentioned above and
from his brother David, and the leading members of this family established themselves as
landed gentry at Castlehowel (Co. Kilkenny), at Ballykileavan (Co. Leix), at Ballyrichmore
(Co. Waterford) and also at Bray and Carrickmines near Dublin. References to men of the
name are very numerous in both national and local records: they appear as sheriffs,
judges, army officers etc., usually on the side of the King (which of course meant
attainder in the seventeenth century) but not always - two for example were killed
"in rebellion against Queen Elizabeth". The pedigrees of the Tirawley (Mayo)
Walshes was compiled by Lawrence Walsh in 1588. He states that they are descended from
Walynus, a Welshman who came to Ireland with Maurice Fitzgerald in 1169 and that this
man's brother Barrett was the progenitor of the Barretts of Tirawley (q.v). The many
famous bearers of the name include Rev. Peter Walsh (1618-1688), pro-Ormond opponent of
Rinnuccini and author of "The Loyal Romonstrance", for which he was
excommunicated and expelled from the Franciscan Order; John Walsh who in 1604 wrote the
beautiful Gaelic "Lament for Oliver Grace"; Edward Walsh (1805-1850), and John
Walsh, (1835-1881), both National School teachers and poets; Most Rev. William John Walsh
(1841-1921), one of the most distinguished of all the Archbishops of Dublin. The Churches
have had many other Walshes of note: among them Most Rev. Thomas Walsh (1580-1654), the
much persecuted Archbishop of Cashel whose active career occupies many pages of the
Wadding (Franciscan) papers; and Most Rev. John Walsh (1830-1898), Catholic Archbishop of
Toronto, who promoted the Irish Race Commission after the Parnell Split, as well as
several Protestant bishops, notably the Rt. Rev. Nicholas Walsh of Waterford, who was
murdered in 1585 by a man whom he had rebuked, and is remembered as the man who introduced
Irish type to the native printing press in connexion with his unfinished translation into
Irish of the New Testament. The Walsh family of St. Malo and Nantes has had a
distinguished history in France since its establishment there at the end of the
seventeenth century, many of its members being notable in war, politics and literature.
The first emigrant was Philip Walsh (1666-1708), shipbuilder and privateer, his father
being the James Walsh, of Ballynacooly in the Walsh Mountains, Co. Kilkenny, who commanded
the ship which brought James II to France after the Battle of the Boyne. Judge John
Edwards Walsh (1816-1869), was the author of a well-known book Ireland Sixty Years Ago,
published in 1847. Many Irish American Walshes have also made their mark, of whom the best
known were Blanche Walshe (1873-1915), actress, and Henry Collins Walsh (1863-1927),
explorer. The ubiquity of the Walshes in Ireland is illustrated by the place names
Walshtown, Walshpark etc., of which there are twenty-four in thirteen counties as far
apart as Down , Mayo and Cork, while the name, in more Irish guise, as Ballybrannagh and
Ballinabrannagh, appears in Counties Carlow, Down, Cork and Kerry.